ACHILL ORAL HISTORIES
A strictly not for profit community initiative dedicated to the systematic recording and archiving of life on Achill Island, Co Mayo Ireland as told by the people of Achill past and present.
John F Deane, Poet
John F Deane is a poet and Founder of Poetry Ireland. John was born in Bunacurry, Achill. His collection 'Achill The Island' published in 2009 is a tribute to the majesty and magic of Achill Island.
PART 1: First memory; a child in Bunnacurry; exploring nature in Achill.
To read a transcript of Part 1 John F Deane's interview with us, click here
PART 2: Leaving Achill For Mungret College, Limerick; father’s love of Russian literature Heinrich Böll’s work; playing Tatars and the Cossacks as a boy.
To read a transcript of Part 2 John F Deane's interview with us, click here
PART 3: Enduring Importance of Catholic faith in John’s poetry; Kimmage Manor and Earlsfort Terrace University College Dublin; how coalescence of Gerard Manly Hopkins and La Messe Sur Le Monde influenced John’s poetry.
To read a transcript of Part 3 John F Deane's interview with us, click here.
PART 4: On Keem Beach; perilous episode on the Cathedral Cliffs; as a secondary school teacher, Dublin; first published poem; working with The Chieftans; 'F' in John F Deane; enduring influence of Achill on John's poetry.
To read a transcript of Part 4 John F Deane's interview with us, click here.
PART 5: John F Deane reads his poem "Slievemore - The Abandoned Villages" for Achill Oral Histories
To read Parts 1 -4 of John F Dean's interview transcript, click here.
To read a Part 5 of John F Deane's'interview transcript including the poem' Slievemore - The Abandoned Village', click here.