Thomas McCarthy
Articles by Thomas McCarthy
2022
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Poetry
Poetic Bears and Others
An anthology marked by warmth, bigness of heart and generosity of spirit
2020
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For the Desert Air
Was Ethna MacCarthy intimidated by brilliant male friends? Or was she, as an haut bourgeois Catholic, simply too well brought-up to follow her own literary…
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Irish Literature
Saturated with Light
Another perfect volume from Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, the poet of sunlight and cloisters. The collection is a joy to read, and a reminder, yet again,…
2016
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Irish Literature
The Bears and the Bees
Paula Meehan is an inspiring presence, the most important thinking poet of her generation. Still, it must be said that there are rogues and ruffians…
2015
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Irish Literature
Echoes from the Cistern
There is nothing tentative, or merely suggestive, in Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin’s new collection. Her academic training is outraged by vagueness, so that the poems grab…
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Irish Literature
Sharp words from elsewhere
Like a cranky uncle who has spent too long in the tropics, Harry Clifton has thrown insults at every poet-cousin he has read, yet his…
Blog Posts by Thomas McCarthy
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A Political Exile
December 18, 2025