Longford poetry: Paddy has a special Christmas gift

As Christmas approaches one local poet and writer has created a festive offering that is a sure fire stocking filler.

The latest publishing of 'Rambles in Kilcommock' by historian, archivist and community activist Paddy Egan is a collection of poems that define a point in history.

Paddy has produced many publications over the years and his latest volume of poetry captures the mood of the most significant contemporary event of the last seventy five years.
Paddy’s books are crammed with local history and famous personalities and are always a popular addition to a Christmas gift list. In time those publications will be an important source of local historic research for those tracing their ancestors.

The genesis for his latest work was Covid pandemic: “Lockdown had just been declared a week before Saint Patrick's Day 2020.
“We were just beginning to adapt to a new way of life which would continue for almost two years. We were completely cut off from all forms of social life including meeting our usual acquaintances, even our immediate family,” the Kenagh native said of his work.

In this poetry book Paddy examines the social impact of the historic event. The first victim of lockdown was Saint Patrick's Day, with all activities called off including the annual parades: “There was nothing to do but look out the window at a very wet day.”
Words and phrases like cocoon and social distancing dominated conversations. Paddy said: “They were all very new and not part of our usual vocabulary.

“It took a while to come to terms with the total lockdown which embraced the entire nation. Little did we realise, it would last for almost two years,” he say.
For the poet the isolation created golden themes for his work: “During the following months, we were deprived of all face-to-face communication, even with immediate family. elderly relatives in hospital or nursing homes, grandchildren, close relatives and friends.

No outdoor activities or games on TV or radio. While I was at home I was writing these poems. Poems like 'See The Light', 'A Will and a Way', 'Games Off' and 'Waiting for the Jab' capture the feeling of the time.”

The book also contains a number of images that evoke the particular meaning about the period: “Two of the images in the book, the Kenagh King-Harmon clock tower on the front and a rock on the back, represents how time stood still and the enduring timelessness of our surroundings.”
The book covers the highs and lows of the pandemic, but Paddy says that the overall theme is a positive one.
“It ends on a high note with Kenagh's historic win in the Intermediate Championship,” Paddy concluded.