Máiréad Ní Ghráda (23 December 1896 – 13 June 1971)[1] was an Irishpoet,playwright, andbroadcaster born inKilmaley,County Clare.
Ní Ghráda's mother was Bridget Ní Ghrianna while her father, Séamas Ó Gráda, was a farmer, local county councillor and a native speaker ofIrish.[2] It is thought it was from him Máiréad got her love for theIrish language and he was known to recite ancientMunster Irish poems such asCúirt an Mheán Oíche.[2]
Ní Ghráda was jailed during theIrish War of Independence in 1921 for sellingrepublican flags, and later she became the secretary to theCumann na nGaedhealTDErnest Blythe.[3]
Ní Ghráda was a children's program compiler on the 1926 radio station2RN (which went on to becomeRadio Éireann), later becoming the station's principal announcer in 1929, holding that position until 1935 when she became a part-time announcer.
During this period Ní Ghráda began to write radio and stage productions, and her playMicheál won anAbbey Theatre award in 1933.
Ní Ghráda'sAn Uacht was first performed inMicheál Mac Liammóir'sGate Theatre in Dublin in 1935.[4] It was performed many times in subsequent decades.[5]
Ní Ghráda is widely known for her 1964 playAn Triail which brought her into the public eye, showing the harshness of Irish society and the hypocrisy at the time. While the storyline inAn Triail was clearly inspired in part by the fate which befellSylvia Plath in 1963, thedramaturgy and techniques utilised by Ní Ghráda throughout the play were strongly influenced byBertholt Brecht.[6][7]An Triail has been on theLeaving Certificate Irish curriculum[8] since 1997.
Ní Ghráda's playBreithiúnas is well known, and currently serves as an option of study for A-Level Irish in Northern Ireland.[9]
Ní Ghráda is the author of one of the most widely used grammar books on theIrish Language,Progress in Irish.[5]
An Grá agus an Gárda is a 1937 comedy produced at thePeacock Theatre in Dublin focusing on a complex marital situation.[5] Two years beforehand Ní Ghráda was forced to give up her job inRTÉ when her husband, a seniorGarda, was reinstated to his post.[5]
Ní Ghráda's 1938 translation ofPeter Pan, the first in Irish.[5]
This celebrated play tells the story of two lovers in a nursing home who meet again in a tale of tragedy and long lasting love for each otheras gaeilge.
Manannán (1940) is regarded as the first science fiction book inIrish.[10]
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