Irene Rocas i Romaguera

Irene Rocas i Romaguera (1861-1947) was a Catalan folklorist and lexicographer. Her works contributed to the research on Empordà language and literature. One of the most notable of these was the Diccionari català-valencià-balear, a collaboration with the Majorcan author Mossèn Alcover. She was the mother of the Spanish writer, folklorist, and academic, Maria Gracia Bassa i Rocas. In 1908, her husband died, leaving her to raise those who remained of their nine children: M. Gràcia, Aniceta, Ernesta, Florenci Bassa Rocas , M. Àngels, Serafí Bassa Rocas , Lluís, M. Montserrat, and Maria. Some of these died in their infancy. She also lived in Olot for some time. Her works for these institutions included a compendium of corrandes, fables, and paremias. Her connections with the Catalan intelligentsia allowed her to practice her profession as a lexicographer. Rocas collaborated with Alcover in the production of a dictionary of the Catalan language beginning in 1911. This publication had more than 15,000 entries from the Emporda language. Gracia also became a folklorist and was instrumental in publishing a number of her mother's works.

She died on 5 February 1947, aged 85, in Buenos Aires.