Is anyone familiar with a story about Daniel O'Connell and how an Irish-speaking servant girl saves his life?
I have seen several versions of the tale in which the girl Kate asks O'Connell (in Irish), "Daniel O'Connell, do you speak Irish? There is enough poison on your plate to kill hundreds. I hear your story, girl, and I will deal with the English churl." So the Irish language saved Daniel O'Connell's life.
This rural legend seems at odds with the conventional wisdom about O'Connell's view of the language as a hindrance to be discarded.
(A fragment of the story in Ulster Irish:
"Dónall Ó Conaill - a bhfuil agat Gaeilic? Tá ...
do phláta agus marbhadh na céadtaibh."
"A chailín .... do scéala, a Cháiti, agus deasóchaidh
mise le bodach a' Bhéarla é!")

This may be because the conventional wisdom is (partly) based on stuff he actually said! Laoch béaloidis a rinneadh den "immortal Dan" i ndiaidh a bháis, agus is iomaí scéal a d'insítí ina thaobh go dtí le fíordhéanaí.

Scríobh Ríonach Uí Ógáin leabhar maith ina gcíortar a leithéid seo. (Tiocfaidh ainm an leabhair chugam am ar bith anois... tá sé ar an tseilf agam sa mbaile...)

quote:

Tiocfaidh ainm an leabhair chugam am ar bith anois... tá sé ar an tseilf agam sa mbaile...

"An Rí gan Choróin" atá air.

He would have been a fluent Irish speaker, given where he came from.

But he did think Irish should be dropped.

There is a story which sort of bookends the decline of Irish.
O'Connell addressing a meeting in English (in Ennis, I think) and no-one understanding him.
Then a century or so later, in the same place, Dev addressing a meeting in Irish to equal incomprehension.

The servant girl using an Irish riddle (ól fuar agus té[ith]) to save a hero occurs in other places also.

- "A Dhomhnaill Uí Chonaill", a deir sí, "an dtuigfeá-sa Gaedhilge?"
- "Thuigfinn, a chailín", a deir sé, "nó céard sin is léar duit?"
- "Tá rud ar do chupán a mharódh na céadta. Is múch an solas is cuir thart é, má fhéadair."
- "Más fíor sin, a chailín", a deir sé, "is maith í do spréidh-se".

Sa leagan a chuala mé i bhfad ó shin thug an cailín aimsire an rabhadh mar véarsa d'amhrán. An bhfuil an leagan sin ag éinne anseo?

ól fuar agus té[ith]

Do I get this right, this has two meanings, one about eating té and one about fleeing?

http://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%B3nall_%C3%93_Conaill

Tá alt maith ag an Vicipéid faoi agus tá an scéal seo ann (féach ar 'Scéal tipiciúil béaloidis faoin gConallach agus an Ghaeilge').

Seo mar a ríomhtar an scéal san alt ar Vicipéid.

http://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dónall_Ó_Conaill

Bheadh sé an-éasca na habairí sa chomhrá gairid sin a chanadh.

Fuair Dónall Ó Conaill cuireadh dinnéir i Londain agus cuireadh nimh ina chupán. Ach bhí cailín ó Éirinn ann agus bhí Gaeilge aici. Bhí a fhios aici go raibh an nimh curtha ina chupán agus theastaigh uaithi gaoth an fhocail a thabhairt do Dhónall. Bhí Dónall ann agus é ar chlíothán an bhoird, agus tháinig an cailín agus gach aon ní aici á chur ar an mbord i gcóir an dinnéir; agus bhí stíobhard ag socrú an bhia - a phláta féin agus a chupán féin aige á chur ar a aghaidh amach. Ghabh an cailín isteach agus labhair sí:

"A Dhónaill Uí Chonaill, an dtuigeann tú Gaeilge?"
"Tuigim go maith í, a chailín ó Éirinn."
"Tá nimh i do chupán a mharódh na céadta!"
"Maith tú, a chailín, is tabharfaidh mé spré duit."

Thóg sé a chupán féin agus chuir sé anonn é go tiubh agus thóg sé cupán eile. Maraíodh fear eile ansin ina ionad féin.

Bhí tú dhá nóiméad ar thosach orm, a Dahtet. :-)

quote:

He would have been a fluent Irish speaker, given where he came from.

But he did think Irish should be dropped.

There is a story which sort of bookends the decline of Irish.
O'Connell addressing a meeting in English (in Ennis, I think) and no-one understanding him.
Then a century or so later, in the same place, Dev addressing a meeting in Irish to equal incomprehension.

It was actually in Clifden in west Galway, according to Alan Titley.

O'Connell was a native speaker and built up a successful law practice, partly owing to his full bilingualism. Asked about the decline of Irish amongst the peasantry he said:

"... although the Irish language is connected with many recollections which twine round the hearts of Irishmen, yet the superior utility of the English tongue as a medium of all modern communication is so great that I can witness without a sigh the gradual disuse of Irish."

This is briefly covered in Tony Crowley's fantastic book entitled
"The Politics of Language in Ireland 1366-1922: A Sourcebook" (Routledge, 1999)

http://www.routledgepolitics.com/books/The-Politics-of-Language-in-Ireland-1366- 1922-isbn9780415157186

Was it not O'Connell's own aunt Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill who composed the famous Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire/Lament for Art O'Leary?

Was it not O'Connell's own aunt Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill who composed the famous Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire/Lament for Art O'Leary?
Ba í. Chuir sé sin an t-iontas orm nuair a léigh mé é... is le haois eile ar fad a shamhlaigh mé caoineadh Airt riamh ar chuma eicínt.

(ar fad = altogether; ar chuma éigin/eicínt = somehow)

Deirtear gur chum sí dán nuair a saolaíodh D.Ó.C. ag tairngreacht sonais in Éirinn dá bharr. Tá cúpla leagan den dán seo ann ar aon nós. Níl a fhios agam an bhfuil aon cheann acu ar fáil ar an idirlíon, ach tá siad ar fáil san irisleabhar Éigse, más maith mo chuimhe.

quote:

ól fuar agus té[ith]

Do I get this right, this has two meanings...?

Thuig tú i gceart é! Dála an scéil, níl síneadh fada i gceachtar den dá fhocal: te, teith.

Talking about Clifen being the capital of Conamara, do very old people still communicate in Irish together? It seems strange that Irish has died out, is there any speakers left there?