Pádraig Ó Riain
Genres: Academic writer
Saolaíodh Pádraig i dtigh a mhuintire ar bhóthar Wilton i gCathair Chorcaí. Mac le Nora Collins agus Patrick Ryan agus duine de sheachtar clainne. Tógadh ar fheirm sa Tóchar é in aice na cathrach agus chuaigh sé ar an scoil náisiúnta in aice láimhe ansin ar dtúis, ar Choláiste na Toirbhirte i gcathair Chorcaí ina dhiaidh sin, i gColáiste chónaithe Bhaile an Róistigh don Mheánteist agus don Ardteist, agus ar Ollscoil Chorcaí, mar a dtosnaigh sé ar a chúrsa léinn sa bhliain 1956. Tar éis dó céim sna hEalaíona a bhaint amach ansin, bhain sé Máistreacht amach sa Ghaeilge tré mheán na Staidéireacht Taistil, rud a chur ar a chumas tréimhsí léinn a chaitheamh i mBonn na Gearmáine (1961-2) agus in Aberystwyth na Breataine Bige (1962-3). Tar éis clabhsúr a bheith curtha lena chúrsaí taistil, ceapadh ina Chúntóir é i Roinn na dTeangacha Ceilteacha i gColáiste na Ollscoile, Corcaigh in 1964, ina Léachtóir in 1967, agus ina Ollamh le Sean-agus Meán-Ghaeilge, idir theanga agus litríocht in 1973. Má fhágtar as an áireamh na tréimhsí sabóideacha a chaith sé sa Ghearmáin (Bochum, Freiburg) agus sa Bhreatain (Aberystwyth, Cambridge), is i gCorcaigh a chaith sé an chuid eile dá chúrsa múinteoireachta go dtí gur éirigh sé as in 2002. Pósadh é ar Dagmar Raedel, ar chéimí í d’Ollscoil Bonn sa bhliain 1968, agus bhí ceathrar clainne orthu, go bhfuil naonúr garchlainne bronnta acu sin orthu. Na meánaoiseanna is ábhar suime do Dagmar agus dó féin agus níl aon mhaolú fós tagtha ar a ndúil sa taighde.
Pádraig was born in Wilton Road in Cork to Nora Collins and Patrick Ryan, who had returned to Ireland in the previous year, having spent fifteen years in New York. He was one of seven children brought up on a farm in Togher, near the city, where he also attended the local National School before switching to Presentation College, where he completed his primary education. His secondary education saw him move once more, to Rochestown College, which was run by Capuchin friars. On the completion of his studies there in 1956, he enrolled in University College Cork, where he graduated in 1960 before going on to obtain a Masters in Irish in 1962, together with a Travelling Studentship. This enabled him to study Comparative Linguistics in Bonn (1961-2) and Welsh language and literature in Aberystwyth (1962-3). On returning to Ireland, he was appointed Assistant in Celtic Languages in UCC in 1964, progressing from there to Lecturer in Old and Middle Irish in 1967 and Professor in 1973. Apart from periods of sabbatical leave in Germany (Bochum, Freiburg) and Britain (Aberystwyth, Cambridge), he spent the remainder of his teaching career in Cork until he retired in 2002. Dagmar Raedel, a graduate of Bonn University, married Pádraig in Bonn in 1968. They have four children and nine grandchildren and both of them continue to do research in Medieval Studies.
Birth date: 4 April 1939
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