Weather, memory and the restless pull of the sea are themes of Time & Tide, a new book of poetry by West Cork writer Seamus Harrington.
Author and poet Thomas McCarthy, poet Seamus Harrington and publisher Dominic Taylor at the launch of Harrington’s new poetry collection Time & Tide in Cork City Library
From shipyards and lighthouses to toll plazas, cycle lanes and waiting rooms, Harrington’s poems move “with the rhythm of the tides”, and capture “both the drama and quiet comedy of everyday life”, his publisher Dominic Taylor of Revival Press says of his work.
Harrington was born on Bere Island in Bantry Bay and is the brother of the well-known ferryman Colm Harrington.
He started work as a motor mechanic and spent three decades lecturing in motor and transport engineering for Cork Institute of Technology, now part of Munster Technological University.
Harrington is a keen sailor who has voyaged as far as the Caribbean and undertaken many coastal trips, and these experiences influence his writing.
His poem, Air-Sea Rescue, is based on a true story of a voyage from St.Mary’s in the Scilly Isles to Crosshaven, Cork, in a Nelson 42 when the weather worsened. Two of the crew were airlifted off, and all survived to tell the tale.
Author and poet Thomas McCarthy, who spoke at the book’s recent publication in Cork City Library, says Harrington’s poetry is “alive and wholly vibrant with the sense of urgent voyaging, of setting out, of departures and mishaps”.
Poet Thomas McCarthy, Cork City Library librarian Angela Hannon, author Seamus Harrington and publisher Dominic Taylor at the launch of Harrington’s new poetry collection Time & Tide in Cork City Library
McCarthy describes his work as “full of Richard Murphy-like joyful voyaging” and a “joy to read”.
Maritime journalist Tom MacSweeney says his work conveys “his love of the maritime sector through his own sailing knowledge and experience”, and says Harrington is an “unstoppable force highlighting the importance of maritime matters to our island nation”.
Time & Tide by Seamus Harrington costs 15 euro, plus post and packing, and is available in Cork bookshops and online through Revival Press at www.limerickwriterscentre.com
Email is [email protected]
