Padraig Cundun, Deerfield, near Utica, Oneida County, New York, to Phartolain Suipeal, Cluain Aird, Cluain Priost parish [Clonpriest], County Cork, 17 December 1834
Padraig Cundun, Deerfield, near Utica, Oneida County, New York, to Phartolain Suipeal, Cluain Aird, Cluain Priost parish [Clonpriest], County Cork, 17 December 1834
Description
Very good letter, interspersed with several poems, by a monolingual Irish-speaker. Initially, Cundun was a canal laborer, now a farmer; it took him seven years to pay for his farm, at $10 per acre, but he succeeded and is now "independent." He had emigrated in 1826, but wouldn't write until he had established himself in as good a situation as he had left behind in Ireland. Cundun praises American opportunities and criticizes Irish Catholics' purported reluctance to emigrate. Cundun stresses the importance of settling near Catholic churches and priests; his family is close enough to Utica to attend Mass there. He was brokenhearted when he left Ireland, but he is now satisfied--at least materially--with his fine American farm. And yet, Cundun also complains of his "depressing," "frightful" life in America, which has "made a mush of [his] mind" and makes him unable to write decent Irish poetry anymore. Letter is fascinating in its ambivalences--also for being a letter from an Irish-speaker. [Letter transcript shows the original text in Irish, alongside an English translation.]
Date
17/12/1834
Date Issued
27/03/2023
Resource Type
Text
Archival Record Id
p155/25/2
Publisher
University of Galway
Extent
4pp
Topic
Cundun Letters
Geographic
Clonpriest (civil parish),Cork (county),Ireland,Deerfield (town),Oneida (county),New York (state),United States
Temporal
Nineteenth century,Eighteen thirties
Genre
Transcript
Note
Translation from Irish language to English by Dr. Bruce D. Boling (collaborator of Professor Kerby Miller). Irish language version of the letter included alongside the translated text. Transcript text, title and description by Professor Kerby Miller. Letter transcribed from: O'Foghludha R. (1932). Padraig phiarais cun'dun 1777-1856. Oifig diolta foillseachain rialtais.