Remembering Manchán Magan, Keeper of the Irish Language

Go raibh suaimhneas síoraí dá anam. (May there be eternal peace upon his soul.) Like anyone who has tried to learn the Irish language, Gaeilge, I am in eternal debt to Manchán Magan, who died on Thursday of cancer at age 55 shortly after marrying his longtime partner, Aisling. God rest him.

Magan was an occasional presence on Irish television and a newspaper columnist. His Irish language is a product of Coláiste na Rinne, the famous (infamous) summer school, and University College Dublin. He made travel documentaries for television. He wrote cultural columns for the Irish Times and several books. He is descended from what would be known as a strong “nationalist” stock, a nephew of the enigmatic figure known as “The O’Rahilly.” But his political type, which was once common, especially in Ireland, was spiritually traditionalist but left-wing. He ran unsuccessfully as a Green Party candidate.

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Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is a senior writer at National Review Online.

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Go raibh suaimhneas síoraí dá anam. (May there be eternal peace upon his soul.) Like anyone who has tried to learn the Irish language, Gaeilge, I am in eternal debt to Manchán Magan, who died on Thursday of cancer at age 55 shortly after marrying his longtime partner, Aisling. God rest him.

Magan was an occasional presence on Irish television and a newspaper columnist. His Irish language is a product of Coláiste na Rinne, the famous (infamous) summer school, and University College Dublin. He made travel documentaries for television. He wrote cultural columns for the Irish Times and several books. He is descended from what would be known as a strong “nationalist” stock, a nephew of the enigmatic figure known as “The O’Rahilly.” But his political type, which was once common, especially in Ireland, was spiritually traditionalist but left-wing. He ran unsuccessfully as a Green Party candidate.