Paul Durcan
Encyclopedia
Paul Durcan is a contemporary Irish
poet
.
. While at college, Durcan was kidnapped by his family and committed against his will to Saint John of God psychiatric hospital in Dublin, and later to a Harley Street
clinic where he was subjected to electric shock treatment
and heavy dosages of barbiturate
s and Mandrax
.
Durcan moved to live in London in 1966 where he worked at the North Thames Gas Board. He met Nessa O'Neill in 1968; they married and had two daughters, Sarah and Siabhra. They lived in South Kensington
, then moved to Cork
where his wife taught in a prison. The marriage ended at the beginning of 1984.
album Enlightenment, giving an idiosyncratic vocal performance on the song, "In The Days Before Rock'n'Roll", which he also co-wrote.
In 2003, he published a collection of his weekly addresses to the nation, Paul Durcan's Diary, on RTÉ Radio 1
programme Today with Pat Kenny
. He was shortlisted in 2005 for the Poetry Now Award
for his collection, The Art of Life. In 2009, he was conferred with an honorary degree by Trinity College, Dublin
.
Durcan is a member of Aosdána
.
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...
.
Early life
Durcan grew up in Dublin and in Turlough, County Mayo. His father, John, was a barrister and circuit court judge; father and son had a difficult and formal relationship. Durcan enjoyed a warmer and more natural relationship with his mother, Sheila MacBride Durcan. He studied law and economics at University College DublinUniversity 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...
. While at college, Durcan was kidnapped by his family and committed against his will to Saint John of God psychiatric hospital in Dublin, and later to a Harley Street
Harley Street
Harley Street is a street in the City of Westminster in London, England which has been noted since the 19th century for its large number of private specialists in medicine and surgery.- Overview :...
clinic where he was subjected to electric shock treatment
Electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy , formerly known as electroshock, is a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in anesthetized patients for therapeutic effect. Its mode of action is unknown...
and heavy dosages of barbiturate
Barbiturate
Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and can therefore produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to total anesthesia. They are also effective as anxiolytics, as hypnotics, and as anticonvulsants...
s and Mandrax
Methaqualone
Methaqualone is a sedative-hypnotic drug that is similar in effect to barbiturates, a general central nervous system depressant. The sedative-hypnotic activity was first noted by Indian researchers in the 1950s and in 1962 methaqualone itself was patented in the US by Wallace and Tiernan...
.
Durcan moved to live in London in 1966 where he worked at the North Thames Gas Board. He met Nessa O'Neill in 1968; they married and had two daughters, Sarah and Siabhra. They lived in South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
, then moved to Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
where his wife taught in a prison. The marriage ended at the beginning of 1984.
Career
Durcan's main published collections include: A Snail in my Prime, Crazy About Women, Greetings to Our Friends in Brazil and Cries of an Irish Caveman. He appeared on the 1990 Van MorrisonVan Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
album Enlightenment, giving an idiosyncratic vocal performance on the song, "In The Days Before Rock'n'Roll", which he also co-wrote.
In 2003, he published a collection of his weekly addresses to the nation, Paul Durcan's Diary, on RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...
programme Today with Pat Kenny
Pat Kenny
Patrick "Pat" Kenny is an Irish broadcaster and former disc jockey and continuity announcer. He is employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is their highest paid presenter. He presents Today with Pat Kenny on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday morning between 10:00 and midday...
. He was shortlisted in 2005 for the Poetry Now Award
Poetry Now Award
The Poetry Now Award is an annual literary prize presented for the best single volume of poetry by an Irish poet. The €5,000 award is presented during the annual Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Poetry Now international poetry festival. The festival began in 1996 and the first Poetry Now Award was bestowed...
for his collection, The Art of Life. In 2009, he was conferred with an honorary degree by 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...
.
Durcan is a member of Aosdána
Aosdána
Aosdána is an Irish association of Artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers and with support from the Arts Council of Ireland. Membership, which is by invitation from current members, is limited to 250 individuals; before 2005 it was limited to 200...
.
Awards
- 1974 - Patrick Kavanagh Poetry AwardPatrick Kavanagh Poetry AwardThe 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...
- 1989 - Irish American Cultural Institute Poetry Award
- 1990 - The Whitebread Prize (Daddy, Daddy)
- London Poetry Book Society choice for The Berlin Wall Café
Poetry books
- Endsville, with Brian Lynch (New Writers' Press, 1967)
- O Westport in the Light of Asia Minor (Anna Livia Press, 1975)
- Sam's Cross (Profile Press, 1978)
- Teresa's Bar (The Gallery Press, 1976; revised edition, The Gallery Press, 1986)
- Jesus, Break his Fall (The Raven Arts Press, 1980)
- Ark of the North (Raven Arts Press, 1982)
- The Selected Paul Durcan (edited by Edna Longley, The Blackstaff Press, 1982)
- Jumping the Train Tracks with Angela (Raven Arts Press/Carcanet New Press, 1983)
- The Berlin Wall Café (The Blackstaff Press, 1985)
- Going Home to Russia (The Blackstaff Press, 1987)
- Daddy, Daddy (The Blackstaff Press, 1990)
- Crazy About Women (The National Gallery of Ireland, 1991)
- A Snail in My Prime. New and Selected Poems, (The Harvill Press /The Blackstaff Press, 1993)
- Give Me Your Hand (MacMillan, 1994)
- Christmas Day (The Harvill Press, 1997)
- Greetings to Our Friends in Brazil(The Harvill Press, 1999)
- Cries of an Irish Caveman (The Harvill Press, 2001)
- The Art of Life (The Harvill Press, 2004)
- The Laughter of Mothers (The Harvill Press, 2007)
- Life Is a Dream: 40 Years Reading Poems 1967-2007 (Random House UK 2009)