Hamburg Launch of my poetry collection Ripple Effect in bookshop SERVUS HAMBURG, Rambach Straße 13 on Wednesday June 12th at 8 pm.
Presentation: poet and literature critic, Ian Watson
Translations: writer, Sabrina Görlitz
Music: singer/songwriter, Martin Burns
Elder Tree Rejuvenated – after Sally McKenna’s sculpture - This poem, Elder Tree Rejuvenated, is dedicated to my friend, the sculptor, Sally McKenna, of Glore Mill Art Centre. Over a cup of tea, she took me through her experiences of not respecting nature. We looked at a most wonderful piece of her work – an Elder tree – in steel, brass and painted canvas. We must first ask nature’s permission, she would say. When I returned to my house, a few miles away, I wrote this poem.
Tree Music - This short poem, Tree Music, came to me one morning while looking out of the kitchen window into our wild Irish garden. I grew up here. It was early morning. Joanna, my wife, drew my attention to the rising sun blazing onto a young beech tree we had planted a few years previously. As Irish sun does not blaze all that often, the moment was all the more special. Rain is never far away. The poem is included in my latest poetry collection, Ripple Effect, (publisher: Arlen House), to be launched at the Irish Embassy in Berlin in the first week in June.
Nothing’s Fair - I have written lots of poetry for children. I suppose the inspiration for it comes from my work in schools, which I enjoy very much. I have often read, Nothing’s Fair for adults as well as for children, and I always think that when adults get a laugh out of a children’s poem, there must be something in it for everybody.
Limbo – Growing up in a very Catholic environment in the west of Ireland, I was very conscious of Limbo as a state or place where non-baptised children were to exist, without ever seeing the face of God, for all eternity. It was bad enough for a mother to lose a child, but the thought of Limbo was tragic. These children could not be buried in consecrated ground, but it is said that mothers baptised their stillborn babies themselves in the hope that they could see the face of God. Burial often took place after dark, in secret, by fathers or close relatives. I found this so unjust as a child. Thankfully Limbo is no longer an article of faith.
Return to Melbourne – This poem goes back to 2005 when I was writer in residence in Melbourne. I had been on a short holiday in New South Wales with my good friend, Joachim Matschosand his family. These were my thoughts on our return journey.
Door Through Time – As little boy, my favourite uncle, Tim, would take me by the hand and we would walk up to the High Fort in Cill Aodain (a fairy fort) where he would tell me tales of ‘the little people’ and of the blind poet, Anthony Raftery. My great-grandfather, Thady Conlon collected and translated this poetry from Gaelic into English. I always say my life as a poet began here.
I later wrote the book, Cill Aodain & Nowhere Else, as a document of my childhood…illustrated by the American artist, Sally McKenna. It can be read on internet as a pdf file. 
My Journey, to my son, Sean. This poem goes back about fifteen years and was written in Hamburg at a time when I felt caught between two cultures and two languages. My son and I used to walk the streets together and to this day, we are grateful for that storytelling time.
The Best Wells are Deep – a poem – “Even though it rains a lot in Ireland, I have an abiding memory of shortage of water in summer. The water diviner had a special place among small farmers, as he was the one who could find the precious liquid by waving his hazel rod. He had the power,” says Terry McDonagh.
Boxes is the title poem of his children’s poetry collection, Boxes. He says, “I do a lot of work with young people in schools and libraries and I always feel challenged and deeply satisfied when working with younger age groups. They will only reward you when you deserve it”.