Micí Mac Gabhann
Encyclopedia
Micí Mac Gabhann was a seanchaí and memoirist from the County Donegal
Gaeltacht
. His posthumously published memoir Rotha Mór an tSaoil (1959) was dictated to his folklorist son-in law Seán Ó hEochaidh
and translated into English by Valentin Iremonger
as The Hard Road to Klondike (1962). It describes his life as an Irish-speaking laborer in the Scottish Lowlands
and the silver mines in Butte, Montana
. He also vivdly describes his experiences in the Klondike gold rush
. After his return to Donegal in 1901, he used his goldmining fortune to purchase the estate which had formerly belonged to the Anglo-Irish
gentry and raised a family there.
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
Gaeltacht
Gaeltacht
is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the Gaeltacht, or an Ghaeltacht, refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home...
. His posthumously published memoir Rotha Mór an tSaoil (1959) was dictated to his folklorist son-in law Seán Ó hEochaidh
Seán Ó hEochaidh
Seán Ó hEochaidh, Irish folklorist, born February 9, 1913 - died January 18 2002.-Biography:A native of Teelin, County Donegal, Ó hEochaidh worked as a fisherman in his youth. Despite a basic education, from an early age he made a written record of the oral folklore of his area...
and translated into English by Valentin Iremonger
Valentin Iremonger
Valentin Iremonger was an Irish diplomat and poet.He was born in Dublin and joined the diplomatic service. He served as Irish Ambassador to Sweden, Norway, Finland, India and Luxembourg....
as The Hard Road to Klondike (1962). It describes his life as an Irish-speaking laborer in the Scottish Lowlands
Scottish Lowlands
The Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands ....
and the silver mines in Butte, Montana
Butte, Montana
Butte is a city in Montana and the county seat of Silver Bow County, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. As of the 2010 census, Butte's population was 34,200...
. He also vivdly describes his experiences in the Klondike gold rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
. After his return to Donegal in 1901, he used his goldmining fortune to purchase the estate which had formerly belonged to the Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
gentry and raised a family there.