The Kilfenora Teaboy - A Study of Paul Durcan

Paul Durcan has become an essential presence in Irish Life. His poems have ranged from risk-taking explorations along the tragi-comic fault lines in contemporary Ireland to brave and painful studies of the private self.

Taking its title from one of his most famous poems, The Kilfenora Teaboy is the first full-length study of Paul Durcan’s work. It includes an analysis of his relationship with the political world he inhabits, a study of the connection between his own background and his poetic vision, and a critical evaluation of the essential themes which underpin his extraordinary body of work.

Edited by Colm Tóibín and with contributions from such fellow poets as Derek Mahon, Eamon Grennan, Ruth Padel and Brian Lynch, along with commentators such as Edna Longley, Peggy O’Brien, Bruce Woodcock, Brian Kennedy and Fintan O’Toole, The Kilfenora Teaboy is a vital and significant assessment of one of the most original poets writing in the English language today