Ireland’s leading protest poet discovers hope

Literature Reviews Thu, Dec 04, 2014

A WOMAN told me recently that if she hears one more bad poem about water charges, she may take the extreme retaliatory action of paying her water charges bill, in the unlikely event that it ever actually arrives.

Galway author charts the Irish experience of WWI

Literature Reviews Thu, Nov 13, 2014

THE LAST couple of years has seen a mushrooming of books relating to WWI, and more specifically, WWI and Ireland. For those interested in learning more about this seismic event, or wondering where to start, Cormac Ó Comhraí’s Ireland and the First World War: A Photographic History is the perfect answer.

The grandeur of Dún Aonghusa

Literature Reviews Thu, Nov 06, 2014

THE STONE fort of Dún Aongusa is one of the more spectacular surviving remnants of ancient Irish civilisation. It stands at the edge of Atlantic facing cliffs on the largest of the Aran Islands, Inis Mór, and on a clear day, much of the west coast of Ireland is visible from the site.

Three short plays about IRA internal security

Literature Reviews Thu, Nov 06, 2014

THE INTERNAL security procedures of the now defunct Provisional IRA (1969-2005 RIP) have lately been subjected to a certain amount of criticism. Even Gerry Adams has admitted “mistakes” were made.

Sarah Clancy - Galway’s wandering minstrel

Literature Reviews Thu, Oct 02, 2014

FOR THOSE who have seen Sarah Clancy recite her poetry, the title of her latest collection, The Truth & Other Stories, published by Salmon, will come as no surprise.

When Loughrea was a ‘den of infamy’

Literature Reviews Thu, Sep 04, 2014

WITH ALL the attention being given to the run-up to the 1916 Rising, the event itself, and its aftermath, little if anything has been written in relation to the Land War, which took place some 35 years before Pearse stood in the steps of the GPO and read the Proclamation.

Connemara’s Answer To Ken Bruen

Literature Reviews Thu, Sep 04, 2014

THESE DAYS, if an aspiring author is a good editor of his/her own work, and has a talent for self-promotion, it is possible to flog as many copies of a self-published effort – with a little help from Amazon – as the average first book of literary fiction from a mainstream publisher would sell the traditional way.

The enigma of Bulmer Hobson

Literature Reviews Thu, Aug 07, 2014

ONE OF the more positive aspects of the wave of new books being published on the 1912-1923 period in Irish history is that it will fully explore the events leading up to, during, and after the 1916 Rising. Not only this, but for the first time, the lives of many enigmatic men and women who a played vital - and often dangerous - part in the fight for Irish Independence, but who have been airbrushed out of history, will be recorded in full.

When Ireland voted against black babies

Literature Reviews Thu, Aug 07, 2014

OONA FRAWLEY was provoked to write her debut novel, Flight, by the atmosphere surrounding the Citizenship Referendum in 2004, which removed from Irish-born children of asylum seekers the automatic right to citizenship.

Galway author’s new book on environmental justice

Literature Reviews Thu, Aug 07, 2014

GLOBAL CONCERNS about environmental risks, climate change, and threats to the planet from industry have resulted in new movements challenging those putting profits before the planet.

Gerry Hanberry’s new poetic shoes

Literature Reviews Thu, Jun 26, 2014

JIMMY NAIL sang about ‘Crocodile Shoes’, Ian Dury had New Boots and Panties, but in his fourth collection of poems, Galway writer Gerry Hanberry ponders What Our Shoes Say About Us.

Galway’s answer to David Lynch

Literature Reviews Thu, Jun 12, 2014

SINCE 2001, Geraldine Mills has published six books - each its own particular kind of gem - and yet she is much less famous than she should be.

Of Magdalenes and poets

Literature Reviews Thu, Jun 12, 2014

IT IS difficult for an increasing section of the Irish population to visualise the utter power wielded by the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland prior to the mid-sixties. The law of the State was dictated, not by the taoiseach and ministers in Dáil Éireann, but by the bishops and priests from the pulpit.

Man who had no interest in talking rubbish

Literature Reviews Thu, May 01, 2014

TOM DUDDY, who was taken far too soon by cancer in June 2012, is one of those poets whose work is not as well-known as it should be; though those familiar with Duddy’s poetry hold it in the highest regard.

Tom lectured in philosophy at NUI Galway for many years and was the author of a substantial study of the Irish contribution to philosophy, A History of Irish Thought. For much of his life Tom read and wrote poetry almost in secret. He was a little nervous that his fellow philosophers might see poetry as a frivolous activity when set against the admittedly serious business of working out the meaning of human existence.

Talking books: A service Galway can be proud of

Literature Reviews Thu, May 01, 2014

IN 1974, Galway County Libraries set up a service for the blind and visually impaired to allow them enjoy the benefits of the library. It was modelled on one already provided by the National Council for the Blind and Galway remains the only public library in Ireland to provide it. It is totally free of charge.

Stickies, Provos and the ‘genius’ of Sir Ian Freeland

Literature Reviews Thu, Jul 04, 2013

YOU WERE always a great one for your turning points,” one of Samuel Beckett’s characters says. Northern Ireland is similarly a great place for forks in the road after which next to nothing is the same again.