Poem of the Week

One of Poem of the Week’s best moments. Catherine Anne Cullen, jewel of a poet she is, wrote The Earth Does Not Starve Us specially for the series entirely off her own bat. So stunned was I by the generosity of her labour, the gratitude never really leaves my voice throughout the interview. However, we were talking about the gravest of subjects, World Hunger Day, so perspective was called for. Many thanks again to Catherine. 

Poem of the Week invites you to listen to contributors recite some of their favorite poems and talk about what these poems mean to them. Presented by Morgan O’Reilly, this podcast series, originally broadcast on Near FM 2017/18, features some of Ireland’s most exciting new voices such as Jessica Traynor, Kate Dempsey, Kenneth Nolan and Alan Jude Moore alongside local people and community activists from the North Dublin area, this series offers a unique and diverse range of contributors. 

A little known poet (not the revolutionary figure) but a much loved poem. Many people of a certain generation may remember this one as it was a recurrent favourite of primary school syllabuses. You might have guessed from that fact that the poem is what could be called “child friendly”. Rhythmic and playful, it reads like something from Beatrix Potter or Roald Dahl, with a moralising and sagacious sentiment to finish. Read wonderfully by local woman and proud northsider, Siobhan Farrelly. 

Poem of the Week invites you to listen to contributors recite some of their favorite poems and talk about what these poems mean to them. Presented by Morgan O’Reilly, this podcast series, originally broadcast on Near FM 2017/18, features some of Ireland’s most exciting new voices such as Jessica Traynor, Kate Dempsey, Kenneth Nolan and Alan Jude Moore alongside local people and community activists from the North Dublin area, this series offers a unique and diverse range of contributors. 

A little known poet (not the revolutionary figure) but a much loved poem. Many people of a certain generation may remember this one as it was a recurrent favourite of primary school syllabuses. You might have guessed from that fact that the poem is what could be called “child friendly”. Rhythmic and playful, it reads like something from Beatrix Potter or Roald Dahl, with a moralising and sagacious sentiment to finish. Read wonderfully by local woman and proud northsider, Siobhan Farrelly. 

Poem of the Week invites you to listen to contributors recite some of their favorite poems and talk about what these poems mean to them. Presented by Morgan O’Reilly, this podcast series, originally broadcast on Near FM 2017/18, features some of Ireland’s most exciting new voices such as Jessica Traynor, Kate Dempsey, Kenneth Nolan and Alan Jude Moore alongside local people and community activists from the North Dublin area, this series offers a unique and diverse range of contributors. 

The majority of poetry readers are familiar with Eliot’s Waste Land or The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock but for many, Marina, first published in 1930, remains a favorite. The poem refers to Marina of William Shakespeare’s play Pericles, a famous citizen of Ancient Athens and thus reflecting Eliot’s interest in classical themes and indeed, the narrator of the poem is Pericles himself. Upon being separated from his daughter their whole lives, the two are reunited. The poem picks up at Pericles’ reaction to seeing Marina for the first time. I was joined in studio by poet Mairide Woods, who’s deep love for this poem has its roots in her own relationship with her daughter.

Poem of the Week invites you to listen to contributors recite some of their favorite poems and talk about what these poems mean to them. Presented by Morgan O’Reilly, this podcast series, originally broadcast on Near FM 2017/18, features some of Ireland’s most exciting new voices such as Jessica Traynor, Kate Dempsey, Kenneth Nolan and Alan Jude Moore alongside local people and community activists from the North Dublin area, this series offers a unique and diverse range of contributors. 

For many, the first days of Summer bring with them fond memories of childhood and family holidays; barbecues on baking hot days, days at the beach, being scolded by your mam for foregoing the sun cream, with great big 99s to cap it all of. The carefree days of childhood don’t last forever though, and the kids grow up, the grandparent pass on and the youth and vitality of young parents gets up and over the hill, never to return again. Witnessing all of this from the an old family film, the poet reflects with both joy and sadness on the summer days that have come to pass in his life. A beautiful poem about nostalgia and the inexorable march of time, read by the poet’s own son, the Near FM Station Manager, Ciaran Murray. 

Poem of the Week invites you to listen to contributors recite some of their favorite poems and talk about what these poems mean to them. Presented by Morgan O’Reilly, this podcast series, originally broadcast on Near FM 2017/18, features some of Ireland’s most exciting new voices such as Jessica Traynor, Kate Dempsey, Kenneth Nolan and Alan Jude Moore alongside local people and community activists from the North Dublin area, this series offers a unique and diverse range of contributors. 

Luke Kelly’s lament for the unfulfilled dreams of an Irish republic. There has always been much bitterness over the perceived failings of the free state to realise the objectives fought and died for in Easter Week and beyond, but with the recent unveiling of not one, but two Luke Kelly monuments in Dublin City, the poem is as relevant now as it has ever been. Delivered with Luke’s characteristic raw power, his rendition of the poem both terrifies and elates the listener, and such as his talent was, no reading could ever do it justice. However, we were delighted to get local North Dublin resident Brendan Murran for this one, who grew up in Beaumont not far from Luke’s childhood home in Whitehall, and who later went on in his professional life to work with Luke’s brother Jimmy. 

Poem of the Week invites you to listen to contributors recite some of their favorite poems and talk about what these poems mean to them. Presented by Morgan O’Reilly, this podcast series, originally broadcast on Near FM 2017/18, features some of Ireland’s most exciting new voices such as Jessica Traynor, Kate Dempsey, Kenneth Nolan and Alan Jude Moore alongside local people and community activists from the North Dublin area, this series offers a unique and diverse range of contributors. 

Without question, one of Ireland’s most famous poems by arguably our greatest ever poet. I was delighted to be joined in studio by the recently departed Ray Kennedy, a long-time servant of Near FM, a brilliant Dj and a wonderful man. Together we discussed the complex legacy Yeats left to the Irish people, a legacy which this poem encapsulates so well. A few years before this poem appeared, Yeats had scorned the likes of Pearse and Clarke in his poem September 1913 with the infamous line “…romantic Ireland’s dead and gone…”, amongst other jibes. But in Easter 1916, he immortalises the leaders and the events of Easter week, adding a new dimension to the poliics of Yeats for historian and citizen alike to study.If for nothing else, Easter 1916 is truly remarkable not for what Yeats says but for the way he says it. He is a master craftsman. For example, the date itself – Easter Monday, 1916 – is enshrined within the very shape of the poem on the page: the poem’s four stanzas contain either sixteen or twenty-four lines – 24.4.16.

Poem of the Week invites you to listen to contributors recite some of their favorite poems and talk about what these poems mean to them. Presented by Morgan O’Reilly, this podcast series, originally broadcast on Near FM 2017/18, features some of Ireland’s most exciting new voices such as Jessica Traynor, Kate Dempsey, Kenneth Nolan and Alan Jude Moore alongside local people and community activists from the North Dublin area, this series offers a unique and diverse range of contributors. 

One of Irealnd’s best love poems by one of its most famous poets. Digging was the very first poem featured in Heaney’s debut collection, Death of a Naturalist, and was extremely important for the poet. He said of Digging, “I now believe that the ‘Digging’ poem had for me the force of an initiation: the confidence I mentioned arose from a sense that perhaps I could do this poetry thing too…”. I was joined in studio by author of the award winning Nine Lives Trilogy, E.R. Murray, and she too had a deep personal connection to this one. 

Poem of the Week invites you to listen to contributors recite some of their favorite poems and talk about what these poems mean to them. Presented by Morgan O’Reilly, this podcast series, originally broadcast on Near FM 2017/18, features some of Ireland’s most exciting new voices such as Jessica Traynor, Kate Dempsey, Kenneth Nolan and Alan Jude Moore alongside local people and community activists from the North Dublin area, this series offers a unique and diverse range of contributors. 

One of the more curious poems by one of the most idiosyncratic of poets. Cummings’ use of syntax, punctuation and his inimicable free-form poetic flow mark him as one of early 20th century poetry’s great innovators. I was joined in studio to by Kate Dempsey, a multi-award winning poet leader of the poetry divas, and an avid admirer of Cummings’ work. Dempsey’s debut collection, The Space between, was published in 2016 by Doire Press. 

Poem of the Week invites you to listen to contributors recite some of their favorite poems and talk about what these poems mean to them. Presented by Morgan O’Reilly, this podcast series, originally broadcast on Near FM 2017/18, features some of Ireland’s most exciting new voices such as Jessica Traynor, Kate Dempsey, Kenneth Nolan and Alan Jude Moore alongside local people and community activists from the North Dublin area, this series offers a unique and diverse range of contributors. 

Annemarie Ni Churreáin joined us for the second in the series, coming into the studio to celebrate Mother’s Day with us, tracing her grandmother’s emigrant experience from a visit to New York’s infamous reception station at Ellis Island. Like so many others, Annemarie’s grandmother emigrated to the states in search of a life that Ireland couldn’t offer her. She returned however, to her native Donegal, and it is her fortitude, her compassion and her depth of experience that inspired her granddaughter Annemarie to pen her this tribute. Annemarie Ní Churreáin is a poet and writer from Donegal, Ireland. Her debut collection Bloodroot (Doire Press, 2017) was shortlisted for the Shine Strong Award for best first collection in Ireland and for the 2018 Julie Suk Award in the U.S.A. 

Poem of the Week invites you to listen to contributors recite some of their favorite poems and talk about what these poems mean to them. Presented by Morgan O’Reilly, this podcast series, originally broadcast on Near FM 2017/18, features some of Ireland’s most exciting new voices such as Jessica Traynor, Kate Dempsey, Kenneth Nolan and Alan Jude Moore alongside local people and community activists from the North Dublin area, this series offers a unique and diverse range of contributors.