Mr. Eamon O Cuiv T.D. will unveil a plaque at the grave of Jacobite Poet Sean Clarach Mac Domhnaill at Charleville’s Holy Cross Cemetery this Sunday to mark the 25st anniversary of the death of the Churchtown (Mallow) born poet.
The event will bring to a close the Charleville Heritage Society’s weekend commemorating the life of the poet who was born in 1691 and died in 1754 and was buried in the town’s Holy Cross Cemetery. He was one of the most influential poets of his day in Ireland, was the Chief Poet of Munster and one of Filí na Maighe (The Maigue Poets), the group of literary named after the River Maigue, which rises near Dromina, Charleville and flows through Co. Limerick to enter the Shannon Estuary. While the poet wrote many poems and satires perhaps the most famous is ‘Mo Ghile Mear,’ which is sung to this day and has been recorded by many artistes including the Chieftains, Mary Black, Celtic Woman, Cór Cúl Aodh, to mention but some.
The weekend will begin with a seminar on the poet’s life and times with Professor Liam Ó Murchú from the History Department U.C.C., Fr. Miceál de Listún, Limerick and Denis J. Hickey, Churchtown (Mallow) on Friday evening starting at 8.15pm at the Charleville Park Hotel. The chairman will be Cllr. Ian Doyle. There will be a juvenile hurling tournament run by the juvenile section of Charleville G.A.A., also on Friday evening, playing for the Danno O’Mahony Trophy and medals.
On Saturday there will be a free bus tour (limited to 19) to places associated with Seán Clarách such as his birthplace at Rath, Churchtown and the final resting places of Aindreas Mac Craith in Kilmallock and Sean O Tuala in Croom, the other poets of the Maigue. On Saturday night there will be a memorial concert of Irish music, song and dance with Seán Ó Sé, Donncha Ó Dulaing, Kevin Owens, Craobh An Rath Comhaltas Group, Billy O’Brien, John Murphy, Charleville Folk Group, Jim Barry and Irish dancers.
The 12 noon Mass in Holy Cross Church will be bilingual after which the plaque will be unveiled in Holy Cross Cemetery. A segment of TG4’s new series on the stories behind Irish songs featuring singer/ songwriter John Spillane will be televised at Holy Cross Cemetery at the unveiling. The song which John Spillane will be researching on this occasion will of course be Mo Ghile Mear. The presenter and crew will also be filming earlier on in the morning at the old Mac Domhnaill homestead in Rath, Churchtown.