F. R. Higgins.

F. R. Higgins.

Went out to Laracor churchyard a number of years ago with Tommy Murray and other members of The Meath Writers' Circle to do a poetry reading at the grave of F. R. Higgins. Another of Meath's almost forgotten writers, though maybe being rescued a little bit by the internet these days. Held in very high regard by his peers if his obituary in the Irish Times was anything to go by, he was born in Foxford Co. Mayo in April 1896 and died on the 8th of January in 1941 in Jervis Street Hospital in Dublin. He was the eldest son of Joseph Higgins and Mrs. Annie Higgins of Higginsbrook Co. Meath, and Meath was said to be the place most dearest to his heart. Hunting around on the internet I came across three readings of his poems and I've added them below. With thanks to youtube! I notice from one of the comments that Ted Hughes suggested that "Song For The Clatter-Bones" is one that should be learned off by heart. So there!

(1) Song For The Clatter-Bones: by Spoken Verse.

clickhere

(2) Father and Son: by Pierce Brosnan.
click here

(3) Father and Son: by irelandpoetess.
Click Here

Photo: Headstone/Laracor churchyard Co. Meath. Courtesy: Michael Farry.

A Few Songs of War.

A few songs of war.

For those who have an interest in the everyday the above may hold little attraction, but some of the best poems ever written touch on the subject of war. They tend to stay in the memory long after the media reports have been consigned to the dustbin and indeed most people get their history or a version of such from this kind. This is especially true of the songs, they hang around for a long time. The anti-war movement of the sixties and the songs of Dylan and others are a case in point and just the most recent one, though you may well ask where are the ballad singers now? Nothing to aim for, perhaps, when the only lines are the ones you add and subtract! Poor enough! The songs that follow all have a certain quality, or seem to capture something, and for different reasons, some are great stories, some are very sad, some are good entertainment, some are dangerous, and all are worth a listen. And if I was to select another six, maybe I'd pick different ones, but I'm not so sure!

(1) Billy Joel: Goodnight Saigon.

Click Here

(2) Jamie O' Hara: 50,000 Names.
Click Here

(3) Steve Earle: Dixieland.
Click Here

(4) Marlene Dietrich: Lili Marleen.
Click Here

(5) Phil Coulter: Dear Sarah/Sullivan Ballou.
Click Here

(6) Phil Coulter: The Man From God Knows Where.
Click Here

The Meath Writers' Circle September 2010.

The Meath Writers' Circle.

The Meath Writers' Circle held their monthly meeting at the Castle Hotel in Trim tonight with about twelve in attendance. The above is a video of Willie reading "What Matters Most" and is hopefully the first in a series of poems on video. Favourite poems as it were! Sorry about the picture quality!