Introduction: There are organizations and people to be found who are dedicated to other areas of Gaelic culture, such as dance and music. We have great respect for them and we praise their work on behalf of those arts. At other periods of our history, we tried to be active in various other aspects of our culture besides the Irish language, all things for all people, until the Irish language wasn't important at all to most of our membership. In that way, we forgot our purpose. Our organization failed. We were on the brink of going out of existence forever. But Mícheál Ó Lócháin started our activities in Brooklyn in 1872 in order to establish a worldwide renaissance of the Irish language. That understanding was handed down from hand to hand until our own time. And since 2004, we are again working for the renaissance of the Irish language as the sole reason why our organization exists.
There is more to be found about Mícheál Ó Lócháin at Our Founder, and here's a summary of the history of our Society:
1836 - "It's in the townland of Currach Doire, Milltown, Co. Galway that Mícheál Ó Lócháin was born in 1836... His mother was of the family of Oisín (Hession) from Garraí Mór an tSléibhe in Co. Mayo and according to him, she had no English." (translated from Mícheál Ó Lócháin agus AN GAODHAL by Fionnuala Uí Fhlannagáin, An Clóchomhar Teo., Éire, 1990, pages 11-13)
1836-1854 - "Ó Lócháin was born in 1836, and he attended school in the district until 1854." Also: "...it's a chance that Ó Lócháin went to one of Mac Héil's independent schools, given how the learning of Teagasc Críostaí (which was written by McHale) was conducted during his time at school..."It is the first Irish book we ever read..." (translated from Mícheál Ó Lócháin agus AN GAODHAL by Fionnuala Uí Fhlannagáin, An Clóchomhar Teo., Éire, 1990, pages 11-13).
1870 - It's said that Ó Lócháin got his first job in America in this year, as a school teacher. (translated from Mícheál Ó Lócháin agus AN GAODHAL by Fionnuala Uí Fhlannagáin, An Clóchomhar Teo., Dublin, 1990, page 14).
Spring 1872 - The Irish World (one of the Irish-American newspapers in New York) published letters written by Mícheál Ó Lócháin under the pen name 'Gael' referencing "...the neglect to cultivate the National tongue ... suggesting the necessity of preserving the Irish language in order to preserve Irish nationality..." He recommended establishing classes and Irish language organizations to solve this problem. ("'An Gaodhal' i Meiriceá" by Breandán Ó Buachalla in the book Go Meiriceá Siar, edited by Stíofán Ó hAnnracháin. Dublin, An Clóchomhar Teo., p. 38)
Fall 1872 - Mícheál Ó Lócháin starts the first "Philo-Celtic class" (an Irish language instruction class) for adults at Our Lady Of Victory School, 583 Throop Avenue, Brooklyn, where he is principal. (Source: Go Meiriceá Siar, edited by Stíofán Ó hAnnrachán, An Clóchomhar Teoranta, 1979, p. 38) For Irish in America in this period, 'Philo-Celtic' means "love of the Irish language." This is before the Society exists in a formal manner.
1873 - But this encourages the formal organization of the first Philo-Celtic Society - The Boston Philo-Celtic Society.
1874 - Mícheál Ó Lócháin and his friends formally organize the second Philo-Celtic Society - The Brooklyn Philo-Celtic Society.
1878 - A good number of the Brooklyn members live in Manhattan. They formally organize the third Philo-Celtic Society - The New York Philo-Celtic Society. At this time, Brooklyn is not in the City Of New York. We descend directly from The New York Philo-Celtic Society and The New York Philo-Celtic Society comes directly out of The Brooklyn Philo-Celtic Society. (Source: Mícheál Ó Lócháin Agus An Gaodhal le Fionnuala Uí Fhlannagáin, An Clóchomhar Teoranta, 1990, p. 65)
1873-1881 - Many people join the Philo-Celtic societies who don't have interest in the language. Ó Lócháin thought that his objective was clear in the names of the Society (i.e., Cumann Carad na Gaeilge and "Philo-Celtic" or 'love of the Irish language'), but he was wrong.
1881 - Ó Lócháin initiates "An Gaodhal" (the Society's bi-lingual monthly magazine) to advance the renaissance of the Irish language and to clarify that he founded "Philo-Celtic" for the renaissance of the Irish language. But the horse was already out of the barn.
1878 - 1899 - expansion and growth of Philo-Celtic Societies throughout America. Another name for our classes is "The Gaelic League". As we see in "An Gaodhal", Ó Lócháin continues to have problems with people, branches, and "Philo-Celtic" societies who give most of their interest to social and cultural activities that don't relate to the language.
1891 - Douglas Hyde's visit to New York Philo-Celtic Society and to our classes
1893 - Douglas Hyde founds The Gaelic League in Ireland using our Society and our classes as a model
1899 - death of Ó Lócháin, January 10, 1899. He was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery.
1904 - end of the first "An Gaodhal"
1904-1945 - decline and extinguishing of the Philo-Celtic Societies except in New York
sometime before 1945 - merger of Brooklyn & Manhattan in New York Philo-Celtic Society (Did Brooklyn go out of business and did its members go to New York?)
1940s-1950s - Our friends Jim Mullan, Joe Halligan, and Stan Whelan (each eventually a member of The Gerry Tobin Irish Language School) are active in the New York Philo-Celtic. Irish is still being taught but other activities expend time and resources of the Society.
1960s - 1970s - decline and then dormancy. Most of the interest of our members is in other cultural aspects of Ireland, not in the language. Dues are unpaid to Council Of Gaelic Societies (or Conradh na Gaeilge?) since 1976 (my notes from 9/22/93).
1982-1984 - "The Gael" (quarterly magazine usually using English) at The Irish Arts Center in Manhattan
May 12, 1993 - 1994 - Séamus Ó Maoláin attempts to re-organize the Society. Séamus recruits his friends from the Gerry Tobin Irish Language School to help him. Joe Halligan, Pam Tangredi, Jerry Kelly, Conor Kelly, Maura Kelly, Caitlin Quinn-Lang, Peadar Chojnowski, and Andy Conlon (each one of them teachers or students at the Gerry Tobin Irish Language School) are among the new members. Stan Whelan (teacher at The Gerry Tobin School) is still a member but the meetings in Mineola are too far away. (Stan lived in Bay Shore, New York.) These Irish speakers are a minority amongst others who have no interest in the language. It's hard to believe, but no emphasis was put on the language whatsoever and The Society Of Friends Of The Irish Language did not teach the Irish language in this period.
1994 (or 1995?) Séamus' attempt fails.
October 7, 2004 - reorganization of The Philo-Celtic Society. Gearóid Ó Ceallaigh nominates and Pam Tangredi accepts these new members: Réamonn Ó Cléirigh, Pádraig Ó Clúmháin, Séamas Ó Neachtain, Máiréad Tillman, Tomás Muench, Lugh de Paor, Máiréad Perron, and Brian DeVale.
October & November, 2004 - We agree to go back to the original goals of our Society as Mícheál Ó Lócháin explained them between 1872 and his death in 1899. Those goals dealt solely with the language.
December 15, 2004 - confirmation and re-statement of our goals in clear, specific, and certain form to avoid the mistakes of our past, as follows:
"Our Society shall have these goals:
1) the support, strengthening, promotion, practice, broadcast, expansion, teaching, and renaissance of the Irish language as a living language amongst the Children of the Gaeil and friends of the Gaeil, in America and throughout the world
2) the renaissance and re-establishment of the Irish language as the living spoken language of Ireland with English as an accompaniment."
For other years:
1940s
1957
1959-1969
1960s-1970s
2005
2006
2007
2008-2018
2019
