Being the one-man band behind Irish Writers Online, I get a lot of requests for links, and of course I do my best, but being as human as the next, I find that courtesy goes a long way. Muiris Ó Meara wrote me the following email, and I’m quoting in in full because I appreciate [...]

This is Robert Kennedy’s impromtu speech announcing the death of Martin Luther King Jnr.

He asked the crowd for “an effort to understand, compassion and love.” Then he said:
My favorite poet was Aeschylus. And he once wrote, “Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our [...]

GREACEN Robert Henry (Sandymount and formerly London and Belfast) - April 13, 2008, aged 87 years, at St Vincent’s University Hospital, husband of the late Patricia Hutchins and loved father of Arethusa. Poet and member of Aosdana. Sadly missed by his family and his circle of friends and fellow writers. Memorial Service (following private cremation) [...]

There is a fascinating excerpt from Clean: An Unsanitised History of Washing, by Katherine Ashenburg in today’s London Times.

Excerpt from Clean: An Unsanitised History of Washing, The Times, London
In the spirit of the book, I thought I’d quote My Masculine Skin, from my last book of poems, Dialogue in Fading Light (Dublin, New Island [...]

I wrote a small afterword for Michael Augustine’s latest book in English, Mickle Makes Muckle, translated from the German by Sujata Bhatt and published by Dedalus Press . You can download some of the poems (and my afterword) in pdf, listen to Michael reading from the book at the Dublin launch, and indeed [...]

Some years ago I wrote a poem called Starling. It was based on my experience of seeing them flock in Champagne. Of course I read a lot about them, but somehow because I had seen them flock in October, I presumed they were grouping to go south. Not necessarily so, it seems. In fact, depending [...]

A weekend honouring Pearse Hutchinson kicked off last night with a a fine interview with Hutchinson by Vincent Woods on the Arts Show (December 13), RTÉ Radio 1
This evening it continues with Pearse Hutchinson: An 80th Birthday Sympo.sium 14-15 December 2007. in the Robert Emmet Theatre (2037), Arts Block, Trinity College Dublin, starting at [...]

Note: some of the links in this post will bring you to amazon.co.uk
Just under a year ago, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Marion Kelly for her Parlour Review on what was then known as FM 103.2 Anna Livia, but is now known as Dublin City FM, on the 103.2 FM [...]

It never fails to move me, and as Grace Wynne-Jones mentioned it in passing today, here it is again, the beautiful video and great words of the truly great Carl Sagan.
May his spirit flourish as a sage in some distant, advanced pocket of the galaxy.

Still no shortage of book launches and readings.
Probable highlights in the next week or so are
John Montague’s memoir, excerpted in today’s Irish Times, is on Monday, Sept 24
at 18.00 in the Irish Writers Centre, Dublin, launched by Fintan O’Toole.
26 September
Mickle Makes Muckle by Michael Augustin
Venue: Unitarian Church, 112 St Stephen’s Green West, Dublin
Time: [...]