The Lament for Art O' Leary (Caoineaidh Uí Laoghaire)
This is an award winning film from UCC (Houston International Film Festival 2018) which tells the story of Art O' Leary who was murdered during the Penal Laws in Ireland in 1773 for the fine possession of a horse which he refused to sell. Much more to it than that but I'll let the film tell you the story. Loaded by UCC and with thanks though the comments are turned off so you'll have to go to Wikipedia or other sources for further information. The lament or poem has come down the ages.
The Annals of the Four Masters ~ Ireland's Greatest Medieval Chronicles!
For another exploration of should be known to all but is little taught or was in our everyday school books. Loaded by 'Echoes of Ireland - Uncovering Local History' and with thanks. To Youtube for comments and further information.
Dublin has had more than a few ballads and poems written about it over the years but here's one that I hadn't come across before. This artist needs absolutely no introduction and has written some of the finest songs about Dublin, remembering its people and places. He is probably best known for composing, 'The Fields of Athenry' which gets a fair old outing at international football games, but there are many more. He was born Peter Mooney but the name above is the one everyone knows him by. The above video was loaded by Phil Martin and with thanks. To Youtube for the comments and Wikipedia for further information
*Pete St. John ~ 31st January 1932 - 12th March 2022
Hosted by Susan McKeown and Paul Muldoon the closure of our National Heritage Week brings the author Jan Carson, poet Annemarie Churreáin and the singer Inni-K to the Visitor's Centre on the Hill of Tara on Sunday the 23rd of August between 3pm and 5pm. Supported by Poetry Ireland and the Office of Public Works admission is free and all are welcome to attend so for a family day out, where better. Many of Ireland's greatest artists have performed here over the years and with no ticketing in advance - just show up!
* See the Poetry Ireland website for a list of some of the artists who have performed here.
Ahmad ibn Fadlan an emissary of the Caliphate of Baghdad (921AD) dispatched to the Bulgars witnessed a Viking funeral where a girl was to be sacrificed with her Viking chief who had died and as she stared into certain death recited a poem that was recorded by Ahmad,
This poem was adapted for the film 'The 13th Warrior' in 1999, a film that was based on the Michael Crichton novel, 'Eaters of the Dead' (1976). The film was not a box office success at the time. The prayer went viral.
Lots of information and other details on the Web and definitely worth a read. Funny thing is I came across it in an old Irish book of poems. (Mind playing tricks) The video was loaded by Sulo King and with thanks.
The next meeting of our group takes place on this Thursday night coming the 6th of August at 6.15pm in Trim Library and all are welcome to attend. We'd love to see you there and whether your interest is in poetry or short stories or music in songs or you're thinking of writing the great novel or whatever your interest is then why not drop in for a couple of hours. Admission is free and we're hoping to have something out for Christmas. Hope to see you there.
Something to celebrate Mayo winning this year's All Ireland Football Final and after 75 years. I wonder where Pete heard this one first and won't venture a guess but mixing it with the Dylans and the Clancy Brothers and in a hundred Irish Bars and clubs I'm sure that it was sung many times. No need to introduce Pete, an American folk singer and social activist. Perhaps one of my favourite poems of the First World War was written by his uncle. Go look up! Video was loaded by: Pete Seeger - Topic. And with thanks,
There are many fine tributes posted but I settled on the one above and what I remember most from him was his work for the homeless and others who were caught on the wrong side of this society. That he was an Oscar winner and a man of international standing while remaining the man on the street says something of his character and like so many other of our great artists who have passed away in the last few years - he made some difference. The above video was loaded by 'bannedfromchina' and with thanks. Falling Slowly.
Dark social commentary and one of the finest American ballads ever written. Has stand alone lyrics and he considered it to be one of his finest compositions. Would not be qualified to comment on the music and the critics were not too favourable but something wrong there. Not in the American Music Hall of Fame, though he is in a number of others. Considering the songs he has written - mad or what! From the album 'Windows and Walls' 1984. The video was loaded by 'Jokarilon' and with thanks.
*Dan Fogelberg : August 13th 1951 - December 16th 2007
Given the year that's in it, here's an interesting piece from the film Gettysburg (1993) where Kilrain in conversation with Colonel Joshua Chamberlain challenges the notion that all men are created equal. But rather that it is in what they do, and that the only true aristocratic ideal is that of the mind. Couldn't agree with him more. Doesn't matter what colour or creed or class that you think you are.
Steve Earle's song (Dixieland) and his intro is really worth a listen and is probably one of the best war songs written. Inspiration for both of them, to whatever degree, would be Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize winning novel 'The Killer Angels'.
The above video was loaded by oWallis and with thanks. To Youtube for all the comments.
Here's a brilliant piece of entertainment, apostrophe or not, and with the ballad said to be the inspiration for James Joyce's 'Finnegans Wake'. Don't know but a good story. I read somewhere once the the Irish writer Sean O' Casey was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature ten times but refused the nominations because it had never been awarded to Joyce. Look it up! This video was loaded by Vito Likavec and with thanks. To Youtube for the comments and lyrics. Make sure you read them.
Twenty three now and thirty nine in total Serena Williams is one of the greatest sports stars of all time. I don't know if you've seen the end scene in the film 'King Richard' but maybe you should watch it if only for that scene. There are a number of versions of the above but I picked this one because of the serve action at the start and what can you say; 'Poetry in Motion'. So you get that and her version of the Maya Angelou poem as well. Look them up on Wikipedia. Loaded by ZindaStudies and with thanks.
Just heard the news on the radio that the singer - songwriter Bonnie Tyler passed away last night. She was one of the most powerful female artists of the modern era and was born in Wales on the 8th of June in 1951. It makes you wonder just what it is about the Welsh that they produce so many fine artists. Loads of material about her career and background out there on Wikipedia and Youtube and many other places. There are not too many of today's 'visuals' that can match that voice. Video loaded by Bonnie Tyler and with thanks.
Probably the best song recorded by an Irish artist during the nineteen sixties (1967), and from the middle of the showband era, the above song was later recorded by Marc Almond and there are a number of versions of it on Youtube. David McWilliams was born on the 4th of July 1945 and died on the 8th of January 2002. The song was banned by the BBC because of its connection to pirate radio and is unusual in that its chorus is said to have been phoned in from a telephone box. Fine piece of work. The showband era in Ireland then makes today's entertainment scene look very tame indeed and the talent of its artists was the equal of anything else at the time. Thousands would flock every weekend to county towns and carnivals where today you'd be lucky if you got a few hundred. Loaded by tryton111 and with thanks.
Searching for something to mark the occasion of the 4th of July, I settled on the above and its historical significance. Best remembered today for its mention in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1861 poem, 'Paul Revere's Ride', wheresome of the descriptive text is excellent; though I believe the poetic license tends to stray a bit.
The Irish connection to the American revolution is such that it would probably never have succeeded without them. British testimony (AI) estimates it at one - half of the total recruits and you can pick your own percentage. The Gaelic language was as common as the English one according to a number of historians and Washington is reputed to have said that if he had to make a last - stand he would make it with the Virginia Scots- Irish. Driven from Ulster by the 'Penal Laws' they would help to lay the foundations of the United States of America.
The Catholic population who arrived after the Great Famine of the 1840s and who fought on both sides in the American Civil war of 1861 -1865, though predominantly on the Union side, will list like the Scots - Irish before them as some of the most important names in American history and yet for either there is very little mention of them here today; or commemorations of any sort for that matter and this does not reflect on us well as a people. The figure of those who fought in these conflicts is as great if not greater than in the first world war and there are more than a few commemorations for that. Strange. The above video was posted by 'Ye Old Tavern Tours' and with thanks.
The next meeting of our group takes place this Thursday night coming the 2nd of July in Trim Library, County Meath at 6.15pm and new members are always welcome. Membership is free and the library facilities are excellent so whether your interest is poetry or short stories or novels or music then we'd love to see you there. Hoping to have a book out by the end of the year if possible and that's always something to look forward to. See you there.
Orla Fay's second collection is a series of poems where the focus shifts from the everyday to the personal and where the gift is as much the view as of the lens through which she observes the world around her. Everything from the self-observed to remembering friends or those she has known or knows to patterns of war and conflict dipping into myths and mythologies both classical and local where she is as adept with words and references to detail as escape the ordinary. Published by Revival Press it retails at €15 Euro and is available in all good bookshops. One for your bookshelves.
Almost slipped by but today is the anniversary of the birth of one of the greats of the American country/folk genre whose lists of accomplishments and achievements are almost impossible to measure. Recorded by just about everyone who was anyone he also starred in a number of films and was an academic by any standard. Loaded by Muos Karaoke and with thanks.
* If you're reading this please type his name into the search box top left for some other great songs.
Kris Kristofferson: June 22 1936 - September 28 2024
More than a few days late but a fine poem in honour of a fine poet who was a Nobel Prize winner and wrote some of our best remembered poems. Here the singer Sinéad O' Connor recites the poem he wrote about Maud Gonne. A muse perhaps. Loaded by 'National Library Ireland' and with thanks.
Leading on from Stephen Rea's yes yes yes, here's Angeline Ball in her award winning role. I think the Joycean scholar and Senator, David Norris once remarked that she was the best he'd ever seen in the role. So here's something to mark Bloom's Day. Came across an interesting piece on 'Finnegans Wake' with Finnegan's Wake the other day and must get back to it sometime. This video was posted by 'MichaelAskil' and with thanks. To Youtube for comments and further information.
Usually a day late but here I am a few days early so maybe I'll load something for Bloom's Day as well. Here Stephen Fry tells of why he thinks Ulysses is the best book ever written. Reading a book by Lord Dunsany at the moment where he recounts some of the escapades by the one Oliver St. John Gogarty, the gentleman who was in the Martello tower with Joyce and who fired a revolver in the early hours of the morning causing Joyce some discomfort I'm sure, though Joyce got his literary revenge later in Ulysses by modelling 'Stately Plump Buck Mulligan' on the same Oliver. Anyway that's how the story goes and they are endless. I'll stop and let you listen to Stephen who is one of the most interesting individuals out there. This video was loaded by 'Whyilovethis book' and with thanks.
The Catalpa Rescue: The Greatest Prison Escape in Irish History!
One of the most daring rescues ever, this documentary/film was directed and edited by Marcus Howard from the Easter Rising stories. It's better to watch this on the YouTube channel because of the difficulties in loading and also for the comments. It is incredibly detailed and is one to sit in for or watch in instalments, or the aftermath and what happened to the individuals concerned, which is included in the summary. The story of John Boyle O' Reilly who was born in Dowth, County Meath in June 1844 and who died very young in 1890 is told, with regard to the above rescue, but he was one of the most outstanding men ever to come out of this county. His ascendancy to the pinnacle of American society was extraordinary and he was described as one of America's foremost poets. On his death, memorials were held around the world. Will add one of his poems to the above when I get back to this. With thanks to Easter Rising Stories who posted and to Frances Rocks who is listed in the credits.
An email from The Manuscript Publisher on the anniversary of the death of author and activist Rex Lee, included a link to the video above and a reminder of what an extraordinary man he was. Born with cerebral palsy on the 23rd of May 1939 he overcame all obstacles to lead a creative and productive life that would defy all the pronouncements made by the medical profession. A member of The Meath Writer's Circle and at a time before Covid reined us all in, the above video is of the launch of his memoirs in Kells Library, County Meath. Adopting a philosophy of physical and mental compensation, he lived a life that would leave most of us in the shade and left an example to all of us. Rex Lee died on the 9th of January 2025. His book is I'm sure still available from his publisher or in your local library and a great read but especially if you're from the Kells area of County Meath. The above video was posted by Drumlin Media and with thanks.
The next meeting of our writing group takes place on this Thursday night coming (4th of June) at 6.15 pm in Trim Library, County Meath and new members are always welcome. So whether you're an aspiring poet or storyteller or just like to sing a few songs then we'd love to see you there. Membership is free and the facilities are excellent and we hope to have a book out by the end of the year. If you've something you'd like to be included or just wish to put pen to paper or listen in - always welcome. Hope to see you there.
Bob Dylan on The Clancy Brothers, Slane Castle Ireland 1984!
A little late for Bob's birthday (May 24th 1941) but here he pays some tribute to a group who took Irish culture and ballads all the way from the back streets of Ireland to the White House and as he himself remarked on more than one occasion, Liam Clancy was the best ballad singer he had ever heard and in my opinion nobody could recite a poem better or bring a little magic to the words like Liam. The video was loaded by CR's Video Vaults and with thanks. To Youtube for the comments and other videos.
This video was loaded by 'Boru Video' so with a lot of thanks. Will get back to it with personal comments over the next few days but I've had a quick run through and it looks more that interesting, or at least if you want to put the history of Ireland and our poets or poetry in any sort of context. So looking forward to going through it slowly. Will get back!
*Fine video above and one that should probably be on the school curriculum, as few today have any real knowledge of a culture and tradition that almost disappeared in the last few hundred years. While writers such as W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory and others of the Celtic Revival have been credited with picking up the threads, which they did, it was the success of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem in America that really brought it home to our general public and in a time when our national broadcaster thought it was in the Home Counties and still does to some degree. This also applies to at least some our regional broadcasting stations today. The Fontaines DC have millions and millions of streams, so will have to chase that up a bit more.
Orla Fay is an award winning and widely published poet from Dunderry in County Meath and her new poetry collection will be launched by Michael Farry in the Swift Cultural Centre in Trim on Sunday 31st of May at 6.00pm. Orla was the Poet Laureate (Poetry Town) for Dunshaughlin in 2021 and was the editor of the literary magazine Boyne Berries for many years. She now edits her own online and hard copy magazine at Drawn to the Light Press, which is both excellently presented and laid out, but also easily accessible. Her poetry just doesn't reflect on the world that's around her but also has the insight to make some very keen observations and the thread of virtues such as kindness is never far away. She can craft together a piece on any subject presented and her new collection 'The Gift of The View' is sure to offer new perspective.
Christy Moore is one of Ireland's leading performers and is probably the most important, if only for the stance he has taken on many controversial issues over the years where others were afraid to stand up. Banned by the National broadcaster for his song about the Stardust tragedy he was stopped and detained by the Special Branch at Hollyhead with regard to some of the lyrics in his songs. Here he sings about the Irishmen who fought in the Spanish Civil War and this was after he was inspired by a book he read on the subject. He was also instrumental in stopping a nuclear power plant from going ahead at Carnsore Point in Wexford. You could go on and on. He was born on May 7th in 1945. So happy birthday there. This video was loaded by 'StoptheWarCoalition'. Amen to that. To Youtube for the comments and many other videos.
* The absolutely excellent guitar playing is by Declan Sinnott.
The next meeting of our group takes place this Thursday night coming in Trim Library at 6.15 pm and new members are always welcome. So whether you write poetry or prose, short stories or novels or just play a little music now and then, we'd love to see you there. Membership is free and the Library facilities are excellent. All the best. FM.
Something for the day that's in in and a little explanation for those of us who may not be too familiar with the wheel of the year from Celtic mythology. From Candlelit Tales and with thanks.
A warning to all of ye by Paula Meehan. Loaded by RamboEire and with thanks. Paula Meehan is one of Ireland's leading poets and playwrights and was installed as Ireland Professor of Poetry by President Michael D. Higgins in 2013. Many other honours and credits to her name and a visit to Wikipedia and Youtube is a must.
Australian masterpiece and one of the most visually stunning films ever made it tells the story of a teenage girl and her brother who are stranded in the Australian Outback after their father tries to kill them. Rescued by an Aboriginal boy on a rite of passage (Walkabout) it begins and ends in tragedy. Directed by Nicolas Roeg and with a screenplay by Edward Bond, starring Jenny Agutter, Luc Roeg and David Gulpilil, it was made on a shoestring budget under extreme conditions and released to less than rave reviews. Originally age restricted it was later issued with a parental guidance. The British Film Institute listed it as one of the fifty films everyone should see before they are fourteen. The film finale sees the girl, now an adult, embraced by her husband as he talks of promotion and office politics and her eyes drift away..... The voice over is of A.E. Housman's poem XL from 'A Shropshire Lad' and the music is from John Murray. It has its critics of animal cruelty, swimming scenes and racial issues etc but as one of the comments on Youtube remarks, "It stays with you" and that's art. Couldn't be made today,
Jenny Agutter was awarded an OBE in 2012 for her charitable services.
Can't say I'm familiar with his work, as it doesn't tend to show up unless you go looking for it but he was considered a mystic by some and a non-conformist by others and a genius by others and he is said to have influenced many of the Beat poets and others of the modern era. Loaded by 'SpokenVerse' and with thanks.
Here's one I'm not familiar with, the poem was first published in 1929 by Fountain Press and is one of a collection published in 'The Winding Stair and Other Poems' in 1933. A visit to Wikipedia is essential here for information on the background to the poems or the collection itself. Loaded by Aimee Reads Poetry and with thanks.
This one has a closing date of midnight of Sunday May the third and prizewinners will be informed a week in advance of the ceremony and afforded the opportunity to read their winning poem. The entry fee is €10 for three poems and full details are available on their site given below. The adjudicator is Gerry Boland and the first prize is €600 with €250 for the second and €150 for the third. Pallas is a beautiful part of the country and well worth a visit at any time. The prize winning ceremony is on Sunday May 31st.
One of the first LP s I ever bought back in the sixties was 'The Sound of Silence' and the above track was included. So to follow on from the theme of last night's meeting in An Tobar (March); a journey through the summer months; though I believe the song relates to a certain lady or romance,whether real or imagined I do not know. Simon and Garfunkel are two of America's finest artists and the above video was loaded by Ivan Blazek so with thanks. Go to Youtube for the comments.
A member of the Meath Writers'Circle in Ireland since 2001 and a once a upon a time Teacher/Instructor in Telecommunications. Now that's too much. Winner of The Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Award Poetry/Saggart Dublin 2009,runner up Boyle Literary Festival Poetry 2008, 2nd Dromineer Literary Festival Poetry 2007 and Shortlisted Goldsmith International Poetry Festival, 2005, 2007 and 2014 and Highly Commended and Shortlisted in many others as well. Joint third Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Award Saggart 2013. Third in the Goldsmith Poetry Competition 2015. Final Four Humorous Essay Listowel Writers Week 2017. Honourable Mention, Frederick Douglass Poetry Competition 2021 and short listed Trim Poetry Festival 2021. Highly Commended Cathal Buí 2024. 2nd Shahidah Janjua Poetry Competition 2024. Commended Francis Ledwidge Poetry Award 2025. Must Stop!
