Irish Alphabet (1870s)
Cornelius Donovan of Hamilton, Ontario
Born and raised in Canada, likely with Irish from birth, Cornelius Donovan was passionate about his language. Amid the industrial stirrings of Hamilton in the 1870s, he produced the magazine “The Lamp.” It included a full-page lesson in Irish in each issue, a pioneering feat that few if any other periodicals around the world had attempted. Donovan harboured grand aspirations for promoting the use of Irish and was planning to publish a series of works in the language when he died tragically at age 47.
It seems that all copies of his greatest legacy, “The Lamp,” have now been lost, leaving behind a haunting void in the world of linguistic and cultural preservation.
Yet a glimmer of Cornelius Donovan's undying passion for the Irish language remains. Tucked away at the back of one of his faded personal journals is a simple yet profound Gaelic alphabet. In a neat hand, he traces the rounded forms of the Irish letters and gives their names, used since the time of ancient Ogham. This solitary sheet, frayed and fragmented, is perhaps the only remaining evidence of his tireless efforts to promote and preserve his language, the Irish language, in Canada.
The author is deeply indebted to the Bishop Farrell Archives for identifying, photographing, and preserving this invaluable piece of Donovan’s story.
Irish Alphabet, 1874, Cornelius Donovan Writing Ledger, Courtesy of the Bishop Farrell Library & Archives, I01.001.001.
For citation, please use: Donovan, Cornelius. ND. “Irish Alphabet.” Ó Dubhghaill, Dónall. 2024. Na Gaeil san Áit Ró-Fhuar. Gaeltacht an Oileáin Úir: www.gaeilge.ca
