Eclipse (12 August 2026)
August 21, 2026
Pat Boran reads a specially written piece on the meaning of the eclipse on RTÉ Radio 1’s Arena arts programme on 12 August 2026. https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22637001
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PAT BORAN
Welcome to the website of Irish poet Pat Boran. Here you’ll find samples of his many books, a growing selection of his poetry films, and much more. For commissions or other work, please use the Contact form.
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Recent News
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The Shape of Poetry
August 21, 2026
Pat Boran talks to the late Sean Rocks on RTÉ Radio 1’s Arena arts show (08 November 2022) about his multimedia presentation,, What Poetry Looks
Love, A Story
February 3, 2026
“Once upon a time, there may have been a valiant young knight; now there is only a car salesman in a rundown showroom, wearing odd
Recent Poetry Films
Children – a poetry film
The poem ‘Children’ was first published in 1990 when it was written for a volume of poems, Thistledown, produced in aid of UNICEF by the Dedalus Press. Since then ‘Children’
Jingle Bells, a version
Christmas is not an easy time for many, particularly those feeling the absence of loved ones. This version of Jingle Bells is for them.
Out of the Blue – a poetry film
Out of the Blue is a poetry film by Irish poet Pat Boran, shot in Baldoyle, Sutton and Howth, Co. Dublin, during Spring/Summer 2022. It remembers all those who, for
Immigrants Open Shops: A Poetry Film
Immigrants Open Shops is a short film about a truth that I missed for many years, until it was pointed out to me by my friend, the Iraqi poet, Sargon
The Inverse Wave: A Poetry Film
The power of lovers to find each other in the world, and, even in hard times, to make the world bearable for each other, is something to celebrate. The Inverse
Lost and Found: A Poetry Film
First published in 2001 in As the Hand, the Glove, Lost and Found is a poem about waste, sustainability and recycling – and about the gifts given to us by
A Winter Blessing: A Poetry Film
In an era when the word ‘snowflake’ has become an insult, A Winter Blessing considers our attitudes to openness and vulnerability, while the film also remembers Ukichiro Nakaya, a Japanese
On a Wave of Light: A Poetry Film
On a Wave of Light is the result of a ‘Local Live Performance Laois County Council’ commission, for which I’m hugely grateful. Like most of my previous films, it was
Building the Ark: A Poetry Film
Building the Ark is the latest in my ongoing series of poetry films, inviting a second look at local landmarks and also, in this case, at received wisdom. This one
The Mistake: A Poetry Film
A mistake in childhood may prove to be a lens through which the past is more clearly visible. A poetry film by Pat Boran. With thanks to the Linenhall Arts
Greek Vase: A Poetry Film
Greek Vase looks at a beautiful work of art and sees in it an image of the casual violence of our own time. A poetry film by Pat Boran.
The Statues of Emo Court: A Poetry Film
Recorded in the grounds of Emo Court, Co. Laois, Ireland, The Statues of Emo Court celebrates patience, resilience and the turning of the seasons, finding inspiration in the statues of
Short Biog Note
PAT BORAN is one of the best-known Irish poets. His publications to date include more than a dozen books of poetry and prose. The most recent are the illustrated Building the Ark (2022) and The Statues of Emo Court (2021). Among his full-length books are Then Again (2019), A Man is Only As Good: A Pocket Selected Poems (2017), and Waveforms: Bull Island Haiku (2015). This last book inspired the Lyric FM radio documentary of the same name.
As well as poetry Pat Boran writes non-fiction. His humorous memoir The Invisible Prison (2009), about growing up in the Irish midlands, received rave reviews. And his writers’ handbook The Portable Creative Writing Workshop is still in print after almost 20 years. (Most of his books are available from Dedalus Press.) His books have been published in Italian, Hungarian, Macedonian, Greek, French & Portuguese.
Pat Boran received the Patrick Kavanagh Award and the O’Shaughnessy Poetry Award in the United States. Since presenting The Poetry Programme and The Enchanted Way on RTÉ Radio, he has edited more than 100 poetry books and anthologies. The Word Ark: A Pocket Book of Animal Poems (2020) appeared in the first Covid-19 lockdown and he followed it with Local Wonders: Poems of our Immediate Surrounds (2021).
A member of Aosdána, Ireland’s affiliation of creative artists, in recent years he has been making short poetry films, often with his own music. These have been selected for festivals and won prizes in more than ten countries. You can find a selection on this website as well as on YouTube).
