dumbfoundry

“In Ireland, if you’re a poet, you’re apt to be rushed!”

Ireland has been kind to Neill in ways Canada has not, having invited the poet over several times to participate in cultural events, according a respect for poetic wordsmiths largely absent in North America. One particular honour is close to the poet’s heart:

“They’ve put up a Poet’s Chair on Rathlin Island off the northeast coast of Ireland near Ballycastle, where my dad was from,” Neill explains. “They hold a festival of readings there every year, and mine was one of the first 5 names on the plaque attached to it.”

He is in good company: famed poet Seamus Heaney and novelist Colin Bateman have their names affixed as well, as having helped launch the Chair.

This entry was posted by Ivy on Wednesday, June 01, 2005 at 4:57 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.