Renowned poet visits Patrician Academy

THE Patrician Academy Leaving Cert English classes welcomed renowned Irish poet Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin to the Gilbert Centre last week.

Ni Chuilleanain is a fellow of Trinity College Dublin and an emeritus professor of The School of English, which she joined in 1966.

She is also the founder of the literary magazine ‘Cyphers’ and the worthy recipient of many notable accolades for her writing, including The Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award in 1973 and the International Griffin Poetry prize in 2010.

In 2016 she was awarded the prestigious position of The Ireland Professor of Poetry by President Michael D Higgins, a position she still holds today.

Ni Chuilleanain spoke to the young men about her life and work as a poet.She spoke more particularly about her poems that feature on The Leaving Cert English course this year.

Many of her themes concern the universal concepts of love, family, loss and memory.

Her style is technically accomplished, graceful and sometimes mysterious.

The young students were very appreciative of the fact that Eilean had taken time out of her busy schedule to travel to Mallow to meet them and thanked her for bringing poetry to life for them.

Huge thanks to Ms. Monica White for organising this wonderful and memorable event.