days

Poem: Maldon days

Maldon days hēt þā hyssa hwæne    hors forlǣtan, feorr āfȳsan,    and forð gangan, hicgan tō handum,    and tō hige gōdum. The Battle of Maldon (991 AD) Galvanized into action,   my companion horses neighed as they galloped to the woods,   riderless and rudderless. I turned back to my liege lord,   reluctant to retreat, … Read more

Last Days in RTÉ – ‘I came to kill you’

In 1967, the fidgets struck again. That was the year my mother died, rapidly following my father. I confess now that I was not obviously upset by the deaths of my parents. In the culture of my generation and class, love, certainly any public expression of it, was an embarrassment. Such namby-pamby language was confined … Read more