Conleth O'Connor

Conleth O'Connor (1947–1993) was an Irish poet.[1][2][3][4]

Conleth O'Connor
Born1947
Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland
Died1993 (age 45)
OccupationPoet
LanguageEnglish
Years active1976–1993
SpouseFrances
Children1

Early life

O'Connor was born in 1947.[5] His family were from Dún Laoghaire, but he grew up in Camolin, County Wexford.[2]

Career

O'Connor published four collections of poetry and was elected to Aosdána, an elite association of Irish artists, serving as Toscaire (co-leader) in 1990.[6] He worked at the Irish Writers Centre and Irish Writers Union. He contributed to The Great Book of Ireland and died in 1993.[7]

He most admired Samuel Beckett, Paul Celan and Miroslav Holub.[8]

Anthony Cronin described O'Connor as "one of Ireland's most distinctive and experimental poets until his premature death in 1993, dissecting the realities of modern Irish life."[9] Anne Haverty wrote a poem in his honour in a 1997 issue of Books Ireland, "Death's Gift."[10]

Bibliography

Poetry
  • Trinities (1976)[11][12]
  • The Judas Cry (1979)[13]
  • Behind the Garden Gnomes (1982)[14]
  • A Corpse Auditions Its Mourners: New and Selected Poems (1987)[15]
  • Nights without Stars, Days Without Sun: Selected Poems (1997; posthumous)[16]

Plays
  • The Re-Incarnation of Mr. Dogsbody[17]
  • Two Letters and Overtime[18]

Personal life

O'Connor was married to Frances, a ceramicist; they had one child, Breffni.[8] He was a close friend of the writer Dermot Bolger.[19]

References
  1. "The North - 21". The Poetry Business.
  2. "Conleth O'Connor". www.ricorso.net.
  3. "An enthralling companion". The Irish Times.
  4. "The Christmas when poetry reached Finglas". Independent.ie. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  5. Hogan, Robert (12 January 2016). Macmillan Dictionary of Irish Literature. Macmillan International Higher Education. ISBN 9781349077953 – via Google Books.
  6. "The Arts Council Annual Report 1990" (PDF).
  7. "Sour grapes, low spirits". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  8. Casey, Philip (1993). "Conleth O'Connor: An Appreciation". The Poetry Ireland Review (38). JSTOR 25577506 – via JSTOR.
  9. "Arc Publications - Books". www.arcpublications.co.uk.
  10. "Death's Gift: In Memory of Conleth O'Connor | Anne Haverty | download". af.booksc.eu.
  11. O'Connor, Conleth (9 February 1976). "Trinities: A Collection of Poems". Profile Press – via Google Books.
  12. Trinities: A Collection of Poems – via www.kennys.ie.
  13. "The Judas Cry - Ulysses Rare Books". rarebooks.ie. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  14. Faragó, Borbála (27 March 2014). Medbh McGuckian. Bucknell University Press. ISBN 9781611485646 – via Google Books.
  15. O'Connor, Conleth (9 February 1987). A Corpse Auditions Its Mourners. Raven Arts Press. ISBN 9781851860180 – via Google Books.
  16. O'Connor, Conleth (9 February 1997). Nights Without Stars, Days Without Sun. Arc Publications. ISBN 9781900072052 – via Google Books.
  17. "Conleth O'Connor - Playwright". www.doollee.com.
  18. "Aosdána". aosdana.artscouncil.ie.
  19. ""It isn't the despair that gets to me, it's the hope"". The Irish Times.
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