Mass is in session this week on the podcast with banger poems replacing hymns.

Now we've both watched and essentially been shook by the movie Small Things Like These, we get into why that movie hits so hard and wind poetry around the experience of the film to help us understand how to navigate that tricky world of church and religion in Ireland.

Before that, as Leon had spent 24 hours in Sligo and Ryan had been watching the show 'Rivals' where rough and ready Declan O'Hara enjoys reciting poetry from WB Yeats, we thought we'd share a poem from him, recited by Cillian Murphy.

We get into the history of the Irish church and box that off with a poem written by Leon. Warning: This isn't a light one.

It's not all bad with the church in Ireland so we try and add meat to that bone with the poem 'Solitude' by Ella Wheeler Wilcox. Hopefully that helps as we navigate the blessings and historical curses around religion in Ireland.

Nate Gladdin from the Whiskey And Ink podcast gave us a belter of a poem that takes us right into a world where a town used to be something and isn't now. Apologies for any County Clare folk but we dig out the town Tulla in this chat, don't hate us.

One of the highlights of the year we've had living and breathing poems was seeing Rachel Mulqueen perform at the storytelling tent Seanchoíche. We share her poem and tribute to her male friends 'A Belated Thank You To My Boy Friends (remix)' a reboot and homage to Hollie McNish's poem of the same (ish) name. Lovely piece.

We received an Agony Aunt all about longing love and missed opportunities so enjoy that one.

If you'd like to join our second read-along, sign up to our patreon and get involved. We have teamed up with The Winding Stair Bookshop for the read-along with the team there picking the collections moving forward and giving us a discount on the books if you buy from them. Means we can join the excitement of not knowing what we're reading, savage.

Let us pray. Amen. Blessed be the fruit and all the other stuff they say in church.

Ryan and Leon

Poems from the show

WB Yeats - When You Are Old (read by Cillian Murphy)
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43283/when-you-are-old

Leon Dunne - Raimcha na blathnana
Instagram - @nomanticz

Ella Wheeler Wilcox - Solitude
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/solitude/

Nate Gladdin - French Valley
https://open.spotify.com/show/4nNbc0ImIHdGjYpmQOcS1J

Rachel Mulqueen - A Belated Thank You To My Boys (remix)
Instagram - @rach_mulqueen

Patreon for read-along:
https://www.patreon.com/c/thepoetrysdeadpodcast

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Original music by Matthew Keating
Artwork by Paddy Downey
Introduction and co-produced by Lisa Downey