Poetry File: Recent Episodes
RTÉ lyric fm
Leading Irish poets read their own work. In association with Poetry Ireland, broadcast on Evelyn Grant's Weekend Drive, Saturday (4-7pm) and Sunday (4-6pm) on RTÉ Lyric FM.
It's that time of year! Calling all choirs in Ireland...our annual competition has begun!
Ernest John Moeran’s father was Irish and spent as much time in Ireland as in England after he made Kenmare his second home around 1934.
Waterford-born William Vincent Wallace who put his life at risk setting out on long and arduous journeys – facing many dangers on the way and sometimes taking months to arrive safely at his destination. But, back then, travel was key to developing the livelihoods of composers as it led to increased opportunities.
Kerry Hardie was born in 1951 and grew up in County Down. She now lives in County Kilkenny with her husband, the writer Seán Hardie.
In this weeks Poetry file Ailbhe Ni Ghearbhuigh reads her poem 'Fothragadh'/'Cleansing'
Kerry Hardie grew up in County Down. She now lives in County Kilkenny with her husband, the writer Seán Hardie. Her poems have won many prizes, including the Michael Hartnett Award for Poetry, the National Poetry Prize (Ireland), the James Joyce Suspended Sentence Award (Australia) and the Lawrence O’Shaughnessy Award for Poetry.
Ciaran O’Driscoll lives in Limerick. A member of Aosdána, he has published ten books of poetry, including Gog and Magog (1987), Moving On, Still There (2001), Surreal Man(2006) and, most recently, Angel Hour (2021)
Today Paul McMahon reads his poem Milltown. From Belfast, Paul McMahon now lives in Cork. His poetry has appeared in The Poetry Review, The Irish Times, Poetry Ireland Review and elsewhere. Also a playwright, Paul is developing his new play with The Abbey Theatre. His poem The Pups in the Boghole won the Westival international Poetry Prize.
Áine Uí Fhoghlú reads Note by Note Áine is the Poet Laureate for Dungarvan, Co Waterford. A writer of poetry and fiction, Áine comes from the Waterford Gaeltacht area, An Rinn.
David Murphy reads his poem The Royal Way. David Murphy lives in Lusk, Co Dublin and has had three novels and three short-story collections published in Ireland and abroad. His first non-fiction book was published by Liffey Press in 2014 and his first poetry collection, ‘Drowning in the Desert’, was published by Revival Press in 2020.
Angela Keogh reads The Poet's Retreat. Her first novel 'The Winter Dress' was published in 2020 by the Harvest Press. Her poem 'An Irish Poem' was a prize winner of the Waterford Poetry Prize 2018. Two of her radio plays, 'The Winter Dress' and 'Letters in the post' were broadcast on KCLR radio in 2021.
Paul Maddern reads Pilgrimage. Paul Maddern was born in Bermuda and has lived in Co Down since 2000. He has four publications with Templar Poetry and has won two Bermuda Government Literary Awards. He is the editor of Queering the Green (Lifeboat Press, 2021) and now owns and operates The River Mill Writers Retreat in Co Down.
Audrey Molloy reads Naming the First Born. Audrey Molloy is an Irish poet based in Sydney. In 2019 she received the Hennessy Award for Emerging Poetry, the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award and the An Post Irish Book Award for Irish Poem of the Year. She is pursuing a masters degree in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Noel Monaghan reads Where the Wind Sleeps. Noel Monahan has published eight collections of poetry. A stage adaptation of his long poem “Chalk Dust” was directed by Padraic McIntyre and performed at Ramor Theatre, December 2019. A ninth collection of his work is forthcoming from Salmon Poetry.
Moya Cannon reads At Three Castles Head We Catch our Breath. Moya Cannon was born in Co. Donegal and now lives in Dublin. Her work reflects a wide range of interests including music, history and archaeology. Her sixth collection is Donegal Tarantella, Carcanet Press 2019 and her 'Collected Poems' was published by Carcanet Press in February, 2021.
Paul Mc Mahon reads The Pups in the Boghole. From Belfast, Paul McMahon now lives in Cork. His poetry has appeared in The Poetry Review, The Irish Times, Poetry Ireland Review and elsewhere. Also a playwright, Paul is developing his new play with The Abbey Theatre. His poem The Pups in the Boghole won the Westival international Poetry Prize.
Áine Uí Fhoghlú reads Ag scarúint in Aerfort Perth/ Parting at Perth Airport. Recently named as the Poet Laureate for Dungarvan, Áine’s published works include poetry, teen fiction and Scéalta agus Seanchas/Potatoes, Children & Seaweed. Áine has won the Michael Hartnett Poetry Award and her work appears as a Junior Cycle text.
David Murphy reads his poem Willow Pattern. David Murphy lives in Lusk, Co Dublin and has had three novels and three short-story collections published in Ireland and abroad. His first non-fiction book was published by Liffey Press in 2014 and his first poetry collection, ‘Drowning in the Desert’, was published by Revival Press in 2020.
Today Angela Keogh reads ‘An Irish Poem’, a winner at the Waterford Poetry Prize in 2018. Her first novel. 'The Winter Dress' was published in 2020 by the Harvest Press and two of her radio plays, 'The Winter Dress' and 'Letters in the Post' were broadcast in 2021.
In a special tribute to mark the 150th birthday of painter Jack B. Years, Dermot Bolger reads 'Fairground Ponies' inspired by Yeats' final sketch.
Julie O'Callaghan reads Early on Indian Hill. Born in Chicago in 1954, Julie O'Callaghan has lived in Ireland since 1974. Her most recent publications include New & Selected Poems (2008) and Magnum Mysterium (2020). She has received the Michael Hartnett Award for poetry and is a member of the Irish academy of arts, Aosdána.
Philip Mc Donagh reads The Lute Girl. Philip McDonagh has several poetry collections and two theatre works. His poems and articles continue to appear regularly in newspapers and periodicals. He is Adjunct Professor at Dublin City University and Director of the Centre for Religion, Human Values, and International Relations.
Elaine Feeney reads her poem Somewhere, Someone Else. Elaine Feeney is an Irish people poet, novelist, and playwright. Her writing focuses on "the central themes of history, national identity, and state institutions, and she examines how these forces structure the everyday lives of Irish women".
Simon Costello reads Abraham holding up his Son at the summit of Mt. Moriah, shouting at God ‘This is what you mean to me’. Simon Costello was one of The Irish Time’s New Irish Writing Winners in 2019 and a recipient of the 2020 Words Ireland National Mentoring Programme from Words Ireland and the Arts Council of Ireland.
Judith Mok reads Today (after Leo Tolstoy). Judith Mok was born in Bergen in the Netherlands. She has published three novels and four books of poetry as well as short stories which have been short listed twice for the Francis Mc Manus award and her first novel The innocents at the Circus for the Prix de l’Academie Francaise.
Declan Collinge reads Firhouse Weir. Bilingual Dublin poet, Dr Declan Collinge is a former teacher and lecturer with 8 collections of poetry published. He is also a short story writer and essayist with material published in the Irish Times and Sunday Independent.
Jessamine O'Connor reads Too Little. Jessamine O’Connor lives on the Sligo Roscommon border and has published five chapbooks, her first collection “Silver Spoon” is with Salmon Poetry. She recently had a residency at The Dock arts centre, and is completing a degree in Writing & Literature at IT Sligo.
Justin Quinn reads Cappucino for Robert Cremins. Justin Quinn was born in Dublin in 1968 and has lived in the Czech Republic since 1993. He has published several collections of poetry, most recently Shallow Seas (Gallery Press, 2020). A novel, Mount Merrion, was published by Penguin Ireland in 2013.
Nithy Kasa reads her poem When the Time Comes. Nithy Kasa is a Dublin based poet from the DR Congo. She was a guest poet for Carlow University's MFA Residency 2019, shortlisted for Red Line Book Festival and published in Writing Home: The New Irish Poets.
William Wall reads Receiver of Wreck. William Wall is the author of six novels, four collections of poetry and three volumes of stories. His forthcoming collection Smugglers In the Underground Hug-Trade, is due for publication in Autumn 2021.
Celia de Fréine reads her poem Éabha: Brí na Beatha/ Eva: Meaning of Life. Celia de Fréine writes in many genres in both Irish and English. Awards for her poetry include the Patrick Kavanagh Award and Gradam Litríochta Chló Iar-Chonnacht. To date she has published nine collections.
Nick Laird reads his poem A Mixed Marriage. Nick Laird is the recipient of many prizes for his poetry and fiction, including the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. He is on faculty at New York University and Professor of Creative Writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University in Belfast.
Julie O'Callaghan reads her poem Dictation. Born in Chicago in 1954, Julie has lived in Ireland since 1974. She has an extensive collection of published works and has received the Michael Hartnett Award for poetry. She is a member of the Irish academy of arts, Aosdána.
Philip Mc Donagh reads his poem Antigone and Pangur. Philip is Adjunct Professor at Dublin City University and Director of the Centre for Religion, Human Values, and International Relations. He has several published poetry collections and his works appear regularly in newspapers and periodicals.
Elaine Feeney reads Horse Dealers. Elaine Feeney is an Irish people poet, novelist, and playwright. Her writing focuses on "the central themes of history, national identity and state institutions and she examines how these forces structure the everyday lives of Irish women". Her work has been widely translated into Italian, Lithuanian and Slovene.
Simon Costello reads Aftermath of a Landslide. Costello’s poetry has been published in The Irish Times, The North, Poetry Ireland Review, and many more. In 2019 he was one of The Irish Time’s New Irish Writing Winners, featured in The Best New British and Irish Poets Anthology 2019-2021. He lives in Co. Offaly.
Judith Mok reads her poem In Siberia. Judith Mok was born in Bergen in the Netherlands. She has published three novels and four books of poetry as well as short stories. Her short stories have been short listed twice for the Francis Mc Manus award and her first novel The innocents at the Circus for the Prix de l’Academie Francaise.
Declan Collinge reads his poem Harvest. Bilingual Dublin poet, Dr Declan Collinge is a former teacher and lecturer with 8 collections of poetry published. He is also a short story writer and essayist with material published in the Irish Times and Sunday Independent.
Jessamine O'Connor reads Meet Me For Coffee. Jessamine O’Connor lives on the Sligo Roscommon border and has published five chapbooks, her first collection “Silver Spoon” is with Salmon Poetry. She recently had a residency at The Dock arts centre and is completing a degree in Writing & Literature at IT Sligo.
Justin Quinn reads Re Green. Justin Quinn was born in Dublin in 1968 and has lived in the Czech Republic since 1993. He has published several collections of poetry, most recently Shallow Seas (Gallery Press, 2020). A novel, Mount Merrion, was published by Penguin Ireland in 2013.