Gerard Smyth facts for kids
Gerard Smyth is an Irish poet born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1951. He started publishing his poems in the late 1960s. His early works appeared in important Irish literary magazines. These included the New Irish Writing Page of The Irish Press and The Honest Ulsterman.
His first small collections, The Flags Are Quiet (1969) and Twenty Poems (1971), were limited editions. Another collection, Orchestra of Silence, followed in 1971. These early poems were greatly inspired by poets like Dylan Thomas and Hopkins.
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Dublin: A City of Stories
Gerard Smyth grew up in an old part of Dublin called The Liberties. This area has strongly influenced his poetry. Many of his poems feature the city and its unique character.
The poet Michael Hartnett once said that Gerard Smyth is truly a "city-poet." He believed Smyth could do for Dublin in poetry what Joyce did for it in prose. In 2012, Smyth received the O'Shaughnessy Poetry Award. The award praised him as a poet of the "inward city." They noted that his city is full of endless stories. It has streets and neighborhoods rich with memories. He shows us a city of found objects and connections.
Martyn Dyar, another poet, also mentioned the strong city themes in Smyth's work. He said that Smyth's books take us through layers of experience and memory. They connect his home places and family workplaces in Dublin. For fifty years, Smyth has explored this small area of old Dublin. He has given a voice to people who might otherwise be forgotten.
From City to Countryside
While many of his poems are about Dublin, another important place in his work is the countryside of County Meath. He spent his childhood summers there on his mother's family farm. He wrote his very first poems there when he was sixteen. He still keeps a strong connection to this ancestral land.
Fifty years after writing those first poems, he returned to Meath. He explored the area and his memories of it. This led to a book of poems and paintings called The Yellow River. This was a special project with artist Sean McSweeney. The artist's father also came from the same part of Meath as the poet's mother. Poet Gerald Dawe said this project showed a "fascinating contrast" between the poet and artist. It captured the lasting appeal of a familiar landscape.
A Career in Journalism
Gerard Smyth has worked his whole professional life as a journalist for The Irish Times newspaper. He started as a news reporter. Later, he became a managing editor, in charge of arts coverage. For several years in the late 1970s, he was the newspaper's poetry critic. Today, he is the poetry editor for The Irish Times. He chooses the weekly poem, continuing a tradition that is over 100 years old.
Awards and Recognition
In May 2009, Gerard Smyth was chosen as a member of Aosdána. This is a special group for Irish writers and artists. In 2011, he received the O’Shaughnessy Poetry Award. This award came from the University of St Thomas in St Paul, Minnesota.
He also co-edited a book with Pat Boran called “If Ever You Go: A Map of Dublin in Poetry and Song.” This book was published in 2014. It was chosen as Dublin's One City, One Book for that year.
Smyth has given poetry readings in many cities around the world. These include Moscow, Paris, Berlin, and London. He has also participated in most of Ireland's literary festivals. These include Cuirt and the Dublin International Writers’ Festival.
During Ireland's COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, he wrote a poem called "Isolation." It was published on the front page of The Irish Times in March 2020. This poem was later turned into a choral performance.
What Others Say About His Work
- "A poet of the everyday and also of the eternal." – Dennis O’Driscoll
- "Smyth is a fine lyric poet...close to home in image and event." – Augustus Young, The Niagara Magazine (New York)
- "Despite his careful style, the words often show a romantic richness." – W J McCormack.
Collections
- The Flags Are Quiet, New Writers’ Press, 1969.
- Twenty Poems, New Writers’ Press, 1970.
- Orchestra of Silence, Gallery Press, 1971.
- World Without End, New Writers Press, 1977.
- Loss and Gain, Raven Arts Press, 1981.
- Painting the Pink Roses Black, Dedalus Press, 1986.
- Daytime Sleeper, Dedalus Press, 2002.
- A New Tenancy, Dedalus Press, 2004.
- The Mirror Tent, Dedalus Press, 2007.
- The Fullness of Time: New and Selected Poems, Dedalus Press, 2010.
- After Easter, The Salvage Press, 2014.
- We Like it Here Beside the River, The Salvage Press, 2014.
- A Song of Elsewhere, Dedalus Press, 2014, Solstice Arts Centre, 2017.
- The Yellow River, Solstice Arts Centre, 2017.
- The Sundays of Eternity, Dedalus Press, 2020.
Gerard Smyth's poems have appeared in many literary magazines. These include publications in Ireland, Britain, and North America. His work has also been translated into several languages, including Spanish and Polish. He has read his poems on RTE Radio. His work is also featured in many poetry collections. These include Windharp: Poems of Ireland Since 1916 and All Through the Night: Night Poems and Lullabies.
