Valiant Voice: Poems by Lucy Gertrude Clarkin

Event

2007-10-19

01:34:21

This is a lecture by Brendan O’Grady titled “A Valiant Voice: Poems by Lucy Gertrude Clarkin”, where O’Grady reads poems from a collection. The poems have focus on topics like war, songs, Ireland, Belgium, prayer, peace, family, priesthood, fulfillment, PEI heritage, among many other topics. The lecture includes Brendan O’Grady’s analysis of the poems, their word choice, and voice.

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Held by Benevolent Irish Society

Introduction. Speaks of his work at Senior's College at UPEI and upcoming teaching. Lecture will be primarily reading poems from a booklet given to the audience.
Reads the poem, Ireland [from Clarkin's collection "Way O'Dreams", page 73]. Explains the history and emotion behind the poem.
Refers to the trauma of the First World War and the popular thought in Ireland of saving Catholic Belgium. Many Irish soldiers went to fight and defend Belgium. (Background tapping begins).
Background tapping
Poems, meanings, and relevance.
Reads A Prayer ["Way O'Dreams", page 25]. Analyzes poem and discusses prayer.
Discusses poetic word choices: dark, darkness, pain, dreams, dreaming, shadow, peace.
Reading another poem, titled Too Soon [from Clarkin's collection entitled "Poems", page 6].
Analyzes poem and discusses peace.
Reading the poem To Peace, ["Poems", page 54].
Preamble regarding the poem, Young Wisdom, ["Poems", page 90]. Discusses the importance of the sonnet form and rhyming sounds.
Reads the poem Young Wisdom and discusses relevance.
Family voice in poetry: suffering mother, learning from sorrow makes us wise. Poem may have biographical significance: Lucy's own sons went off to war (WWII). [Lucy and her husband Patrick had 5 children: Francis (1904), Mary (1905), John (1908), Margaret (1912-1913 and Stephen (1914)].
Reads poem My Children, ["Way O'Dreams", page 55], to illustrate the use of family in Lucy's poetry.
Tape break
Discusses the Irish plight reflected in Lucy's poetry and the importance of motherhood in an Irish Catholic family.
Poem, about a mourning mother, titled When Baby Died, ["Way O'Dreams", page 56].
Reads poem Pilgrim of Shadows, ["Poems", page 98]. Talks about structure of a poem and discusses punctuation (or lack of) in poetry.
Analyzes Pilgrim of Shadows.
Continues analyzing Pilgrim of Shadows. Lucy Clarkin's first son (Francis Clement Clarkin) studied priesthood, but he died before he attained an office as priest. The images in Pilgrim of Shadows refer to a priest. Lucy's son was named Francis after her brother Francis Clement Kelley.
Speaks of Ireland before liberation.
Reading a poem titled Two Days, discusses structure and the power of a short poem.
Readeing a poem titled To My Mother, ["Poems", page 24], about accepting death.
Special mention of "teaching" poems, titled Growth, ["Poems", page 82], and another titled Fulfilment, ["Poems, page 5].
Discusses being hopeful in poetry. Reads a poem titled Home Calls ["Poems", page 104].
Way of life, location, sorrow, poetry
Final poem, reflects Lucy's love of PEI and her Christian Irish heritage, titled The Isle of a Sun-kissed Sea.
Poem continues.
Applause and comments.
Applause
Final comments