Plenitude - by Thomas McCarthy (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A poignant collection of Irish poetry reflecting on history, nature, and personal experience.

In Plenitude, Thomas McCarthy delivers a rich and contemporary view of Ireland, enriched by historical context and personal reflection. From heritage gardens to the echoes of the Great War, McCarthy's poems explore the changing seasons and the unexpected prosperity of modern Ireland, revealing painful memories and political meditations. This collection captures illuminated moments in Fota House gardens and winter cafes in New York's Upper Westside.

McCarthy's poetry invites readers to delve into the past and find meaning in the present, offering a blend of brief formal lyrics and longer historical meditations. Perfect for lovers of Irish literature and those seeking a reflective journey through time and place.

About the Author

Thomas McCarthy was born in Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, in 1954 where he was educated at the local Convent of Mercy and subsequently at University College Cork. He worked for many years at Cork City Libraries before retiring to write full-time in 2014. He was a Fellow of the International Writing Program, University of Iowa in 1978- 79 and International Professor of English at Macalester College, Minnesota, in 1994- 95. He is a member of Aosdá na, the Irish Assembly of artists and writers. He has won several awards for his poetry, including The Patrick Kavanagh Award, the Alice Hunt Bartlett Prize, the O' Shaughnessy Prize and the Ireland Funds Annual Literary Award. His first collection, The First Convention, was published by The Dolmen Press, Dublin, in 1978 and his most recent collections, Pandemonium (2016), and Prophecy (2019), were published by Carcanet Press. A former Editor of Poetry Ireland Review and The Cork Review, his journals, Memory, Poetry and the Party, were published by The Gallery Press in 2022 and his essays, Questioning Ireland, appeared in 1924. He lives in Cork with his wife, the photographer and heritage gardener Catherine Coakley, and they have two adult children, Kate Inez and Neil.