"Don’t Go There"
Salmon Poetry | May 31st, 2012
A soulful yet visceral evocation of what it is to live in a Dublin rarely seen in its un-exaggerated form in the literary world. A life and a mode of living and seeing that refuses to be marginalised are set against a backdrop of palpable geography. Rarely has a poet’s voice, unfamiliar but true in it’s every utterance, been captured so well as it is in Keegan’s first collection. From the first poem to the last the energy of the verse of his life and living never flags. Family, friends, children and the urban sprawl he renders sparely yet lyrically, all are grist to the mill of Colm Keegan’s poetics.
“Randomer”
Salmon Poetry | February 22nd, 2018
Randomer, is a poetic tour de force. The reality of life stripped back to its bare fundamentals. Despite charting a life lived through austerity and the predations of political elites and bankers, Colm Keegan’s optimism – for his children, his family, and his community – never flags. Even on the most difficult terrain he is a sure-footed and trustworthy guide. While still honouring his roots in the Dublin vernacular, Keegan increases his range, more sophisticated and diverse in style, more mature in tone. In the rubble and the detritus, in the waste and the ruin, Keegan finds nuggets of subtle and pervasive truth, all of it from lived experience. A doll’s house, a simple meal, a trip to the library, all are imbued by Keegan’s signature ability to see the world anew, and, tellingly, to take it on its own terms.
“One of the most important voices in contemporary Irish literature” – Kerrie O Brien
“An important, radiant collection of poetry. One that should be read by every c
“One of our best living poets.” – Emmet Kirwan
“Keegan is a romantic with nerve and bravery. We find solace in his path.” – Elaine Feeney
“Colm Keegan is a rare and gifted blend of craftsman & truth-teller, in a world too often consumed by the sheen of its own veneer.” – Stephen Murphy
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