Seán Ó Ríordáin

Seán Ó Ríordáin (1917-1977) was an Irish language poet born in the Irish speaking parish of Muskerry in County Cork. His native area was rich in Gaelic literature, and the Irish language was the predominant language of Ó Ríordáin's environment until the age of fifteen, when he moved to an English speaking area close to Cork city. This move came to represent loss and alienation for the poet. When he was a young man he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He lived to the age of sixty and was constantly in poor health.

Ó Ríordáin published four books: "Eireaball Spideoige" (Robin's Tail) (Sáirséal Ó Marcaigh 1952, 1986), a volume of some hundred pages, and three subsequent booklets, "Brosna" (A Handful of Twigs) (1964), "Línte Liombó" (Lines from Limbo) (1971), and the posthumous "Tar éis mo Bháis" (After my Death).

Ó Ríardáin has been described as a European poet, and as well as writing poetry, he wrote a column in "The Irish Times" during the latter years of his life in which he spoke vehemently about national affairs. A number of his poems have appeared in English translation. See for example "Modern Irish Poetry: An Anthology" (ed. Patrick Crotty). The selection to be found in this issue of Transcript are published for the first time.