Anthony Glavin
Encyclopedia
Anthony Glavin was an Irish
poet
and Professor of Music at the Royal Irish Academy.
and later went on to work for the Irish Sugar Company until he retired in 1971. Glavin was educated at Scoil Uí Chonaill
in Dublin where he excelled at drama
and music
, eventually studying at The Royal Irish Academy where Dina Copeman was his tutor.
After leaving school Anthony studied at University College Dublin
and Trinity College, Dublin
. In 1963, during his first year at UCD, he was approached by the Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society and played Jack Point in The Gaiety's production of The Yeomen of the Guard
. He took over from Harry Crawley as Auditor of the Literary and Historical Society. During this period he was also active in the UCD drama society, Dramsoc.
Glavin received his Licentiate from The Royal Irish Academy of Music and joined the staff there in 1969. During the 1980s he served on the RIAM Board of Governors. Many of his students went on to become distinguished singers, teachers and musicians such as Peter Tuite, who won the European Musician of the Year Award; also Sarah, John and Michelle Picardo, Niamh McGarry and Robin Tritschler. On the day of his funeral the RIAM held a half-day of mourning and one-minute silence.
Glavin began publishing poetry and reviews while at university. His poetry appeared in numerous newspapers and journals and was first anthologised in 'Irish Poets 1924-74', edited by David Marcus. Anthony received the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award
in 1987 and his poetry collection, 'The Wrong Side of the Alps', was published by Gallery Press in 1989. The following year he received an Arts Council Bursary and his collection was shortlisted for The Irish Book Awards
. Reviewing 'The Wrong Side of the Alps' for Books Ireland, Fred Johnston
wrote that 'it is a fine, meticulous book' and 'there is, to quote Glavin himself, "a weightless perfection" about most of these poems.'
Glavin's work of half a lifetime was the ambitious sequence of 4-line poems originally titled 'iving In Hiroshima'. Anthony was haunted by the fact that his birth-date, the 7th of August 1945 (a Bank Holiday in Ireland), was just one day after Little Boy
was dropped on Hiroshima
; that his coming into the world coincided with an event that abruptly altered the world's "historical velocity." As the title of the first poem in the sequence (taken from a Time article in 1985) puts it: "Everybody lives in Hiroshima." When Anthony received his Arts Council Bursary in 1990, his intention was to travel to Japan
, to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki and supplement his extensive research with actual experience.
Glavin died at the age of 61 after a long battle with emphysema
.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and Professor of Music at the Royal Irish Academy.
Biography
Anthony Glavin was born in Dublin to Kathleen and James J. Glavin. His father fought in the War of IndependenceIrish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
and later went on to work for the Irish Sugar Company until he retired in 1971. Glavin was educated at Scoil Uí Chonaill
Scoil Uí Chonaill
Scoil Uí Chonaill is a Dublin based Gaelic Athletic Association club.-External links:*...
in Dublin where he excelled at drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, eventually studying at The Royal Irish Academy where Dina Copeman was his tutor.
After leaving school Anthony studied at University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
and Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. In 1963, during his first year at UCD, he was approached by the Rathmines and Rathgar Musical Society and played Jack Point in The Gaiety's production of The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances...
. He took over from Harry Crawley as Auditor of the Literary and Historical Society. During this period he was also active in the UCD drama society, Dramsoc.
Glavin received his Licentiate from The Royal Irish Academy of Music and joined the staff there in 1969. During the 1980s he served on the RIAM Board of Governors. Many of his students went on to become distinguished singers, teachers and musicians such as Peter Tuite, who won the European Musician of the Year Award; also Sarah, John and Michelle Picardo, Niamh McGarry and Robin Tritschler. On the day of his funeral the RIAM held a half-day of mourning and one-minute silence.
Glavin began publishing poetry and reviews while at university. His poetry appeared in numerous newspapers and journals and was first anthologised in 'Irish Poets 1924-74', edited by David Marcus. Anthony received the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award
Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award
The Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award is an Irish poetry award for a collection of poems by an author who has not previously been published in collected form. It is confined to poets born on the island of Ireland, or of Irish nationality, or a long-term resident of Ireland. It is based on an open...
in 1987 and his poetry collection, 'The Wrong Side of the Alps', was published by Gallery Press in 1989. The following year he received an Arts Council Bursary and his collection was shortlisted for The Irish Book Awards
Irish Book Awards
The Irish Book Awards is an annual Irish literary award given to books and authors in various categories. It is the only literary award supported by all-Irish bookstores. First awarded in 2006, they grew out of the Hughes & Hughes bookstore's Irish Novel of the Year Prize which was inaugurated in...
. Reviewing 'The Wrong Side of the Alps' for Books Ireland, Fred Johnston
Fred Johnston
Wilfred Ivy Johnston , is a former professional baseball player who played infield for the Brooklyn Robins in four games during the 1924 season. He attended college at Davidson College, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina.-External links:...
wrote that 'it is a fine, meticulous book' and 'there is, to quote Glavin himself, "a weightless perfection" about most of these poems.'
Glavin's work of half a lifetime was the ambitious sequence of 4-line poems originally titled 'iving In Hiroshima'. Anthony was haunted by the fact that his birth-date, the 7th of August 1945 (a Bank Holiday in Ireland), was just one day after Little Boy
Little Boy
"Little Boy" was the codename of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets of the 393rd Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, of the United States Army Air Forces. It was the first atomic bomb to be used as a weapon...
was dropped on Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
; that his coming into the world coincided with an event that abruptly altered the world's "historical velocity." As the title of the first poem in the sequence (taken from a Time article in 1985) puts it: "Everybody lives in Hiroshima." When Anthony received his Arts Council Bursary in 1990, his intention was to travel to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki and supplement his extensive research with actual experience.
Glavin died at the age of 61 after a long battle with emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
.