Gregory O'Donoghue facts for kids
Gregory O'Donoghue (1951–2005) was a well-known Irish poet. He wrote many poems and books during his life.
Gregory O'Donoghue was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1951. His father, Robert O'Donoghue, was also a poet and playwright. Gregory studied English literature at University College Cork. He learned from famous poets like Sean Lucy and John Montague.
He was part of a special group of writers. This group included other talented poets like Theo Dorgan and Thomas McCarthy. After college, he continued his studies in Canada. He even taught at Queen's College Ontario for a while.
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Becoming a Published Poet
Gregory O'Donoghue published his first book of poems, Kicking, in 1975. He was only 24 years old at the time. This made him the youngest poet ever included in the famous Faber Book of Irish Verse.
In 1980, he moved across the Atlantic Ocean to the United Kingdom. He settled in Lincolnshire, England. There, he worked on freight trains, moving goods between different cities. This experience greatly influenced his writing. His book Making Tracks (2001) was inspired by his time working on the railways.
Return to Ireland and Later Work
In the early 1990s, Gregory O'Donoghue returned to his hometown of Cork. He published another collection of poems called The Permanent Way in 1996. He became a leader for writing workshops at the Munster Literature Centre. He also worked as the poetry editor for a journal called Southword.
In 2004, Cork City Council gave him an artist's bursary. This award helped him continue his writing. In 2005, he published A Visit to the Clockmaker. This book contained his translations of poems by the Bulgarian poet Kristin Dimitrova.
Sadly, Gregory O'Donoghue passed away unexpectedly in 2005. His final collection of poems, Ghost Dance, was published after his death in 2006.
Themes in His Poetry
Gregory O'Donoghue is often known for writing about the experience of emigration. This means leaving your home country to live in another. Many Irish people have moved to other countries over the years.
One writer, Thomas Dillon Redshaw, noted this in 2000. He said that O'Donoghue's poems often explored what it was like to be an Irish person living abroad. His poems showed deep thought and skill. They looked at common ideas about Irish workers in a fresh way.
His Published Works
Poetry Collections
- Kicking, The Gallery Press, Dublin 1975
- The Permanent Way, Three Spires Press, Cork 1996
- Making Tracks, Dedalus, Dublin 2001
- Ghost Dance, Dedalus, Dublin 2006
Translations
- A Visit to the Clockmaker by Kristin Dimotrova (with Dimitrova), Southword Editions, Cork 2005
- The Belling by Lazlo Lator (with others), Southword Editions, Cork 2005
Gregory O'Donoghue Poetry Prize
To honor Gregory O'Donoghue's memory, the Munster Literature Centre created a special award. It is called the Gregory O'Donoghue International Poetry Prize. This prize has been given out every year since 2010 to talented poets.
