Terry McDonagh


	Terry McDonagh – A Journey in Words “If I knew where poetry came from, I’d go there.” – Michael Longley “The best journey to make is inwards.” – R.S. Thomas “I must lie down where all the ladders start in the foul rag-and-bone shop of the heart.” – W.B.Yeats

	A writer begins ‘where all the ladders start’ even if he doesn’t know where he is going or what this journey is going to ask of him. It is an exciting, exacting journey, real and symbolic where the artist moves freely between the conscious world of daily grind and the semi-conscious, veiled world of the imagination. In special moments the veil is lifted and the two worlds become one. But writing can be a chore – hard work – an endless maze of rejection slips and glimmers of hope: a poem gets published and all is forgiven; a book comes out and there’s joy and hosanna all along the imaginary high streets.

Terry McDonagh’s literary life began to find expression in Hamburg in the early nineties when he came into contact with Olaf Hille Verlag. Prior to that it was a patchwork of unfinished and occasionally published poems.

The Road Out (1993) was published by Olaf Hille and it resonated beautifully around the ‘scene’ in Hamburg.

Prior to that a play: I wanted to Bring You Flowers/ ich kann das Alles Erklaeren was published by Fischer Verlag (Aachen) in 1991. The author remembers seeing the book in a bookshop in Hamburg and his young son, Sean, trying to attract the attention of the all customers to the existence of the book. This son is now grown up and is a very successful actor. A literary life grows up by hook or by crook.

Olaf Hille Verlag became Blaupause Books and A World Without Stone was published in 1998. One thing leads to another it would seem. Ireland Literature Exchange funded the translation of a book of poetry into German, Kiltimagh, in 2001. Mirko Bonne was the translator.

In 1999, Blaupause Verlag, in collaboration with Thalia bookshops and Hamburger Abendblatt, introduced Terry McDonagh’s Elbe Letters go West / Briefe von der Elbe. This beautifully produced hardback struck a cord with the city.

Ernst Klett Verlag, Stuttgart brought out One Summer in Ireland in 2002 and that is still doing the rounds in German schools.

Terry McDonagh took a break from teaching drama in 2001 to take up a post as artist in residence in Melbourne (thanks to Joachim Matschoss) and that wonderful experience resulted in a poetry collection: A Song for Joanna (Hamburg, Melbourne, A Journal in Verse (Blaupause books, 2002).

Joanna and Terry have a son – who is a great little reader – Matthew.

In 2004, Ireland Literature Exchange again supported the translation of Terry McDonagh’s work – this time into Indonesian: Tiada Tempat di Rawa – thanks to the late author and professor, Dami N. Toda who translated the work with Indonesian poet, Sapardi Djoko Damono. The collection was published by Indonesia Tera, Magelang.
In 2006, Blaupause Books published BOXES – poetry for young people. This opened a whole new, vibrant world of literary opportunity. With the support of Poetry Ireland, Terry was able to establish his place in the Irish school and library programmes.
Many years ago, poet and novelist, Philip Casey had suggested Terry McDonagh should write about Cill Aodain – his birthplace and birthplace and birthplace of the Anthony Raftery (17178-1835), the blind bard who died in County Galway.
As late as 2008, this dream became reality when, in collaboration with American Artist, Sally McKenna, a beautifully illustrated hardback, Cill Aodain & Nowhere Else was published by Blaupause Books and funded by Mayo County Library and The Leader Programme.
Arlen House, Galway published terry McDonagh’s latest collection of poetry, The Truth in Mustard, in January 2010.
Terry McDonagh’s writing has it’s own audience and it continues to grow in confidence. Nor only has it found a market in his books but it has been published worldwide in literary journals and anthologies.
With uileann piper, Diarmaid Moynihan he forms the poetry/piper duo, Raithneach. Twelve of his poems have been put to music for voice and string quartet by the late Eberhard Reichel..


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