Michael Davitt (poet)
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Michael Davitt | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 April 1950 Mayfield Cork, Ireland |
| Died | 19 June 2005 Sligo Connacht, Ireland |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Nationality | Irish |
Michael Davitt (20 April 1950 – 19 June 2005) was an Irish poet who published in the Irish language.[1] He has been characterised as "...one of modern Ireland's finest poets in either of the nation's languages[2] and key figure in the 1970s Irish Language poetry movement".[3]
Davitt was born and raised in Mayfield in Cork City. He was educated in St Patrick's Boys National School and the North Monastery.[4][5] He then attended University College Cork where he pursued Celtic Studies.[6] After leaving the university, Davitt moved to Dublin where he worked as a teacher and with Gael Linn, an Irish cultural organisation.[4]
Poetry
Although Davitt wrote in Irish, it was not his first language.[1] A successor to Seán Ó Ríordáin, whose first language was also English,[2] his work was considered avant-garde with urban and rural tones in combination, and an expression of "...a belief in language as the locus of personal and ... national and international self-definition."[1][7][8] The importance of location in which the real and imaginary worlds are part of one another is another major theme of his work.[8]
Analytic and intellectual,[1] Davitt's poetry is infused with a self-awareness of his choice of language, and incorporates some English words, which seem to act as a challenge to the poet to validate the use of Irish in any topic,[2] breaking those ties to traditional forms which might limit his "contemporary imagination."[9] The confrontation of traditional Irish culture and modern English culture is a core theme in many of his works.[2] As he put it, "What is important is to continue believing in the Irish language as a vibrant creative power while it continues to be marginalised in the process of cultural McDonaldisation..."[4]
Described as an "impresario" for Irish language poetry, in 1970 Davitt founded the journal Innti.[4][10][11]
Production and direction work
Davitt worked for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) as a presenter from 1985–1988, and subsequently as a producer and director through the 1990s.[10] His production credits include the television documentaries Joe Heaney: Sing the Dark Away (1996)[6][12] and John Montague: Rough Fields.[6] He took early retirement to devote himself to writing, travelling between Ireland and France with partner Moira Sweeney.[4]
