Tharla an chéad chruinniú den chraobh Londan de chuid Chonradh na Gaeilge ar an 9ú lá de mhí na Samhna 1896 ag 55 Lána Seansaireachta. Bhí an chéad choiste a d’eascair as an Chumann Liteartha Éireannach comhdhéanta de scoláirí, Fíníní agus baill den CLG agus chuaigh siad go tapa i mbun oibre, ag eagrú ranganna, ceolchoirmeacha agus an Leabharlann Gaelach Londan. Faoi cheann bliana bhí fochraoibhe in Fulham agus Fáschoille agus go gairid ina dhiaidh in Woolwich agus Plumstead.
Cuid lárnach den fhás seo a bhí in ócáidí sóisialta na craoibhe. Tharla an chéad chéilí de chuid na craoibhe i Halla Bloomsbury gar do Iarsmalann na Breataine ar an 30ú mí Dheireadh Fómhair 1897. Ionas nach raibh mórán eolais ar chúrsaí rince i measc na mball, earcaíodh máistir rince ó Chiarraí darbh ainm Patraic D. Reidy (ar nós Caoimhín an Bhagúin sa scannán Cos-scaoilte). Eagraíodh sraith léachtaí ina ghabhfá seanmóireacht ar fheidhm idé-eolaíochta an bhréag-Éireannaigh, Imeacht na nIarlaí, na Ceithre Máistrí, agus nósanna sa seantraidisiún Cheiltigh. Le fás na craoibhe, bhí ranganna ar siúl ar an Trá, in Hoxton, Sráid Uachtar in Islington, in Clapham, Chelsea, Bermondsey agus Dulwich, in Camberwell, Clerkenwell, agus Peckham. Reáchtáladh ‘Seilgí’ i bhForaois Epping a bhí leithscéal chun fálróid thart sa choill seachas seilg a dhéanamh. Nuair a reáchtáladh an Bál Gaelach ar Lá Fhéile Pádraig 1899 bhí na céadta ann agus ba é Jack B Yeats a dhreach clúdach na gclár. Ní ba dheanaí, thiocfadh na mílte do cheolchoirm i Halla na Banríona.
Sa chéad úr, chuaigh an chraobh i mbun feachtais le go bhfaigheadh an Gaeilge an t-aitheantas céanna i scoileanna in Éirinn a bhfuair Breatnais i scoileanna sa Bhreatain Bheag. Cuireadh iallach ar pharlaimint díospóireacht a réiteach in 1900 agus chas baill den chonradh le feisirí chun brú a chur ar an roinnt oideachais. Bhí oifigí den chonradh in áiteanna éagsúla ar fud na cathrach agus reáchtáil siad biúró fostaíochta a thug cabhair d’Éireannaigh agus iad ag lorg oibre. Tá samplaí de ghníomhartha a bhí ar siúl le feiceáil i Leabhar Cinn Bliana na craoibhe ó 1903.
Sa bhliain 1904, thosaigh an chraobh ag foilsiú a hiris féin, Guth na nGaedheal, inar cuimsíodh saothar ó scríbhneoirí ar nós Padraic Mac Piarais agus Padraic Ó Conaire. Ba é le linn dó a bheith ag obair mar mhúinteoir do chraobh Londan an Chonartha a chuaigh Ó Conaire i mbun pinn, ag scríobh scéalta trí Ghaeilge den chéad uair. Mar a scríobh Seosamh Mac Grianna i bhfad ní ba dhéanaí ‘tá sé ar shlí a ráite anseo nach scríobhfadh Pádraic Ó Conaire scéalta Gaeilge ach gurb é Conradh na Gaeilge.’ Mar dhuine de na baill ba ghníomhaí, mhúin sé Gaeilge ar fud Londan, thug sé léamha poiblí dá ghearrscéalta, agus scríobh sé agus rinne sé aisteoireachta i ndrámaí faoi stiúir na craoibhe. In 1907, d’fhoilsigh an Conradh a chéad úrscéal, Deoraíocht, a bhain le himirceach Éireannach i Londain.
Ba chuid thábhachtach de chlár na craoibhe é an amharclann agus d’fhás domhan beag drámaíochta Gaelach i Londain faoina stiúir. Cuireadh Lá na nAmadán, an chéad Dráma ó pheann Phadraic Uí Chonaire, ar stáitse sa Halla Ladbrook Dé Sathairn 13ú de mhí na Nollag 1902 agus an mhí ina dhiaidh thosaigh Eilís agus an Bhean Déirce (le Peadar Mac Fhionnlaoich) sa Halla Athenium agus an bhliain ina dhiaidh sin cuireadh An Tincéir agus an tSidheóg leis An Chraoibhín ar stáitse in Kensington. I measc na léirithe a lean bhí An Naomh ar Iarraidh i gCnoc Notting, An tOide i dTír na nÓg le Liam P. Ó Rian.
Ní raibh Padraic Ó Conaire an t-aon duine liteartha sa chraobh. Chas an file ‘imagist’ Deasún Mac Gearailt lena bhean chéile Mabel agus iad ag freastal ar imeachtaí an Chonartha. Bhí Mabel ar an gcoiste ag an am agus í ag obair freisin mar rúnaí do G.B. Shaw. Lánúin liteartha eile a chas le chéile agus iad sa Chonradh a bhí i bPádraig Sáirséal Ó hÉigeartaigh agus Liaimín Nic Ghabhann. Ní raibh focal Gaeilge ag Nic Ghabhann nuair a tháinig sí go Londain den chéad uair (ba as Cuil Rathain í, áit ina raibh a hathair ina mhinistir Preispitéireach), bhain sí líofacht amach trí chúrsaí an Chonartha agus blianta ina dhiaidh sin bhí sí ina cisteoir de Choláiste Uladh i nGaeltacht Thír Conaill. Bhunaigh a mac an teach foilsitheoireachta Sáirséal agus Dill.
Rugadh cuid mhaith de na baill ní ba ghníomhaí i Sasana. Toghadh Seán Pádraig Mac Énrí a rugadh in Hackney thiar ina uachtarán Chonradh na Gaeilge ina measc. Lean an chraobh ag eagrú ranganna agus campaí samhraidh agus ag tabhairt scoláireachtaí do mhic léann chun staidéar a dhéanamh sa Ghaeltacht sna tríochaidí. Tháinig rath arís ar an gcraobh sna caogaidí agus sna seascaidí leis an chéad ghlúin eile d’imircigh Éireannacha ach le himeacht aimsire tháinig meath uirthi agus sa deireadh thiar thall scoireadh di.
Athbhunaíodh an craobh i 2018.
The first meeting of the London branch of Conradh na Gaeilge took place on the 9th of November 1896 at 55 Chancery Lane. The first committee, which had grown out of the Irish Literary Society comprised of a motley band of scholars, Fenians and members of the GAA and they quickly set to work organising classes, concerts and the London Irish Language library. Within a year, there were sub-branches in Fulham and Forest Gate (Fáschoille) and not long after in Woolwich and Plumstead.
Social events were key to the branch’s growth. Its first ever céilí took place in Bloomsbury Hall near the British Museum on Saturday 30th October 1897. As few knew dances beyond the odd jig, a dancing master from Kerry, Patrick D. Reidy was brought onboard (mar Caoimhín an Bhagúin sa scannán Cos-scaoilte). A lecture series was organised where speakers held forth on topics like the ideological function of the stage Irishman, the flight of the earls, the four masters and ‘the customs of the ancient Irish’. As the branch grew, classes ran on the Strand, in Hoxton, on upper street in Islington, in Clapham, Chelsea, Bermondsey and Dulwich, in Camberwell, Clerkenwell and Peckham. The branch ran ‘Seilgí’ in Epping Forest which were more of an excuse to wander in the woods than to actually hunt anything.
When the Irish Ball was held on St Patrick’s day 1899, it was attended by hundreds while Jack B. Yeats designed the cover for the program. Later thousands would attend a concern in the Queens Hall.
In the new century, the branch campaigned for the Irish language to receive the same recognition in Irish schools as Welsh received in Wales. They forced a debate in parliament in 1900 while delegations from the Conradh met with MPs to put pressure on the Board of Education. The branch had permanent offices in various spots across London and ran an Employment Bureau to help people wanting to return to Ireland find work. Examples of the activities under way can be seen in the branch’s Year Book from 1903.
In 1904, the branch began publishing its own journal, Guth na nGaedheal, which included writing by authors like Pádraig Mac Piarais and Pádraic Ó Conaire . It was while working as a teacher for the London branch of the Conradh that Ó Conaire started to write stories in Irish. As Seosamh Mac Grianna was later to write, `tá sé ar shlí a ráite anseo nach scríobhfadh Pádraic Ó Conaire scéalta Gaeilge ach gurb é Conradh na Gaeilge.’ As one of the branch’s most active members, he taught all across London, gave public readings of his short stories and wrote and acted in dramas organised by branch. In 1907, the Conradh published his novel Deoraíocht about an Irish immigrant living in London.
Theatre was an important part of the branch’s programme and London began to develop a (small) Irish language theatre scene. Lá na nAmadán, the first play by Pádraic Ó Conaire premiered in the Ladbrook Hall on Saturday 13th December 1902 and the next month, Eilís agus an Bhean Déirce (by Peadar Mac Fhionnlaoich) ran in the Atheneaum Hall and the following year An Tincéir agus an tSidheóg by An Craoibhín 1903 was performed in Kensington. Later productions included of An Naomh ar Iarraidh in Notting Hill, An tOide i dTír na nÓg by Liam P. Ó Rian.
Pádraic Ó Conaire wasn’t the only literary figure within the branch. The imagist poet Desmond Fitzgerald met his wife Mabel while they attended Conradh events. Mabel was on the branch committee at the time while also working as a secretary for George Bernard Shaw. Another literary couple who met at the Conradh events was Pádraig Sáirséal Ó hÉigeartaigh and Liaimín Nic Ghabhann. While Nic Ghabann didn’t speak a word of Irish before coming to London (she was in Colraine where he father was a presbyterian minister), she became fluent through the classes and was latter the treasurer of Colaiste Uladh in the Donegal Gaeltacht. Their son would later establish the publishing house Sáirséal agus Dill.
Many of the most active members of the branch were born in England. Seán Pádraig Mac Énrí from West Hackney was later elected as President of Conradh na Gaeilge.
The branch continued to run classes and summer camps and provide scholarships for students to study in the Gaeltacht. The branch flourished again during the 1950s and 60s with the next wave of Irish emigrants to London but with the passage of time it eventually declined and was disbanded.
The branch was re-established in 2018.