Coleraine Cluster

During this period, staff associated with the cluster published several volumes of critical work: Warner published Clay is the word: Patrick Kavanagh, 1904-1967 in 1973^[11] and Wareham and Gatrell published a bibliography of the poet George Crabbe in 1977.^[12] Several staff published books of poetry: Simmons published three volumes (Energy to Burn in 1971; The Long Summer Still to Come in 1973 and West Strand Visions in 1974),^[13] Waterman published Living Room in 1974,^[14] and McCormack (writing as Hugh Maxton) published The Noise of the Field in 1976.^[15] Pursglove published translations of the work of Andrei Platonov in 1975.^[16]

In the following decade all of these writers went on to greater success.^[17] Although not as formalised as the Belfast Group^[18] the people associated with the cluster supported each other during the early years of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Living away from the centre of the Troubles in Belfast and without the constraints of a more established institution this group was able to build its own momentum.

Among staff, there was sustained literary output. Allen left in 1973 to take up various positions^[19] and continued to publish novels including Get out Early (Robert Hale, 1986) and Accosting Profiles (Robert Hale, 1989) as well as the autobiographical As I walked down New Grub Street. Memories of a Writing Life (Heinemann, 1981). Gatrell went on to become Professor of English Literature at the University of Georgia and published a series of books on Thomas Hardy.^[20][21][22] Izod became Professor of Screen Analysis at the University of Stirling and published a series of books on the cinema.^[23][24][25] Simmons published Judy Garland and the Cold War (Blackstaff, 1976), winner of the Cholmondeley Award, and Constantly Singing (Blackstaff, 1980) and several more volumes of poetry before retiring in 1984 and going on to establish an independent poetry school. Waterman, who retired to Norfolk in 1998, published From the Other Country (Carcanet Press, 1977), for which he received the Cholmondeley Award, and Over the Wall (Carcanet, 1980) and even more collections of poetry. McCormack published several volumes of poetry including At the Protestant Museum (Colin Smythe, 1986) and Jubilee for Renegades (Colin Smythe, 1982). He was later appointed Professor of Literary History at Goldsmiths, University of London and was elected to Aosdána.^[26] Jones published a novel titled Resistance (Blackstaff, 1980) which won the Welsh Arts Council Fiction Prize.^[27] O'Toole published a collection of short stories titled Miss Mulligan and Other Stories (Drumkeen, 2007).

Among the students, Dawe published the collection Sheltering Places in 1978 and other work subsequently.^[28] He then went on to establish and co-edit with Aodán Mac Póilin the literary journal Krino.^[29] They also co-edited a selection of the work of Padraic Fiacc.^[30] Dawe became Professor of English at Trinity College Dublin^[31] while Mac Póilin became Director of the ULTACH Trust and published several books on various aspects of the Irish language, literature and culture. Keenan worked for several years as a teacher and then went to Lebanon to work at the university in Beirut. He was captured and held hostage for four years. After his release he produced an award-winning account of his time being held hostage.^[32] Hamill published poems and reviews in several journals and had a poetry pamphlet published by Lagan Press which had been established by Dawe.^[33] Stephens became a Professor of English at Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte, North Carolina. Johnstone went on to co-establish Caret, a poetry magazine, and to co-edit several issues of The Honest Ulsterman and Fortnight (magazine).^[34] Duriez published extensively on C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien. Pegnall published several books of poetry with Lapwing Publications and established a poetry festival in Portugal.^[35] Wilkins published poetry with Carcanet Press and won the Eric Gregory Award in 1978.^[36]