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WRITER
PROFILE
Theo Dorgan interviews the well known poet, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill.
She is the most translated of contemporary Irish language poets which
has brought her work to a wider audience.
Her work includes 'Pharaoh's Daughter' (1990) 'Feis' (1991) 'The Astrakhan
Cloak' (1992) and 'Cead Aighnis' (1999).
Born in England in 1952, her family returned to Kerry "My farther wanted
to keep the tradition going in the family, particularly the Irish language".
Nuala is one of a group of poets who developed a radical, modern idiom
in poetry written in Irish. "The first poems were in English because writing
in Irish wasn't generally accepted, I remember one day writing a poem
on something or other and suddenly in mid sentence I changed to Irish
and realised it was much better".
Her work uses the imagery and conventions of contemporary folktales to
great effect and is delightful in its exploration of sexual themes. "There
was a time when I had personal and complex problems, Id experienced something
nobody wanted to hear about and the poems dealing with mythology and folk
culture were a form of salvation, it, they saved my life. Irish is the
language of the emotional, the inner world and deep emotional stuff".
Poets such as Michael Hartnett, Maeve McGuckian and Paul Muldoon have
translated a large body of her work.
In this interview, she discusses her early life and development as a poet
and the influences and experiences that led her to her present position
as Ireland's pre-eminent Irish speaking poet.
As an interviewee, she is frank and eloquent and Theo Dorgan draws her
into a fascinating and absorbing exploration of her life.
Biographical Details
Nuala Ní Dhomnaill (1952 - ) poet. Born Lancashire Educated in
Lancashire, Ventry and at UCC, she has lived in Holland and Turkey, where
she taught at a university in Ankara from 1972-80.
She was later a tutor in Irish at Maynooth (1985-8). She is one of the
most important poets writing in Irish, a language she describes as being
imbued with "Hag Energy", never having been "patriarchalised" thus an
ideal vehicle for her verse, which treats of the realities of women in
modern Ireland.
Ní Dhomhnaill's work has been extensively translated by Michael
Hartnett. Her publications include: 'An Dealg Droighin' (1981), 'Fear
Suaithinseach' (1984), 'Rogha Dānta', dual language with translations
by Hartnett (1986), 'Pharoah's Daughter', translated by various poets
(1990), 'Feis,' edited with Philip O'Leary (1991), 'The Astrakhan Cloak',
English translated by Paul Muldoon (1992), 'Síonáin is Rķiseanna
Compánach don Chaiséad' (1993) and 'Jumping off Shadows,
ed.' (1995).
BUY VHS DIRECT FROM LOOPLINE
Running Time: 30mins
Year Made: 2000
Price: €20 - PAL (European),
€30 - NTSC (US) plus P&P
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