Diarmuid Johnson


Writer Diarmuid Johnson was born in Cardiff, and brought up in Galway. He holds BA, MA and PhD degrees in Celtic Studies. He has published poetry and prose in Irish, Welsh and English, and writes occasionally in other languages, including Breton, French, and German.

Career

Diarmuid Johnson's many books feature the recent 'Sraith na Teamhrach'. The trilogy is composed of 'Conaire Mór - Seacht nDoras na Cinniúna', a retelling of the Old Irish epic 'Togail Bruidne Dá Derga'; 'Tuatha Dé Danann - Seilbh Inse Fódla', a reworking of 'Cath Muighe Tuireadh' and other mythological material; 'Éadaoin - Seacht Snaidhm na Seirce', a recasting of the great and tragic love story of Éadaoin and Midhir. 'The Tara Trilogy' may be described as a modern compendium of the origin tales of Ireland. 'Conaire Mór' won the Gradam Uí Shúilleabháin 'Book of the Year' award in 2017, while 'Tuatha Dé Danann' won the An Post Irish Book award for best Irish language book of 2018.
Other seminal books by Diarmuid Johnson include 'Pen and Plough - 20th Century Poets and Bards of Ceredigion', being a socio-economic study of the Welsh-speaking world of Ceredigion, West Wales in the mid 20th century, based predominantly on lyric sources.
Collections of poetry from the author's pen include 'Rún na mBradán - Dánta Gaeilge 2005–2015, 'The Birth of Trystan', and 'The Crooked Road'.
Johnson's literary activity extends to the field of translation, and he has authored or co-authored several works of Welsh literature in translation, two in Irish, one in English, one in French, and one in Romanian. He has also translated poetry from Romanian into English, particularly that of Emilia Ivancu and of Lucian Blaga. For his work on Blaga, Johnson received the 'Lucian Blaga International Festival Award' in Alba Iulia, Transylvania in 2010.
From 1989 to 1996, Diarmuid Johnson lectured in Celtic Studies in Brittany, Germany and Ireland. From 1996 until 2000, he worked as a journalist, scriptwriter and translator in Conamara. He was editor of Cuisle, a monthly journal in Irish, between 1999 and 2000, and was editor of the trilingual online literary journal Transcript from 2002 to 2004. He worked at the Mercator Centre for Minority Languages at The University of Aberystwyth from 2002 to 2006. The years 2007–2013 he spent lecturing in Poland and Germany. In 2014, he was bard in residence with Menter Rhos-y-Gilwen in Pembrokeshire, Wales. He then worked as a freelance writer and musician, contributing to various periodicals and antennae, including Raidió na Gaeltachta, BBC Cymru, and RTÉ Lyric FM, teaching Irish, whether in Oideas Gael, an Cheathrú Rua, or at locations on the European continent, and playing and teaching traditional music. His career is well documented in the book 'Seacht dTír Seacht dTeanga' which won the Oireachtas prize for non-fiction in 2021.
Diarmuid Johnson's most recent book, 'Ceallach - Cín Lae Fíréin Ad 590 - 620', deals with the Irish and Celtic contribution to the Christianisation of Europe around the year AD 600.
Ongoing projects of Diarmuid Johnson's include a novel on the Norman Invasion of Ireland, and an overview of Irish-language prose AD 1100 - 1925.
Diarmuid Johnson currently spends much time in Brussels where he works and winters.

Selected Books

Poetry

  • Rún na mBradán - Rogha Dánta Gaeilge 2005-2015 Coiscéim 2016
  • The Birth of Trystan / Trystans Geburt,, Curach Bhán Verlag, Berlin 2014
  • An tÉan agus Dánta Eile / Der Vogel und andere Gedichte, Curach Bhán Verlag, Berlin 2013
  • Die Dämonen, Curach Bhán Verlag, Berlin, 2012
  • The Woods are Growing Younger / Pădurile întineresc,, Eikon, Cluj 2013
  • Another Language, Motivex, Poland 2009
  • Súil Saoir, Cló Iar-Chonnachta 2004

    Prose

  • Ceallach - Cín Lae Fíréin
  • Seacht dTír Seacht dTeanga
  • Éadaoin - Seacht Snaidhm na Seirce
  • Tuatha Dé Danann - Seilbh Inse Fódla
  • Conaire Mór - Seacht nDoras na Cinniúna
  • Pen and Plough - 20th Century Poets and Bards of Ceredigion, Carreg Gwalch 2016
  • Tro ar Fyd - Pobl Dwyrain Ewrop a'r Dwyrain Canol Rhwng Dau Chwyldro 1989-2012 Y Lolfa 2014
  • Y Gwyddel - O Geredigion i Galway Gomer Press 2011
  • Defnyddio Agored - Meddalwedd swyddfa dwyieithog University of Wales, Aberystwyth 2006

    Translations

  • Dafydd ap Gwilym, petite anthologie d'un grand poète WODAN, Amiens 1994
  • Coinnigh do Mhisneach Cló Iar-Chonnachta 2004
  • Sarah Eile, Cló Iar-Chonnachta 2005
  • Vatilan the Dish Thief Parthian Books 2009
  • Washing My Hair with Nettles Parthian Books 2015
  • Oh, Ridică Vălul Eikon 2014