Paul Durcan
| Paul Durcan | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Pól Mac Duarcáin |
| Born |
16 October 1944 Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Spouse(s) | Nessa O'Neill (m. 1967–84) |
| Children | 2 |
Paul Durcan (born 16 October 1944) is a contemporary Irish poet.
Durcan was born and grew up in Dublin and in Turlough, County Mayo. His father, John, was a barrister and circuit court judge; father and son had a difficult and formal relationship. Durcan enjoyed a warmer and more natural relationship with his mother, Sheila MacBride Durcan, through whom he is a great-nephew of both Maud Gonne, muse of WB Yeats and Irish social and political activist, and John MacBride, one of the leaders of the Easter Rising, which began the Irish War of Independence leading to the foundation of the Irish state.
He studied Archaeology and Medieval History at University College Cork.While at college, Durcan was kidnapped by his family and committed against his will to Saint John of God psychiatric hospital in Dublin, and later to a Harley Street clinic where he was subjected to electric shock treatment and heavy dosages of barbiturates and Mandrax.
In 1966, Durcan moved to live in London, where he worked at the North Thames Gas Board. He met Nessa O'Neill in 1967; they married and had two daughters, Sarah and Siabhra. They lived in South Kensington, then moved to Cork where his wife taught in a prison. The marriage ended at the beginning of 1984.
Durcan's main published collections include: A Snail in my Prime, Crazy About Women, Greetings to Our Friends in Brazil and Cries of an Irish Caveman. He appeared on the 1990 Van Morrison album Enlightenment, giving an idiosyncratic vocal performance on the song, "In The Days Before Rock'n'Roll", which he also co-wrote.
In 2003, he published a collection of his weekly addresses to the nation, Paul Durcan's Diary, on RTÉ Radio 1 programme Today with Pat Kenny. He was shortlisted in 2005 for the Poetry Now Award for his collection, The Art of Life. In 2009, he was conferred with an honorary degree by Trinity College, Dublin. In 2011 Durcan was conferred with an honorary doctorate from University College Dublin.
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