My Poetry Readings with Declan Walsh Declan Walsh

About the Poem'On Raglan Road' was written by a 40 year old Patrick Kavanagh for a young 22 year old medical student, Hilda Moriarty. It was first published in the Irish Press newspaper in 1946 under the title ‘Dark Haired Miriam Ran Away’. The song we all know as Raglan Road combines the lyrics of Kavanagh poem to the air of the song ‘The Dawning of the Day’. Kavanagh approached , Luke Kelly, from the Dubliners, in the Baily Bar in Dublin in 1966 and asked him would h...

About the Poem'The Song of the Wandering Aengus' is told from the point of view of an old man who, at some point in his past, had a fantastical experience in which a silver trout fish he had caught and laid on the floor turned into a "glimmering girl" who called him by his name, then vanished; he became infatuated with her, and remains devoted to finding her again. It has been claimed that the poem's story is based on the Irish god Aengus, and specifically the story of the "Dream o...

About the PoemYou Don't Get To Be Racist And Irish" documents Irish people's history of immigration and emigration and May says that it is now time for Irish people to return the favor.The poem also touches on Ireland's history and heritage, pointing out the hypocrisy of singing songs glorifying Irish freedom, the Famine, and martyrs in the struggle for Irish independence while simultaneously ignoring or looking down on people who are now suffering. The poem took centre stage on 200 bill...

About the PoemThe society depicted in the poem , The Planters Daughter, is one reminiscent of images of Ireland in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. A planter was usually an English or Scotsman, brought in by the British, who bought confiscated land in Ireland quite cheaply , who then employed local people to work on it In effect, he was the local landlord, living in the ‘Big House’ , often seen as people of wealth and be of higher class – and wo...

About the PoemCommunicated through the description of a morning walk across the Grand Canal in Dublin, the poem is a philosophical reflection on starting something new again. It starts off as a celebration of a new day, full refreshing opportunity, and goes on to examining the harder things in life. It is filled with the sense of determination to be grateful for everyday experiences. Even though the poem is full of hope, it acknowledges that promises and beginnings are “born i...

About the PoemLament of Thomas McDonagh is a poem written by Francis Ledwidge for his close friend, Thomas McDonagh, who was executed for his role in the Easter Rising in 1916 in Ireland. The Easter Rising was often called a poet’s rebellion because so many of the organizers were writers, such as Thomas McDonagh & Padraic Pearse. Similarly, Francis Ledwidge’ s poem blends natural imagery with political sentiments. Lament for Thomas McDonagh explores the theme of rebi...