Michael Davitt

Turas

Language: irish

Turas

idir mé is tú
míle cnámh seanchaí á gcneá ag tíogar álainn
míle Walkman gan chluas
míle Swatch gan aghaidh
míle bodhrán gan chraiceann
míle Corr ar leathphraghas
míle Roadwatch Babe á gcreimeadh ag défhoghair ghéinmhodhnaithe
míle de Valera is a nGaeltacht féin acu
míle Ronan Keating in aibíd Sheathrún Céitinn
míle mainicín ar E ag smearadh fuil a gcroí
   ar fhísfhalla teilifíseán digiteach
míle feithideolaí ar thóir feithid-ar-líne ár linne
míle Atlantach Guinness á n-urlacan anuas ar
mhíle rinceoir Riverdance
míle comhartha bóthair ag scaoileadh urchar le
míle logainm
míle camán stáin
míle sliotar siúcra
míle urlabhraí oifigiúil thar ceann
míle cúis
míle cros gan asal
míle port gan seinm
míle píobaire gan uillinn
míle timpeallán craosach ag sú an tráchta chucu
   isteach go leac na bpian
míle lorraí bruscair ag leathadh a gcuid stuif
   ar fuaid na dúthaí
míle ollmhargadh olagónach lán de chónraí  fármaidhce
míle pleidhce ina saoithe suite ar shreangán deilgneach
míle lia ag sluaisteáil piollaí suain isteach
   in otharcharr critheaglach
míle bó mhire ag déanamh waltz na bualtraí
míle iriseoir d'ord na míthrócaire ag cogaint
    a gcuid fón póca
míle próca cóla
míle seangán sean-nósach i sclaig stáit
míle áit gan ainm

Michael Davitt

* 20.04.1950, Cork, Ireland
† 19.06.2005, Sligo, Ireland

Michael Davitt was born in Cork in 1950 as son of an English mother and an Irish father neither of whom had any knowledge of Irish.

He developed a creative relationship with the language already in his early years at Primary school. He studied Celtic languages at University College Cork where he met his fellow poets Gabriel Rosenstock and Nuala Ní Dhomnhnaill. This group, called the Innti group after the magazine which Davitt edited until 1996 created a new vibrant movement in Irish poetry which was, at once, avant garde and rooted in Gaelic tradition. He has dedicated his working life to the regeneration of the language as a creative force at a time when the historic Gaeltacht has been in decline.

He worked as a reporter and presenter for the Irish radio station RTÉ.

In 1982 he published his first collection of poetry Gleann ar Gleann, shortly followed by the poetry collection Bligeard Bráide in 1983. His poetry has been deeply influenced by the Beat generation and by popular culture. Davitt’s poems show his favour for highly risky innovations with language and form. His poems have a wide-awake conscience that holds a mirror to contemporary Irish society. His poem Deora do Mheiriceá (Tears for America) is a response to September 11th. Davitt’s work has been described by fellow poet Louis de Paor as “a saluatary shock to the system”. His latest poetry collection Fardoras was awarded the Oireachtas Prize for Poetry.

All in all he has published six volumes of poetry. A selection of his poems Dánta 1966-1998 will appear later this year along with a collection of new poems.

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