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A collage featuring the poster for 'Soul Clap its hands and Sing' beside a picture of poet Mary O'Malley and a picture of piper Tommy Keane underneath/

Poetry Day Ireland 2020: Mary O’Malley & Tommy Keane

Almost two years ago on Thursday, 20 June 2018, poet Mary O’Malley and uilleann piper Tommy Keane took part in the live ITMA/Poetry Ireland series “Soul Clap Its Hands and Sing”.

To celebrate Poetry Day Ireland 2020, Mary & Tommy have generously given permission to share the reading of ‘Ixion Stopped Tony Mc Mahon Plays Raglan Road’ and the playing of Fáinne Geal an Lae.

Poetry Day Ireland 2020 at ITMA / Mary O'Malley, poet, and Tommy Keane, uilleann pipes

“If Playing The Octopus is 'about' anything, it is how life takes hold of us, about the howls and screeches it squeezes out of us, the sweet or grieving music it plays on us and how much we call the tune or how often it is the tune that calls us. So there are poems that consider tunes, and what is worth keeping and celebrating in this republic of Ireland.”

'Mary O’Malley on Playing the Octopus: An alien in Eden,' The Irish Times, 30 August 2016: https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/mary-o-malley-on-playing-the-octopus-an-alien-in-eden-1.2773159

“I work at an oblique angle to music.”

Mary O'Malley, phone conversation, Wednesday, 20 June 2018.
Tommy Keane, uilleann piper / Tony Kearns, photographer

The hornless cow, reel ; Gorman's reel / Tommy Keane, uilleann pipes

Recordings featuring readings by Mary O'Malley in the ITMA Collection: Behind the mist & The magic path.
The piper's apron, The wind among the reeds, and The family album by the McCarthys
Tunebooks by Tommy Keane in the ITMA Collection: The piper's apron and The wind among the reeds.