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DOBHAR CHÚ
by Tom Sigafoos In Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, the unnamed narrator introduces a second speaker, Marlow, who actually tells the intricate story of Mr. Kurtz. Marlow himself claimed that “the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as a glow brings out a haze . . . .” It appears that Tom Sigafoos subscribes to this philosophy of story-telling in his compelling piece, Dobhar Chú. Sigafoos, a novelist and writer of “personal pieces” as well as being a sought-after Writing Coach, approaches the tale of Dobhar Chú through an engaging set of narrators, circumstances, and…
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“Galápagos Islands” and Other Haikai and Poetry from “ELSEWHERE”
by Maeve O’Sullivan If 2020 is the year for armchair travel, Maeve O’Sullivan’s Elsewhere provides readers with an epic trip. Now in its fourth edition, it features haiku, haibun (a mix of prose and haiku), and long-form poetry. The writing captures a solo, around-the-world journey that took place in the fall of 2016 through the summer of 2017. The collection of poetry begins when she is 11, alone on the Dalkey platform peeling an orange. The poems that follow, like this hybrid fruit, are the product of far-off places. Throughout her travels, whether she’s contemplating the similarity of Ben Bulben to Cerro Baúl; or her mother’s handwriting to her grandfather’s; there is a…
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“Beginning Again”
Catherine Drea In this photo essay, Beginning Again, contemplative photographer, writer and award-winning blogger, Catherine Drea reflects on the experience of being in lockdown during COVID-19. Her place is rural County Waterford in south-east Ireland and her reflections and stunning photographs show us the art of paying attention, always with an eye for beauty but alert too for changes that are a cause of concern. Travel as we understood it might have changed, but we learn how the “simplicity of wandering on foot can also delight the soul.” More of Catherine Drea’s work can be seen on her blog, Foxglove Lane, and on her Instagram gallery. Foxgloves In the dreamtime of last winter, I…
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“Rupture” and other poems
Jean O’Brien This week Trasna is pleased to feature a new poem by Jean O’Brien, “Rupture,” and present two other readings. Jean is an award-winning poet residing in Dublin. She was a founding member of the celebrated Dublin Writers’ Workshop, and has taught in numerous other creative writing programs. She is the author of five books of poetry: The Shadow Keeper (1997); Dangerous Dresser (2005); Lovely Legs (2009); Merman (2012), and her most recent collection, Fish On A Bicycle, New & Selected Poems. Her work explores the personal, historical, and contemporary. Collectively, these poems are a reminder that objects can speak to us in ways deeper than language; that history, no matter how ancient, lives with us still; and that poetry, that most beautiful language, can reveal…
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“The Sheep Shearers” and other poems
Joe Whelan In today’s Trasna we have three poems by Clonmel writer, storyteller and farmer, Joe Whelan. In the poems below Joe brings the reader full circle, from his Uncle Davie in “My Uncle’s Coat”, and the farm at Harney’s Cross where he spent happy childhood summers, on to the experience of the young, naïve man in “Nally’s Men”, who came to work in construction in New York City in the 1980s. Finally, in “The Sheep Shearers”, we are returned to Harney’s Cross, to the farm now inherited by Joe near the Comeragh Mountains in County Waterford and the essential summer task of shearing sheep, one that demands many helping hands and knowledge…
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THE WOOD OF O sings “Meadow Song” and Other Tracks
For the month of July, Trasna has been highlighting some of the literary and artistic events cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, in the spirit of the Lowell Folk Festival, we present The Wood of O, singer-songwriters Breege Phelan and Will McLellan. Based in South Tipperary, for the last two years, The Wood of O has been playing to sold-out shows in the South East region of Ireland. In January, 2020, they were nominated as a highlight of the Shannonside Winter Music Festival in Co. Clare, their last series of live gigs before the pandemic hit the world. While America’s largest free folk festival won’t fill the streets of downtown Lowell this week, The Wood of O keeps the tradition of new and…
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John Lawlor, Philip Conway, Boston University and the continuity of a proud Irish athletic tradition
Dr. Tom Hunt For the month of July here on Trasna, we have been highlighting some of the literary and artistic events cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The other significant arena of cancellations due to COVID-19 is, of course, sport. Today we present an article by Irish sports historian, Dr. Tom Hunt, who focuses on the early history and impact of athletic scholarships from Boston-area universities, on the world of Irish athletics. Irish athletics was rescued from international oblivion by the USA scholarship system. The trail began in London in 1948 with the superb performance of Jimmy Reardon in the 400m at the Olympic Games which alerted USA officials to…
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“Petting Zoo” and Other Offerings
E. R. Murray For the month of July, here on Trasna, we will be highlighting some of the literary and artistic events cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Featured this week is the West Cork Literary Festival, an annual, weeklong celebration of writing workshops offered by some of the finest Irish and international writers. This year’s festival was scheduled to begin today, July 10th. Many of the varied workshops are now offered online. Among this year’s talented, festival writers is Elizabeth Rose Murray. She is currently co-presenting a weeklong workshop for teenage writers from her home in west Cork. Her debut novel, The Book of Learning – Nine Lives Trilogy 1, was chosen as the 2016…
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“The Last Lines of Henry Thoreau and Yeats’ Ring-Stained Copy of Walden”
For the month of July, here on Trasna, we will be highlighting some of the literary and artistic events cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In early July of each year, The Henry David Thoreau Society holds its Annual Gathering. This year’s theme was “DIVERSITY.” While an ever-important subject, it could hardly have proven more timely. Ibram X. Kendi, a leading scholar of race and discriminatory policy in America, was to be the Keynote Speaker. Trasna editor Christine O’Connor was scheduled to deliver a paper on Thoreau and the anti-Irish views of the 19th century. The following essay, however, is about what ties us together, the commonality of our experiences, and the impact writers…
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“The Painter on his Bike” and Other Offerings
by Enda Wyley This month Trasna is featuring writers participating in Words Ireland National Mentoring Programme. Every year, 22 emerging writers are selected for the program in the areas of literary fiction, creative non-fiction, children’s/YA fiction, and poetry. Each writer is paired with a mentor. Featured this week is poet Enda Wyley, an accomplished Irish literary figure, who served as a mentor for Martina Dalton in the Words Ireland Programme, 2019. Of participating in Words Ireland, and mentoring Dalton, who appeared in Trasna earlier this month, Wyley writes: “‘Martina Dalton is possessed of her own distinctive poetic voice, which is intelligent, imaginative, often surreal – and always driven by a fierce commitment to the poem itself and the journey…