The Poetry of Dunquin

The most popular puicture of Dunquin by far

There is a famous picture of Dunquin filled with a herd of sheep. I drove there hoping to see that….but instead discovered the real poetry of the area. It’s the views…the stunning gorgeous views; the tranquility of it’s remoteness and meeting a poet is using it all to further a Gaelic Revival.

Iain O’Leochain comes from a long line of poets. But he’s added that poetry of Ireland to spectacular photographs he takes. He prints the poems on the matts of the artwork written in Irish, and then puts the english translation on the back.

And he has a lot of photos and a lot of poems. He lives in a house on the bluff above this lane. And he spends his days doing his part of bring back the Irish language. “This revival is real. We are all working toward bringing back the Irish language through music and poetry and everyday life, through music, through dance and awareness,” he says. And you can see his work, and talk to him about it, most days in Dunquin.

Iain arranging his artwork in Dunquin

You can hear his story and his poetry in this episode of Erin’s Isle.