I went to the readings on Monday night in Tallaght Library. All poetry this time, but all widely different styles and approaches.
It started with Michael Whelan, awarded second place in this year’s Patrick Kavanagh Award, who read a selection of poems from his entry based on his experiences as an Irish soldier serving with the UN in Lebanon and Kosovo. It was very powerful and moving, as you might expect, but deftly handled and delivered with quiet authority.
Gavan Duffy came next. I was thinking that Michael would be a hard act to follow, but I forgot that poetry is not a competitive sport and, within seconds of Gavan reading his first lines, as an audience we were transported again to another place, a place that ostensibly is the actual humdrum world but on closer inspection shows itself to be a place where the poet unpicks the detail of the everyday with an acute intelligence and a sharp ear for the telling phrase.
All change again as Maria Wallace began by taking us back 70 years to an ersatz memorial for the Spanish Civil War dead carved out from a mountain by political prisoners on the orders of a tyrant. All through her reading she moved with ease from past to present, from Ireland to Catalonia, encompassing a broad range of styles to suit the required mood.
Finally, Eileen Casey read some new poems, among them two powerful Titanic poems. Her work meets the ear and the mind’s eye with musical precision and the meticulous accumulation of faithfully reconstructed living detail. I was delighted to learn that she has been awarded this year’s Patrick and Katherine Kavanagh Fellowship for poetry. Congratulations Eileen!
The final reading of the year will take place on Monday 19th December 2011, when Kate Dempsey, Trish Best, Ann Marie Mullen and Ray Mullen will read from their work. Try not to miss it!
Thanks Brian, it was great to have the chance to finally meet you on Monday at the reading…your earlier reading was great and very educating for me.
Thanks for stopping by Michael. It was no surprise you getting second in the Kavanagh Award – your poems are powerful but beautifully controlled. Hope to see you at the readings on 19th!
Sounds like you enjoyed it, Brian. Delighted to hear Eileen’s good news
It was great quality poetry and reading Valerie, and yea it was brill for Eileen too – she deserves it.
Thanks Brian for a great overview of the evening. I am really sorry that I missed this one. And congrats to Eileen for the fellowship-very much deserved:)
Yea it was a great night of poetry on Monday, and yes I’m delighted for Eileen!