Harry Clifton Announced Ireland Professor of Poetry 2010

Today 30th June, An Taoiseach Brian Cowen, T.D. announced Harry Clifton as the Ireland Professor of Poetry 2010. This prestigious position was established by the Arts Council/ An Chomhairle Ealaíon, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Trinity College Dublin, Queen's University Belfast and University College Dublin to celebrate the exceptional contribution of Irish poets to the world of literature. In making the announcement An Taoiseach said:

"My warmest congratulations to Harry Clifton on receiving this very well deserved honour as Ireland's next Professor of Poetry. He is a most worthy champion of our country's long poetic tradition and I would like to wish him every success during his tenure." An Taoiseach Brian Cowen, T.D.

Born in Dublin in 1952 and educated at University College Dublin, Harry Clifton left Ireland in the 70's to lecture at a teacher training college in post Civil War Nigeria, and later worked in the Far East administering aid programmes for Indo-Chinese refugees in Thailand. He returned to Ireland in 1982.

In 1987 he married the Irish novelist Deirdre Madden and moved to Italy, a time documented in his prose memoir ‘On the Spine of Italy'. Subsequently they lived in Switzerland, England and Germany, before settling in Paris for ten years. In 2004, he returned to Ireland, and has been teaching at University College Dublin until last year.

His collections of poems include ‘The Desert Route; Selected Poems 1973-1988' and ‘Secular Eden; Paris Notebooks 1994-2004'. His work, which has won numerous awards and distinctions, has been translated into several European languages. He believes the true home of the poet is ‘not in a place, but in the language itself.'

‘A huge honour, and totally unexpected. And to succeed Michael Longley, one of the most admired poets in the language itself, let alone the country, is especially wonderful.' Harry Clifton commented.

Speaking on the appointment Pat Moylan, Chairman of the Arts Council said: "I am absolutely thrilled that Harry Clifton will be the fifth Ireland Professor of Poetry. A gifted and internationally respected poet, Clifton is a writer deeply committed to the art of poetry and this honour is richly deserved.

The Ireland Chair of Poetry has gained momentum and profile in recent years, attracting significant audiences and developing increased enthusiasm for poetry among students and the general public. Literature plays a vital and unique role in enhancing the quality of our cultural life; it enables us to examine ourselves as a society, to interrogate what it means to be human and, perhaps most importantly, it can give us much needed beauty, comfort and pleasure.

We are deeply grateful to the four previous post-holders for their tireless work and advocacy for poetry."

Rosemary Kelly OBE, Chairman of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented: "As the fifth Professor of Poetry, Harry Clifton will follow in the footsteps of some of Ireland's greatest contemporary writers. Clifton is indeed a worthy recipient of an award which marks the significant contribution of poetry to Ireland's rich literary heritage. Over the course of the next three years students across the island will have the opportunity to learn from Clifton about his work, providing help and inspiration to our next generation of Irish writers."

The Chair is tenable for a period of three years (non-renewable) during which time the holder will be attached to each of the three universities in turn and will be required to be in residence at each for approximately one academic term per year. In addition, the holder will make three formal presentations and hold other informal workshops, lectures and readings for the public.

Every three years nominations are requested and the new Ireland Professor of Poetry is appointed by the five participating organisations. The Chair of Poetry is managed by a board of trustees which include: Pat Moylan, Chairman (Chairman of the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon), Rosemary Kelly (Chairman of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland), Sir Donnell Deeny, Professor Ciaran Carson (Queen's University Belfast), Professor Nicholas Grene (Trinity College Dublin), Professor Mary Clayton (University College Dublin) and Seamus Heaney. The Ireland Chair of Poetry was set up following the award of the Nobel Prize in Literature to Seamus Heaney, to honour his achievement and that of other Irish poets.

The previous holders of the title of Ireland Professor of Poetry have been:

Professor John Montague was Ireland's first Professor of Poetry from 1998 to 2001

Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill (2001 to 2004)

Paul Durcan (2004 to 2007)

The outgoing Professor of Poetry is Michael Longley (2007 to 2010)

 

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