Hi everybody,
A friend of mine asked me about Irish contemporary poetry. I was absolutely incapable of telling her one name.
She is looking for any CONTEMPORARY poet. In fact those I know are not from the XXeth century and I can't help her.
Could any one of you give me some names. Speaking Gaeilge poets would be the best of course but I know there mightn't be so many.
Thanks a lot for your help.

http://lyrikline.org/index.php?id=59&L=2#ga

Ecoutez!

Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill,
Biddy Jenkinson,
Cathal Ó Searcaigh,
Liam Ó Muirthile,
Gabriel Rosenstock

and the Conamara song-writers
Pádraig Ó hAoláin,
?? Mac an Iomaire,
John Beag

et al

The latter are a closed book to the rest of us because they write in traditional mode or sean-nós -- or more recently in Country and Western style -- and perform their works in local pubs within the Irish-speaking community. Their songs are so full of local allusions that you would need to be familiar with the goings-on and achievements of three generations to understand every nuance. The airs are frequently "borrowed" from the US Country charts.

I like these:
An Ladhrán Trá
Cóilín Phádraig Shéamais
Gleoiteog John Dáirbe.
etc

cf CROCH SUAS É published by Cló Iarchonnacht.

Here's an idea for TG 4: Get some of the new younger poets to recite their poems on a programme and let us see the text as they read. English subtitles can be supplied if really necessary. If poets and writers see there is an outlet and an audience or readership for their talent they'll try harder.

The problem is -- Oh! Oh! Here we go again! -- the native speakers may know only too well that the audience is diminishing. They also feel some sad resentment that their own beloved dialect does not seem to be thriving. Other dialects seem to be more in favour. Worse still, these "upstarts reared through English who think their abominable Irish is the best ever" proceed to write in a form of Irish that is even further removed from the beloved dialect spoken by Deaideo or Mamó. On the printed page it may look stilted. Spoken by the author it may sound awful. (Imagine a learner of French expecting to be accorded the status of a member of l'Academie francaise. I'm sure it's possible but ...)

Do I agree with any of this? Yes and No. I am just imagining what it must be like to be reared in a family where somebody still speaks Irish all the time. For such a person Mamó's Irish is the touchstone/benchmark and nothing else bears any comparison.

There is another viewpoint however: we're all learners. We're not all beginners. Some have reached a very high level. Let's share our poetry, rhymes, doggerel verse, whatever, in Irish among each other. Award each other prizes? Cuirimis peann le pár.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K99V8xmneCU

Cóilín Phádraig Shéamuis

---

Maidir leis an gcuid eile Jeaicín, IMRAM ar siúl an tseachtain seo.

http://imram.ie/

An tOireachtas ag teacht.

Amhráin na linne seo le clos go minic ar RnaG.

Dan le Johnny CHóil Mhaidhc anseo

http://www.futafata.com/lirici/aniar/AnCailinBeagsagCuinne.html

Le clos chomh maith.

Merci beaucoup Aonghus!
J'ai apprécié beaucoup d'écouter ces poèmes . Le seul problème est que je ne parle pas Allemand (juste Ich liebe Dich!!) et que je n'ai pas de traduction en Anglais ou en Français. cela m'aurait aidé. It would have been useful to me!!
My problem is that I don't speak German (apart from Ich liebe Dich!) and I have no way of translating these poems in French or English.
Anyway that's great being able to listen to this kind of poetry . Thanks for the other links too.
And just the same to you Jeaicin, Go raibh mile maith agat!

My friend is going to speak in Irish and she has never done it before!! . The Mayor of her ( little) town asked her to join an Irish lady who is a painter now in Charentes-Maritime in France . She also is a harp player . So they're going to give a party with a little bit of music , a little bit of irish poems (in Irish and in English) and a little bit of her(my friend) french poems and stories because she is a story-teller (in fact). My trouble is that because of my work I won't be there ... Anyway I'm sure that's gonna be great.
And I am going to be able to give her all these names .
Thanks a lot to you both.

Jeaicin I'm sure that'd be great to hear poems in Irish on TG4.