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Speech at the Unveiling of a Plaque to Desmond O’Grady

Limerick City, 24th February 2015

Tá an-áthas orm a bheith anseo i Luimneach inniu chun an phlaic seo a nochtadh atá tiomnaithe i ndilchuimhne file a raibh an-mheas air, ní hamháin anseo in Éirinn, ach i measc phobail na filíochta ar fud an domhain.

[I am delighted to be here in Limerick today to unveil this plaque dedicated to the memory of a poet who was so greatly admired not just here in Ireland, but in poetic communities across the world.]

Desmond O’Grady’s commitment to poetry and to the arts in general, and his contribution to the cultural dimension of Irish society, was immense. His legacy is a great and enduring one and he will be remembered as a gifted poet, an intuitive translator and of course as a generous friend to Ireland’s artistic community through his active role in the founding of Aosdána.

Amongst the many tributes paid to Desmond O’Grady following his death, was one which described him as ‘a great citizen of world poetry’. Desmond made his mark in many communities across the globe and has stated that:

“James Joyce left. So I too had to. To go forth and encounter the reality of experience.”

Indeed, like Joyce and other talented Irish artists  he was a voluntary exile in the city of Paris for some time, becoming an enthusiastic emigrant who immersed himself in the artistic life of the city; a city where he came to call artists and writers such as Picasso and Samuel Beckett friends; and, of course, a city that promised, and delivered, much in terms of both literary creativity and freedom to experiment in an atmosphere conducive to the contestation of theory and the solidarity of ideas.

His legacy of work reflects both his migrant experience and his affection for his homeland; and is one that will be studied and cherished by future generations. Indeed, while writers such as Joyce and Beckett utilized the experience of expatriation to see their own people through the lens of exile, Desmond O’Grady’s work is a subtle embrace of both his international experience and his innate sense of home. In one of his most evocative poems, ‘The Old Ways’ he captures  the freedom of growing away from the old and familiar, whilst remaining powerfully defined by what went before;  reminding us of how quietly we sometimes yearn for:

“….. a kind of visible security

The security of a familiar ritual.”

Like all true poets he had that great capacity to see the magic in the experience of the everyday; to move emotions through the powerful use of words; and to weave familiar experiences into unfamiliar environments in order to create new possibilities and new realities, exhorting us to:

“…….. take joy in sense awareness.

Draw a child’s life-smile with each breath of survival:”.

Desmond O’Grady’s genius was not confined to his own poetic works.  As a renowned translator he reminds us that such work should never be reduced to a simple transliteration but must become, in itself, a work of creativity.  O’Grady translated poetry from many languages, including Irish, Welsh, Turkish and Greek , bringing much of his own poetic gift to each translated poem; whilst also, of course, allowing us to enjoy the work of many distinguished international poets.

There can be no doubt of the important part that Desmond has played in the literary life of this country and in the broadening and deepening of our great and deserved reputation for artistic talent and success. His life was one of uncompromising commitment to his work, his poetry and to the arts and in its varied course he came to count as friends some of the greatest names in literature.

Desmond, however, remained loyal to the county of his birth, and indeed to The White House Pub where he gave his first reading sixty years ago. I know he was an enthusiastic patron of the weekly readings which have been held here for over ten years and was, indeed, the first guest at the White House poetry night in 2003.

It is uplifting to know that, just as he did not forget Limerick, Limerick has not forgotten him. This plaque will stand as testament to the man who Seamus Heaney described as ‘one of the senior figures in Irish literary life’, and to a poet whose dedication to his art has made its own unique contribution to Ireland’s international reputation for literary excellence.

Thank you very much. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.