Niall Ó Dónaill

{{Short description|Irish lexicographer}}

{{about|the lexicographer|the Gaelic footballer|Niall O'Donnell}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}

{{Use Hiberno-English|date=April 2021}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Niall Ó Dónaill

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date = 27 August 1908

| birth_place = Ailt an Eidhinn, Loughanure, County Donegal, Ireland

| death_date = 10 February {{death year and age|1995|1908}}

| death_place = Dublin, Ireland

| occupation = Irish language lexicographer

| spouse = Sorcha Ní Ghallchóir, Na Rosa, County Donegal, Ireland

| children =

}}

Niall Ó Dónaill (27 August 1908 – 10 February 1995) was an Irish language lexicographer from Ailt an Eidhinn, Loughanure, County Donegal, Ireland. He was the oldest of the six children of Tarlach Ó{{nbsp}}Dónaill and Éilis Nic{{nbsp}}Ruairí from Grial, Loughanure. They had a little land and a few cows. His father, Tarlach, would spend June to November working for a farmer in Scotland and died when Niall was 13 years old. Ó{{nbsp}}Dónaill himself spent summers working in the tunnels in Scotland.{{cite web

| title = Ó DÓNAILL, Niall (1908–1995)

| first1 = Diarmuid

| last1 = Breathnach

| first2 = Máire

| last2 = Ní Mhurchú

| access-date = 2025-01-15

| website = ainm.ie

| publisher = National Database of Irish-language Biographies

| language = Irish

| url = https://www.ainm.ie/Bio.aspx?ID=1683

}}

During his time at university, he spent his summers teaching at Coláiste Bhríde, Rann na Feirste.

Ó Dónaill is most famous for his work as editor of the 1977 Irish-English dictionary {{lang|ga|Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla}}, which is still widely used today.{{cite web

| title = Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla (Ó Dónaill, 1977)

| website = Foras na Gaeilge

| quote = This is a searchable electronic version of Ó Dónaill’s Irish-English Dictionary which was first published in 1977.

| access-date = 2025-01-15

| url = https://www.teanglann.ie/en/fgb/

}}

He received his education at {{lang|ga|Scoil Loch an Iúir}} in Loughanure before gaining a scholarship to St Eunan's College in Letterkenny. Another scholarship took him to University College Dublin to study Irish, English and History. In June 1982 he was awarded a D.Litt. by Trinity College Dublin.

Ó Dónaill wrote the book {{lang|ga|Bruigheann Féile}} which is based on stories of pastimes in the Gaeltacht town Loughanure and its surrounding area. His book {{lang|ga|Na Glúnta Rosannacha}} was first published in 1952.{{Cite web |url=http://www.loughanurens.com/ |title=Loughanure School to be officially opened on Thursday April 6th at 1 p.m. | author = Secretary/PRO, Parents' Committee | publisher = Loughanure National School website | access-date=5 July 2007 |archive-date=7 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607194220/http://www.loughanurens.com/ |url-status=dead }}

He was awarded {{lang|ga|Gradam an Oireachtais}} at {{lang|ga|Oireachtas na Gaeilge}} in 1980.

Ó Dónaill died in 1995.