Brendan honoured in his ‘heart’s home place
THERE’S a line in John Steinbeck’s ‘ The Grapes of Wrath’ which reads, “It’s a thing to see when a boy comes home”. And to see the smile etched on Brendan Kennelly’s face as he returned to Bally on Saturday afternoon was a sight to behold for his many adoring fans.
Listing the many tributes bestowed on Brendan throughout his academic life would be akin to counting stars on a clear night. But all of us – famous or otherwise – have a corner of our minds reserved for that place we call home – an emotion immovable from Brendan’s face as he sat before ‘ his own’ in the parish hall a stone’s throw from where he was born.
“Dublin was my home and a place that I loved dearly but my original home was always with me, all the time, wherever I went. Bally and its people would come to me at night as I slept; I would dream of the streets, of the river going up through the village, of the football field, of the laneways,” said Brendan.
Leas- Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council Liam Purtill spoke of Brendan’s cadences and the unmistakable tones that so expressively transport his verse.
“His work has retained a loyal and appreciative audience to this day. Brendan is a ‘Bally man’ deep down, despite his years on loan to the capital,” said Mr Purtill.
Brendan was presented with a framed scroll and a picture of Carrigafoyle Castle, the latter a structure that Brendan brought to life in his haunting poem, ‘Small Light’, about a girl who fell in love with a British soldier and lit a candle in one of the windows of the castle signalling the weakest point of the building which Cromwell’s army attacked.
“There is an amazing history attached to the place. It was the story of Cromwell’s army coming to Bally that ignited my interest in the man and I wrote an epic poem about him. I went to his home in Ely in England and I read all his letters for my research,” Brendan added.
“I am back living near Bally again. I carry the Bally that I wrote about in The Crooked Cross within me and see it as I pass through the village and, although a lot has changed, I still know this to be my heart’s home place,” he finished.