Seen and Done

Went to the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith for the launch of Brian O’Connor’s new book Wave, a translation with parallel texts of poems by Aogán Ó Rathaille (c.1670–1729). Brian (on the right of the picture) was joined by Declan Kiberd to talk about Ó Rathaille and read some of the poems. There was also some traditional music.

Ó Rathaille considered himself the last of the traditional bards of Ireland, and among other things developed the poetic form of the Aisling, where the poet meets a female spiritual embodiment of Ireland who laments the country’s misfortunes. Displaced from his poetic post after the Battle of the Boyne, which led to a general purge of the Catholic nobility, Ó Rathaille found his hopes of restoration were cruelly disappointed and he was reduced to poverty (he is the beggar referred to in Yeats’ The Curse of Cromwell). His misery did at least provoke some of his finest poetry.

As a master of form, alliteration, and verbal music, Ó Rathaille is a particular challenge to translators. I can’t assess their technical accuracy, but Brian’s versions are a very good read.