Professor Paul Durcan

(Photo courtesy of Hugh McElveen Photography)

Born in Dublin in 1944, he studied Archaeology and Medieval History at University College Cork. His first solo collection of poetry, O Westport in the Light of Asia Minor, won the Patrick Kavanagh Award in 1975; later collections include Teresa's Bar (1976), Sam's Cross (1978), Ark of the North (1982), Jesus, Break his Fall (1983), and Going Home to Russia (1987). The Berlin Wall Café (1985) was a choice of the London Poetry Book Society, and Daddy, Daddy (1990) won the Whitbread Poetry Prize. More recently he published Crazy About Women (1991), Give Me Your Hand (1994), Christmas Day (1996), Greetings to Our Friends in Brazil (1999), Cries of an Irish Caveman (2001), The Art of Life (2004) The Laughter of Mothers (2007) and most recently Life is a Dream: 40 Years Writing Poems 1967 - 2007 (2009. He is a member of Aosdána and was the third Professor of Poetry, 2004 - 2007. 

Selected Poems

Golden Mothers Driving West View

Rosie Joyce  View

Waterford Relays View

"Golden Mothers Driving West" and "Waterford Relays" from The Laughter of Mothers (2007) by Paul Durcan published by Harvill Secker, London and "Rosie Joyce" from The Art of Life (2004) by Paul Durcan published by The Harvill Press, 2004.  Copyright © Paul Durcan. Reproduced by permission of the author c/o Rogers, Coleridge & White, 20 Powis Mews, London W11 1JN.