Irish Poetry Reading Archive
| File:IPRA image crop.jpg | |
| Formation | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Type | Online Poetry Archive |
| Purpose | Modern poetry by Irish poets, read by the author |
| Location |
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Official language | Irish and English |
| Website | www |
The Irish Poetry Reading Archive is an online library of Irish poets reading their own work. Its primary purpose is to collect audio-visual recordings of readings by Irish poets, in the English and Irish language, as well as by international poets who have a close connection to Ireland. It was established to ensure that the oral record of modern Irish poets is not lost[1]
Formation and Development[edit]
The Archive went online in December 2015.[2]
The UCD School of English, Drama and Film and the UCD School of Irish, Celtic Studies and Folklore have been pivotal in developing the vision of the archive, reflecting the strong links between teaching, scholarship and popular interest in Irish poetry. The archive, hosted in the UCD Digital Library, is also supported by the Irish poetry community, the publishers of Irish poetry and Poetry Ireland.
It was initially conceived of following the publication of the anthology 'If Ever You Go: a map of Dublin in Poetry and Song' in 2014, which was the Dublin: One City, One Book selection for that year. With the assistance of the editors, Pat Boran and Gerard Smyth, contributors to that collection were invited to UCD to record their poems. At the conclusion of the project it was decided that the creation of a broader archive for video recordings of contemporary Irish poets should be explored. The Irish Poetry Reading Archive was established as a result.
The collection hosts both video and audio content. Contributing poets generally read a selection of their work to camera and provide short spoken introductions to each piece in order to give context to the work or explain the history behind a poem. There is an emphasis on recording not just the poem, but the poet's own feelings on their work as this is valuable context which might otherwise be lost. In addition to being recorded, poets are asked to provide handwritten copies of the pieces they read so that a physical archive can be built up alongside the digital one. Poets will often sign copies of their published works which are thereafter stored in the UCD Special Collections department of the James Joyce Library. Amongst the initial contributors to the archive were Michael Longley, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Frank McGuinness and the current Ireland Professor of Poetry, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanain.
In June 2016, as part of the inaugural UCD Festival, a UCD Poetry event was held, led by the Ireland Chair of Poetry, Paula Meehan. The readings were recorded for inclusion in the Irish Poetry Reading Archive. Now an annual poetry event, it is designed to celebrate contemporary poetry and to also underscore the importance of recording and archiving performances of poetry for posterity.
The majority of recordings are created especially for the Irish Poetry Reading Archive. However, as older poetry recordings become available they too will be included in the archive. The videos are initially uploaded to the archive's YouTube channel[3], and twice a year are batch uploaded to the UCD Digital Library[4] where preservation is assured.
Content[edit]
The Irish Poetry Reading Archive is open source content. As of December 2016, over 70 poets had recorded readings and supplied manuscripts to the archive. With readings being held on a regular basis, that number continues to climb. Amongst the initial contributors to the archive: Pat Boran; Kimberly Campanello; Moya Cannon; Patrick Chapman; Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin; Harry Clifton; Déaglán Collinge; Jonathan Creasy; Anthony Cronin; Tony Curtis[5];Catherine Ann Cullen; Ailbhe Darcy; Peter Donnelly; Theo Dorgan; Desmond Egan; Maurice Harmon; Anne Haverty; Rita Ann Higgins; Seamus Hogan; Eleanor Hooker; Jessie Lendennie; Simon Lewis; Michael Longley; Brian Lynch; Aifric Mac Aodha; Pádraig Mac Fhearghusa; John McAuliffe; Medbh McGuckian; Frank McGuinness; Paula Meehan[6]; Bernard O'Donoghue[7]; Pádraig Breandán Ó Laighin; Pádraig Ó Snodaigh; Mary O'Malley; Michelle O'Sullivan; Gabriel Rosenstock; Robyn Rowland[8]; Maurice Scully; Peter Sirr; Gerard Smyth; Betty Thompson; Jessica Traynor; Michael J. Whelan; Adam Wyeth.
References[edit]
- ↑ Irish Poetry Reading Archive official webpage
- ↑ Irish Times Article on the archive and its formal launch
- ↑ Irish Poetry Reading Archive on YouTube
- ↑ Irish Poetry Reading Collection in UCD Digital Library
- ↑ Tony Curtis website featuring his recordings for Irish Poetry Reading Archive
- ↑ Irish Chair of Poetry website news item on Paula Meehan content recorded and made available by Irish Poetry Reading Archive
- ↑ Bernard O'Donoghue added to Irish Poetry Reading Archive
- ↑ Doire Press page on Robyn Rowland including links to readings in IPRA
- Information about IPRA on the Poetry Ireland website
- RTE Radio 1 Poetry Programme, 27/08/2016, Rick O'Shea feature on the Irish Poetry Reading Archive
- Classroom/educational resources in the Arts in Education Portal
External links[edit]
- Irish Poetry Reading Archive A-Z index and news page
- Aosdana list of members: literature
- Arts in Education Portal
- Poetry Ireland website
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