Dublin-born Thomas Moore (1779-1852) is still recognized as Ireland’s National Bard; he was once as famous a romantic poet as his best friend Lord Byron. While studying law in London in 1801 he published, anonymously, a book of naughty verses, The Poetical Works of the Late Thomas Little. The author was “the most licentious ofRead more..
Sean Kelly remembers one of Ireland’s most significant and revered poets. ℘℘℘ Ireland, from 1932 until 1973, was ruled by the eminently austere statesman Eamon de Valera, in cahoots with John Charles McQuaid, the outstandingly chaste Archbishop of Dublin. The former dreamed of “athletic youths, sturdy children and happy maidens, living the life that GodRead more..
It doesn’t necessarily have to rhyme, but it definitely has to be funny. And that, in a nutshell, is the guiding principle behind the Bard of Armagh contest. Billed as “Ireland’s Unique Festival of Humorous Verse: A Reawakening of the Great Bardic Tradition,” the annual contest seeks to create “a platform for versifiers to unleashRead more..