The Lyric Feature opens 2024 with six programmes where contemporary Irish poets celebrate the place in which they find themselves. From the Limerick born poet Sean Lysaght in Mayo's Nephin Mountains to Eleanor Hooker's Reflections on Lough Derg, from Gerald Dawe in Dun Laoghaire to Jessica Traynor in Banagher, Co Offaly to a group of Irish poets who have emigrated to England in Vona Groarke's Writing Yourself Home and ending with Chandrika Narayanan Mohan's look at 'new Irish' poets in The Salt of Something New.
Find out more about each episode below:
Sunday January 7th: Wild Nephin
Limerick-born poet Seán Lysaght has lived for many years in Mayo. In this programme, he explores the landscape, nature and history of north Mayo in poetry and in conversation with friends who all have a deep relationship with this remote and beautiful part of Ireland.
He visits the Marine Institute to hear from zoologist Elvira de Eyto about the Institute's research into fish migration, meets up with friend and fellow fisherman Chris Huxley, hears about a remarkable discovery linked to some of the earliest inhabitants of Mayo from Michael Chambers at Wild Nephin National Park, and Georgia MacMillan of Mayo Dark Sky Park, shares her fascination with the night sky.
Throughout the programme, Seán reads poems inspired by Mayo which he has written over the years. His most recent poetry collection, New Leaf, was published in May 2021 by The Gallery Press, and his prose book Wild Nephin was published in 2020 by Stonechat Editions. (First broadcast 22/05/22)
The Lyric Feature: Wild Nephin, RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday 7th January at 6pm
Sunday January 14th: Reflections on Lough Derg
The poet Eleanor Hooker lives on the shores of Lough Derg, sails on it for leisure and competitively, works as a volunteer for the RNLI lifeboat service, and writes about the lake in her poems. In this programme, she explores her relationship with the lake in poetry and in conversation with friends and neighbours.
Along the way she meets model boatbuilder Reggie Goodbody, fellow writer Sandra Lefroy, Allan Mee who was instrumental in reintroducing the white-tailed sea eagle to the lake and she goes out on the lake with sailor Ted Knight. We hear of the lakes changing moods and the meaning it holds for those who live near it and sometimes on it.
Eleanor Hooker's poetry is published by Dedalus Press and her most recent collection, Of Ochre and Ash, was published in 2021. (First broadcast 29/05/22)
The Lyric Feature: Reflections on Lough Derg, RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday 14th January at 6pm
Sunday January 21st: From Kingstown to Dun Laoghaire
Gerald Dawe first moved to Dun Laoghaire in 1989 and over the years has written poems that were inspired by the town's history, its streetscapes and its location on the southside of Dublin Bay. In From Kingstown to Dun Laoghaire he meets friends and neighbours to explore their evolving impressions of Dun Laoghaire, charting along the way some of the social changes the town has undergone from its 'Kingstown' past to its multicultural present.
Along the way he meets broadcaster Brendan Balfe, literary agent Jonathan Williams, writer Melatu-Uche Okorie, artist Eimear O' Connor and librarian and historian Marian T. Keyes.
Throughout the programme Gerald Dawe reads poems from various poetry collections (published by The Gallery Press) which have been inspired over the years by living in Dun Laoghaire. (First broadcast 05/06/22)
The Lyric Feature: From Kingstown to Dun Laoghaire, RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday 21st January at 6pm
Sunday January 28th: Writing Yourself Home
What is it like to be an Irish poet in England? How does it influence your work, your relationship with language, and your thoughts of 'home'? These are some of the questions explored in Writing Yourself Home, when Vona Groarke is in conversation with fellow Irish poets.
Vona has been living in Manchester for 17 years, and she meets four other poets from different parts of Ireland: Martina Evans from Cork, who now lives in London, Conor O'Callaghan from Dundalk, who lives in Sheffield, Sinéad Morrissey from Belfast, who lives near Newcastle, and John McAuliffe from Listowel, who lives in Manchester. They talk about what brought them there and how living there has, or maybe hasn’t, changed how and what they think about Ireland, and how and what they write. (First tx 08/10/23)
The Lyric Feature: Writing Yourself Home, RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday 28th January at 6pm
Sunday Febuary 4th: A Place of Pointed Stones
When the town of Banagher in County Offaly decided it wanted its story told, instead of turning to a historian or academic they commissioned the poet Jessica Traynor. In A Place of Pointed Stones, Jessica explores the history and folklore of Banagher, meets some of the locals, and we hear new poems and a new song inspired by her research.
Local historian James Scully takes her around, showing her the bridge over the Shannon, the local Martello tower, the hidden graveyard, and locations associated with the town's literary connections with Anthony Trollope and Charlotte Brontë. He also presents her with two possible versions of the origin of the saying 'That beats Banagher and Banagher beats the devil'. (First tx 15/10/23)
The Lyric Feature: A Place of Pointed Stones, RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday 4th Febuary at 6pm
Sunday Febuary 11th:The Salt of Something New
In recent years, the world of Irish poetry has seen the emergence of the new voices of poets who were born outside Ireland and came here either as children or as adults. They are taking part in workshops, readings and spoken word events, publishing in journals, and some have begun to publish full collections of poetry.
In The Salt of Something New, we hear from six poets from four continents. Presented by Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan, who was born in India, we also hear from Simone Sav, who was born in Romania, Rafael Mendes from Brazil, Polina Cosgrave from Russia, Nithy Kasa from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Dagogo Hart from Nigeria. In conversation and poetry, they explore themes of belonging, language, identity and home. All are grappling with issues of embracing life in Ireland while not losing the connection with the place of their birth, and with finding a home both in Ireland and in the world of Irish poetry. (1st tx 30/04/23)
The Lyric Feature: The Salt of Something New, RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday 11th Febuary at 6pm
Listen to more from the Lyric Feature here.