Did the souls of boys,cut down in France,come home again,to rest in lush ditches,by English country lanes,as bright summer poppies, So, each year unending,free to dance once more,joyful remembrance blooms,headless of the rush,of passing motorcars,in home-counties soil, Red now their clothes,heads sway rejoicing,on wildly weaving stalks,stout-hearted amid weeds,no brown wilted youth,inside worn frames, Ebullient life... Continue Reading →
Curvature of Cork,breaking free of static lines,blending ancient bridges,with sharp edged blocks,scraggly trees,and pavement gazing pedestrians. Rushing head long,into the event horizon,when distant melts,will raise the waters,wash out the swamp,for a final time. Pleas will be hurled,prayers incanted,as the great and good,are carried downstream,like petrified timber,ripped from the Gearagh. Concrete and brick crumbles,high tide lines... Continue Reading →
New Triangles. Wear the new triangles, behind the chain-link fences, orchestra of crying children, dread anthem of the summer sun, Separate the little ones, no need to sew the yellow to their shirts, they wear their badge forever, on their skin, Build the wall and mend the wire, with bricks of fear send it higher,... Continue Reading →
Twelve feet above the deck,The smell can make you gag,Five hundred salt water soaked,Unwashed humans in forty degrees, Make a few bad jokes to cover up your shame,That your stomach churned at scabies riddled teenager,Sunglasses will hide guilty eyes,To mask your revulsion, Overcompensate later by giving an extra ration,To a brown-eyed child,Draped from shoulder to... Continue Reading →
“It is important that we remember what brings us together – what interest we have in common. It is quite simply the common bond of past service in Ireland in her armed forces. We are old comrades in arms wishing to maintain and strengthen old associations and traditions.” Lieutenant General Michael Joe Costello
On the day in summer when the old man warms his bones,Stretching idle legs on Sean Walsh park benches,Mimicking the patient heron balanced in the water,First one and then the other, pop, ease and crack,The light will be thrown off at an angle, just right. Soft tones glow, wrap warm around the moment,Drawing a long... Continue Reading →
Big afternoon #StormChasers. Chapter 1 has left the building to a very kind #Alpha #reader. A skilled #writer & a good #friend. It's a weird feeling, excitement mixed with that dollop of dread. The 1st chapter is hugely important, it sets up the next 46! Irish #Adventure #Fiction
Tá scéal an-Éireannach agamsa. Scéal faoi crunniu seans i na scáileanna teach solais. Dé hAoine seo caithe a tharla é. Bhí fear agus me fein ag comhrá í nGaeilge mar bhí ár gcuid páistí ag imirt i bpáirc. 'Cá as tú?' arsa mise. ‘An Spidéal’, a deir sé. ‘Rugadh mé ansin’, a deir mise. ‘Caithfidh... Continue Reading →
I am delighted to have been able to leave a Goodreads Review for the next instalment in this military science fiction series from Irish author Damien Larkin. I've included the full text below. "I was privileged to receive an authors review copy of Blood Red Sands. I promised to provide an honest appraisal and feedback... Continue Reading →
Not Alone in the Silence.Who are you? Called to wake mid-morning light,To face the hurts and hardships of the day,For not alone, we stand against this blight,A multitude of hands unto the fray. Despite those times on immigrants they spat,Raising empty cries or barbed calumnies,Here far from home in distant Gujarat,Nurse they now our stricken... Continue Reading →
In July last year Pat Carroll, drawing on inspiration from the photography of Rob O'Connor created The Silence. This project brought together over forty-five creatives, authors, poets, artists, and photographers to explore their experiences during the first lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was privileged to take part with all these wonderful people below... Claire... Continue Reading →
Image Credit: 20mm Rheinmetall Training NSV DPM, NS Press Section. Delighted to have co-authored an article in this months An Cosantóir on the new Naval Service variant DPM. Having worked on this project for a number of years while serving with FORST, it is great to see it come into service. #Navy75 #StrengthenTheNation #IrishNavy75 FORST... Continue Reading →
Paper Never Refused Ink! 
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