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Irish Poems
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
22 posts | 1 read | 1 to read
A diverse treasury of poems written throughout the past 1,400 years includes forms ranging from ancient Celtic myth revivals and romantic ballads to rebel songs and devotional Christian verses, in a collection that reflects key historical periods and the work of leading writers.
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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This is a fun collection of poetry from the Emerald Isle. I wasn‘t so sure about the first section, Religious Matters, until I read it. Even that was quite enjoyable. The final section, Love Matters, wasn‘t anything I was expecting after reading The Book of Celtic Verse. No one was homicidal with love. There was plenty of Yeats, Joyce, Heaney - all the favourites - plus many more poets I‘d never read or heard of before.

GingerAntics Yes, there were a lot of dead white guys, but the same can be said for Irish cemeteries, so there isn‘t much that can be done about that with a collection of Irish poetry. What a great way to celebrate St. Patrick‘s Day and the wealth of Irish verse, though. 4y
Chrissyreadit I agree. I enjoyed the poems you shared. 4y
CBee Thanks for sharing these with me ☘️♥️ 4y
15 likes4 comments
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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Wait, was this one of Brett Kavanaugh‘s creepy, drunk, frat boy words?
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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Get it? The ‘Singer.‘ 😂🤣😂💚💚💚☘️☘️☘️
#TheSinger #MedbhMcGuckian #IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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This one is quite interesting, honestly.
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 #CiaranCarson @CBee @Chrissyreadit Plus, the poet‘s name sounds like he was destined to be a poet from birth: Ciaran Carson.

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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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I love the intimacy in this one.
This concludes today‘s poetry hour.
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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Not what I thought I was getting into with a title like that, but still a nice little poem.
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

Chrissyreadit I like this one. 4y
10 likes1 comment
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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I‘m still trying to work out the Latin title, but this short, sweet poem really sinks into you.
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

Chrissyreadit Im feeling conflicted- as in not sure if what I understand is accurate. 4y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit do you think the kid died? 4y
Chrissyreadit Im wondering if she was raped 4y
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GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit which her? This came across male centric to me (maybe because all of the poets are male in this collection). 4y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit just found this. Now it makes WAY more sense to me. I was having a hard time with the life and death thing. I thought the baby died... 4y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit “Ecce Puer, written in February 1932... Literally translated as Behold the Young Boy... celebrates the birth of Joyce's grandson, Stephen James Joyce, in February 1932, and mourns the death of his father, John Stanislaus Joyce, the previous December.” 4y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit The plea for forgiveness at the end of the poem springs from Joyce's guilt over failing to return from the continent to Ireland when John Joyce lay dying. 4y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit it‘s sadder than I thought it was, but in a much different way than I thought. I think you‘re safe on this one. https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/books/2014/jun/16/ecce-puer-j... 4y
Chrissyreadit That‘s actually a relief. 4y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit yeah, I went back and reread it after you said that, and I feared you might be right. So I googled, and luckily Joyce‘s explanation ended that thought. I can see where you got that idea, though. 4y
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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I love the imagery of flight and the sky in this one.
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

Chrissyreadit I know this poem- I loved it- I can‘t remember if I read it in high school or on my own but it was in my heart. 4y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit I love when that happens!!! 4y
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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This is an interesting spin on love. I have no idea why this wasn‘t in the love section.
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

Chrissyreadit The truth of life. Take it easy... 4y
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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I went to sleep last night instead of posting, so welcome to my poetry hour...
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

CBee Did you sleep better last night? I hope so🤞🏻 4y
GingerAntics @CBee I slept the same amount of time, but I did get to bed sooner than usual. 4y
CBee @GingerAntics baby steps! 🤞🏻🤞🏻 4y
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GingerAntics @CBee right? My weighted blanket is supposed to be here tomorrow. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 Fingers crossed for that, too. It‘s already been delayed once. 4y
CBee @GingerAntics all the fingers that can be crossed are crossed 🤞🏻😁 4y
Chrissyreadit Hope you sleep well tonight! 4y
10 likes7 comments
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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This is another of those powerful poems that addresses the troubles but also manages to make it about something else entirely.
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

MayJasper Very interesting 4y
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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Of course, a group of Irish poetry wouldn‘t be complete without some Seamus Heaney.
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit #SeamusHeaney

MayJasper Thanks for sharing. I can't find a way into this one. 4y
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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This was the last stanza of a so-so poem about Dublin. This stanza is a pick for me. I also enjoyed the poem a little more than I probably would have because I‘m currently reading a trilogy set in Dublin.
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

MayJasper Best museum/experience I have ever been to is EPIC 4y
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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This one really hits you. It‘s just so vivid, so direct. If only this sort of thing were possible. How many grieving parents, children, siblings, friends would be healed? How many long held grudges, how much deep seated anger would be released? How many future acts of retaliation prevented? This one really gets to me, deep down, especially “the shy young man... driving home.”
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

CBee Interesting that you posted this - I‘m reading The Heart‘s Invisible Furies by John Boyne currently - have you read any of his books? 4y
CBee It isn‘t about an actual war, but the main character is a gay man who can‘t live as his true self because Ireland vilified, even outlawed, homosexuality at one time. So, a war of sorts, but an internal one. It‘s heartbreaking. 4y
GingerAntics @CBee I haven‘t read any of his books, but that was a popular law in the early 20th century, especially in the UK. The number of people who truly suffered under those laws is heartbreaking. 4y
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GingerAntics @CBee he really gets right to the heart of things. That book has got to be a hard read. 4y
CBee @GingerAntics I‘ll be reading a bit more about the history of that, for sure. I didn‘t know but I can‘t say I‘m surprised 😕 It‘s a tough book at times, but also funny, insightful..... just an amazing read. 4y
GingerAntics @CBee at least western society has found the error of these laws and work to prevent the continued use of these laws elsewhere. I‘m not sure I can say the same for the states. 4y
CBee @GingerAntics I know what you mean 😕 4y
Chrissyreadit I love this one. The language and vision a gut punch. 4y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit gut punch is the perfect description. 4y
GingerAntics @CBee it really troubles me to hear people say they want laws like that here, now. It‘s disgusting. 4y
Chrissyreadit @CBee @GingerAntics I suspect what we are hearing is the last violent gasp of white patriarchy. Who are fighting a war on BLM, woman, immigrants and lgbtq. I saw in incredibly emotional tik tok by a Native American stating Biden‘s recent speech was the first to include tribes up front with demographics as a group with equal value. 4y
Chrissyreadit @CBee @GingerAntics my fear right now is the current SOTUS - and the impact they will have. The blatant gerrymandering, voter suppression and anti woman‘s health laws are all efforts of conservative evil chokeholds on democracy. (Did I “say” that out loud?) I never thought we‘d see the day when Ireland might be more progressive regarding women‘s rights than a number of US states. 4y
CBee @Chrissyreadit @GingerAntics it‘s very scary. And both Alabama (where I live) and MS are trying to put these insane laws into place, restricting trans kids from getting medical care related to their transition. I‘ve been horrified by that this week 😕 4y
Chrissyreadit @CBee I‘m equally horrified by all of it. My heart breaks. 4y
CBee @Chrissyreadit same 😕 it‘s almost like these states are trying to retaliate to Biden‘s election - I could be wrong. Just a theory 🤷‍♀️ 4y
Chrissyreadit @CBee I think you are spot on and it shows in last two votes for Covid relief. I may sound petty- but I wish EVERY single person who voted for the reps and senators voting against the relief would not have access to the personal stimulus funds, or at least telling them their members voted against it and in Florida‘s case want you to return it. 4y
CBee @Chrissyreadit it doesn‘t sound petty at all. Petty is the people who will accept the money despite having voted for the exact reps and senators who didn‘t want them to have it. Florida wants folks to give the stimulus money back?? My head just exploded 🤯 I hadn‘t heard about that. 4y
GingerAntics @CBee @Chrissyreadit wait, what? Florida wants people to return the money? I don‘t think you can do that. I agree with just not giving it to people who voted for people against helping the economy. This is what you voted for, folks. Then again, that‘s the same as when conservatives only look out for conservative citizens rights, so at the same time it undemocratic. It‘s all going back to the rich anyway. 4y
GingerAntics @CBee I think retaliation is correct. That was T****‘s MO, that‘s been the conservative attitude toward people who disagree with them. They don‘t care what is good for their constituents, they don‘t care what their constituents want, they only care about themselves and getting back at people who dare cross them. 4y
CBee @GingerAntics I love how you starred out his name like it‘s a curse word 😂 4y
GingerAntics @CBee he‘s not part of my vocabulary anymore. 😂🤣😂 As far as I‘m concerned, he was a curse on America, and stupid name is now a swear word. 4y
CBee @GingerAntics AMEN to that. I barely said his name for four years anyway 🤷‍♀️😂 4y
GingerAntics @CBee right? 🤣 4y
CBee @GingerAntics loving our chats! Have a good night 😊😊 4y
14 likes24 comments
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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Finally found the Seamus Heaney section of the book...well, his section of this particular section on politics. This was the only one short enough to share.
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

Chrissyreadit So succinct and filled with horror. The choice of words - astounding. 4y
Cuilin Amazing poet! Devastating battle in Irish history. Guess I‘ll be reading some Heaney today. I have an anthology somewhere. 4y
GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit it really is. It gets right to it. It‘s one of the things I love about him. 4y
GingerAntics @Cuilin he‘s one of my favourite poets. 4y
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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💙💙💙
I love everything about this. I have no idea why.
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

TrishB That‘s the way it is with poetry! 4y
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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This is actually an excerpt of the excerpt in this book. I wasn‘t so sure about this poem until I got to this part. Then, I quite liked it.
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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I didn‘t think I was going to like anything in the “religious matters” section, but here we are.
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

charl08 OK. Now I need to find out more about Austin Clark. 4y
13 likes1 comment
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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Happy March everyone!!! I‘m so excited to start this.
#IrishPoetry #EverymansLibrary #poetry #Joetry2021 @CBee @Chrissyreadit

Branwen Happy March! 🌿 4y
18 likes2 comments
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GingerAntics
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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The tagged book is going to be my March/St. Patrick‘s Day themed Joetry read. The Cummings was a must have. Anyone who can write a poem that is 100% about driving a car and yet 100% about sex is an absolute legend. Maybe I‘ll understand the drawings better on paper (not holding out hope for that, though).
#IrishPoetry #EverymansPocketPoetey #EECummings #EroticPoems

TheBookHippie EE CUMMINGS 🤍🤍🤍🤍 4y
Branwen I love E.E. Cummings so much! 📚💕 4y
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kylienoele
Irish Poems | Matthew McGuire
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Happy St. Patrick's Day y'all!! 💚🍀