An duine aonair agus an pobal beag i saothar Mháirtín Uí Chadhain

In this article I discuss the plight of the individual in some examples of Máirtín Ó Cadhain’s work. Sociologists such as Tönnies and Durkheim generalised about the traits of traditional communities. I attempt here to show that Máirtín Ó Cadhain gives a very different portrayal of life in such communities. Some of his characters are downtrodden, as illustrated by their relationship to the shop and shopkeeper. Others by contrast, stand tall and give the shopkeeper very little satisfaction. Others still lambaste the shopkeeper and all the pillars of the community. The importance of the shop in Ó Cadhain’s work should not be underestimated. It acts as a prism through which we can see the social relations and interdependence of Ó Cadhain’s characters.