A NEW book which features Munster poetry down through the centuries is to have its Tralee launch at O’Mahony’s Bookshop on this Friday evening, November 25 at 6.30pm.
‘Best Loved Poems: Favourite Poems from the South of Ireland’ was launched in Listowel, on Saturday and a series of similar events has been arranged for venues throughout the country in the run-up to Christmas.
Attending the events will be the book’s editor and prolific poet Gabriel Fitzmaurice from Moyvane and fellow Kerry man and photographer, John Reidy from Castleisland – whose pictures bring the book to life.
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Best Loved Poems is an anthology that will delight the general reader as well as the poetry specialist.
Here you will find poems from the 9th century along with contemporary favourites, some translated from the original Irish, the rest written in English.
This book articulates the passions of Munster women and men and opens a window to the soul of Ireland. It sings of love and death, religion and spirituality, faith and doubt, of mothers, fathers and their children.
There are political poems, in particular ‘The Betrayal’ – a passionate account by President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins of the failure of the Irish state that grew out of the struggle for independence in the period 1916-1921.
There is a large number of poems written by, and about, women – from the 9th century ‘The Old Woman Beare’ translated lovingly from the Irish by Brendan Kennelly. There’s Leanne O’Sullivan’s contemporary celebration of her grandmother’s life and death.
There are cursing poems, homages to the Irish language and to our native games of Gaelic football and hurling as well as poems of poverty and emigration.