Poet and Irish scholar Seán Ó Tuama has left an inspirational legacy of literary work more lasting than any physical memorial or monument, mourners at his funeral Mass in Cork were told at the weekend.
Quoting from both The Irish Times, in which the late Prof Ó Tuama was described as a "scholar and poet", and the Irish Examiner, which described him as an "inspirational writer, critic and dramatist", Fr James Good said marrying the two descriptions summed up his late friend.
Fr Good recalled how the two had become firm friends during visits to Graig in Ballyferriter in west Kerry in the 1940s, when Fr Tadhg Ó Murchú from Farranferris used to bring groups down from Cork city to Chorcha Dhuibhne to improve their Irish.
Fr Good recalled how the group of Cork students used to visit Peig Sayers, and learned much from local seanachaí such as Séamasín a' Bhoiler who had a huge repertoire of stories and beautifully rich Irish.
Those visits to Ballyferriter had helped nurture Seán's great love of Irish and stood to him both through his career as a scholar and as a writer, said Fr Good before going on to quote from Horace as to his late friend's legacy.
"'Exegi monumentum aera perennitis/Regialique situ pyramidum altius' - I have built a memorial more lasting than brass and higher that the royal structures of the pyramids," said Fr Good in praise of the father of five who died on September 14th at the age of 80.
A former chairman of Bord na Gaeilge and a member of the Arts Council from 1973 to 1981, Prof Ó Tuama joined the staff of UCC in 1950, lecturing in modern Irish and later becoming professor of modern Irish at the university in 1982.
A prominent playwright whose work, Gunna Cam Agus Slabhra Óir, is familiar to Leaving Cert students, he is perhaps best known for his collection, An Duanaire - Poems of the Dispossessed, which he produced in collaboration with Thomas Kinsella. He had earlier produced a modern poetry anthology, Nuabhéarsaíocht, which introduced new writers such as Seán Ó Ríordáin.
Leading the mourners were Prof Ó Tuama's widow, Beití, his sons, Finin, Barra, Aodh Óg, Eoin and Ciarán, his grandchildren, his brothers, Pádraig, Tadhg, Liam and Barra, and sister, Bríd.
Joining Fr Good in concelebrating the Mass in Irish were Fr Rísteard Ó Cróinín, Fr Micheál MacCraith, Fr Pádraic Ó Maille, Fr Tomás Ó hIci, Ballyferriter, and Fr Mil Whelan. Traditional airs were played by piper Tomás Ó Canáinn.
Among the mourners were many of Prof Ó Tuama's colleagues from UCC, including president Gerry Wrixon, professor of Irish Seán Ó Coileán, emeritus professor of history John A Murphy, and professor of geography William J Smyth.
