Dara de Siún

Cuimne (Memory). This summer I was researching Gaelic typography in order to revise my college typeface Parish Sans, and discovered the Castlebar 1798 memorial. I’d never seen Gaelic lettering in an Art Deco/Bauhaus style before, but something about it felt really special.

Unveiled in 1953, this beautiful metal lettering (along with the memorial itself) was designed by Frank Hourigan; an art teacher and sculptor who worked in Ballina for many years. The text on the memorial reads "A Mhuire na nGael guidh orainn", and "i gCiumne 1798" which translates to "Our Lady of the Gaels pray for us", and "in memory of 1798".

I'd love to adapt this lettering into a digital typeface in the future, because it's rare to see Gaelic lettering dovetail so well into a completely different style of typography!
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#font #typography #typedesign #gaelictypography #gaelictype #clógaelach #irishtypography