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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Most countries have a national day of celebration, marking the birth of their modern day nation state or a high point in their cultural history; Ireland has St. Patrick’s day. Legend has it that the great man, who is of course credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland, died on the 17th of March and is […]
Inspired by the 1984 Kerry babies case, Annemarie Ni Chuireainn weaves our mythological past into our historic present in an attempt to understand to horrific treatment meted out to unmarried mothers in Irish society. Annemarie Ní Churreáin is a poet and writer from Donegal, Ireland. Her debut collection Bloodroot (Doire Press, 2017) was shortlisted for the […]
One of the few Poem of the Week episodes recorded outside the studio, as Dermot was kind enough to grant me entry to his kitchen in pursuit of good radio! A chilly afternoon in February had my peddling my way down to Drumcondra to pay tribute to one of Irish music’s greats. Dermot was of […]
Originally from a farm in Roscommon, Jane Clarke is an award winning poet who now lives in Glenmalure, Co. Wicklow. Jane’s poetry sings with a pastoral authenticity, a lyricisim and a deeply resonant maturity, so redolent of the Irish canon she has herself, in the words of Anne Enright, so seemlessly slipped into. Who better […]
One of my favourite chats of the series. Ciaran Murray, one third of the world famous Come Here To Me! history blog joined me in studio to remember the official consecration and opening of one of Ireland’s most famous cemetery’s, Glasnevin. Also in our thoughts was Shane Mac Thomais, the much loved and recently departed historian in residence of […]
If you’re looking for conventional radio, you can listen to RTE or Newstalk but here at Near FM, we like to do things a little different. Poetry Celebrating courtly love and romantic passion would have been a little to easy, so we thgouht we’d go for some Bukowski inspired heartbreak hotel ruminations. For in any case, Valentine’s […]
On the 4th of February 2004, one of the most important events of the 21st century in a Harvard dorm room. The social netowrking behemoth, Facebook, was founded. Facebook did not create social media, but it revolutionised and refined it to such a point that it is beyond doubt the world leader in its field. […]
One of the blackest days in human history. The confirmation of long held allied fears, that the Nazi war machine was operating death camps. Auschwitz was liberated on the 27th of January 1945 by the Soviet army. Although Auschwitz was not the first concentration camp to be liberated, the full scale of the Nazi’s final […]
A holiday as fundamental to the United States’ perception of itself as Maya Angelou is to African American literature. Although recently deceased in 2014, her art and her activism have cemented her place as a colossus of Black America. She was also, naturally, a comrade and contemporary of not only Martin Luther King Jr. but of […]
One of my favourite chats of the series. Noel Mac Canna and his daughter Aoife are both long ime Near volunteers as well as being very knowledgable in music and literature. Despite this, I was blown away by Noel’s engagement with Boland’s poem. It’s a terribly poignant poem, brimming with the power of pathos and […]