Selected Poems / Rogha Dánta

by Máirtín Ó Direáin, Frank Sewell (Translator)

Máirtín Ó’Direáin was born and raised on the Aran Islands—a world made famous by the writers of the literary revival, chiefly J. M. Synge—but worked in the civil service, first in Galway and then in Dublin for the rest of his adult life. This became the basis of a tension in his work between the rural and the urban. Editor Frank Sewell writes that Ó Direáin’s “most important theme” was “the conflict and contradictions (for individuals and nations) that derive from the exchange between tradition and modernity…He frequently favored rural values over modern city modes of living,” while “in politics, he was (unsurprisingly) an anti-imperialist internationalist. But what this means is that, in practice, he was open to receiving art and ideas both from his own culture (past and present) and also from a wide range of languages and cultures.” Simple in style, but deep in reflection, these poems beautifully convey the dilemmas of a poet of a minority language and traditional culture in a rapidly developing era. Edited and translated by Frank Sewell, with an introduction.

288 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2020

About the author

Máirtín Ó Direáin (November 29, 1910 - March 19, 1988) born in Sruthán on Inishmore in the Aran Islands was an Irish language poet.

The son of a small-farmer, Máirtín Ó Direáin spoke only Irish until his mid-teens. He worked as a civil servant from 1928 until 1975. His main works include the poetry collections:

* Rogha Dánta (1949)
* Ó Mórna agus Dánta Eile (1957)
* Ar Ré Dhearóil (1962)
* Cloch Choirnéil (1967)
* Crainn is Cairde (1970)
* Dánta 1939-79 (1980)
* Ceacht an Éin (1984)
* Béasa an Túir (1984)
* Tacar Dánta/Selected Poems (1984)
* Craobhóg: Dán (1986)

His autobiographical essays are collected as Feamainn Bhealtine (1961). His awards include the An Chomhairle Ealaíon/The Arts Council Awards (1964 and 1971); the Butler Prize, with Eoghan Ó Tuairisc (1967); the Ossian Prize for Poetry, FVS Foundation, Hamburg (1977). He was a member of Aosdána.

Carraig agus cathair: Ó Direáin is a recent (2002) biography. Its title ('Rock and City') refers to Ó Direáin's journey from his native rocky island to Dublin, where he lived most of his life.

On 27 May, 2010, An Post (Ireland Post Office) issued a single stamp to commemorate the birth centenary of Máirtín Ó Direáin featurig a portrait of the poet.