On Friday, October 6, 2017, The Éire Society of Boston co-hosted, together with The Boston Beara Society, The Irish Cultural Centre of New England, and the Cumann na Gaeilge of Boston, a dinner presentation by Ciara Ni Riain, of University College Cork.

The topic of her presentation was : Seán “Irish“ O Suilleabhain and the Irish language in Butte, Montana, 1880-1920. O Suilleabhain was one of many Irishman from the Beara peninsula in Cork Ireland who traveled to Butte, Montana in search of a new life and a fair living. While many before him were drawn to Montana by the lure of plentiful and relatively well-paying work in its copper mines, Seán‘s life in Butte is a unique story among his fellow Corkmen. His work has left a lasting impression on Irish Culture in both Montana and Ireland. Ni Riain’s groundbreaking research has been the first step in considering O Sullivan‘s life and work. The talk focused on his formative years on a small island in Beara, a then Gaeltacht region, and how an upbringing rich in Irish language and culture would influence his activities in Butte, particularly his advocacy for the spreading of the Irish language.

The presentation was followed by a lively Q and A with the speaker, replete with stories from some of the attendees about their own upbringing in Beara and with evident concern for the survival of the Irish language here in the states and back home. It appears that we owe Seán “Irish“ O Suilleabhain not a small debt of gratitude for his advocacy of the language and its continuing, if struggling, vibrancy.