Ex-Horslips Lyricist for North Beach Poetry Night

galway | arts and media | event notice Wednesday April 15, 2009 18:57 by Over The Edge

Ex-Horslips drummer and lyricist, poet Eamonn Carr reads at North Beach Poetry Nights in the Crane Bar on Monday April 20th at 9pm.

Eamonn Carr

Eamonn Carr is a significant figure in the Irish artistic and cultural scene. In the late 1960s he co-founded Tara Telephone, the music and poetry group of the Dublin beat scene. Tara Telephone published everyone from Marc Bolan to Allan Ginsberg, Brian Patten, Seamus Heaney, Pearse Hutchinson, Eilean Ni Chuilleanain, Brendan Kennelly, Adrian Mitchell, Pete Brown in their magazines and broadsheets. And among those who read with Tara Telephone, in addition to Eamon and Peter Fallon were Philip Lynott and Roger McGough.

Following on from Tara Telephone, in the 1970's Eamonn co-founded Horslips, the hugely influential band which is credited with creating the musical genre known as Celtic Rock, and in which he is also a drummer, conceptualist and lyricist. Eamon has also promoted musicians and artists, and works as a journalist, writer and commentator on culture, politics, arts, music and sport as well as an award winning broadcaster. Eamon was a featured poet at the Sean Dunne Festival in Waterford in March 2009. Eamonn was born in Co. Meath and lives in Dublin.

The Origami Crow, Journey into Japan, World Cup Summer 2002, by Eamonn Carr

As a sports columnist for a Dublin daily, Eamonn Carr watched the unfolding drama of the 2002 World Cup finals firsthand in Japan. Against the intense public spectacle of media attention following the controversial departure of Ireland captain Roy Keane, Carr followed his own private journey - a lifelong quest to visit the shrines and places of the famed poet Matsuo Basho, recognized master of haiku. In a volume of spare, elegant prose poetry and his own haiku chronicling impressions and revelations of that journey, Carr explores the deep interrelationships found within the contrasts of ancient and modern, nation and individual, crowd and solitude, loss and victory in a work that is at once a poetry collection, a travel journal and a sports commentary – with a little music as well.

This is Eamon Carr's first collection of poetry and the profundity and depth of the work is a just reward for the long wait. This is an exciting book because of the beauty of the work itself, and its significance as another important milestone in the work of a great artist and a man who truly has the soul of a poet. The book is part poetry collection, part travel log and part Eamon's commentary and insight into the Roy Keane/Mick McCarthy 'debacle'. And some of our current heroes (Robbie Keane, Damien Duff and Shay Given) are in there as well!!

"I can't praise it enough. I would like to start a campaign to put this on the top of the best seller list - where Eamon Carr belongs" John Waters

"It's a gem" Stuart Clarke, Hot Press

"witty and very readable tome." Eugene Masterson, The Sunday World

"A great read" Con Houlihan

Poets wishing to take part in the 2-Round Slam please bring along two three-minute poems, preferrably memorized.

The winner of each month's Slam goes forward to the 2009 North Beach Poetry Nights' Grand Slam in December 2009. The prize for the Grand Slam winner is publication of a collection of her/his work.

("Inheritance" debut collection by 2007 winner Miceál Kearney available in
Charlie Byrne's bookshop and from http:///)

We look forward to seeing you at The Crane on
Monday April 20th.

North Beach Poetry Nights gratefully acknowledges the support
of the Arts Council and Galway City Council Arts Office.

info: john walsh @ 091-593290