Padraic Fiacc


Padraic Fiacc was an Irish poet, and member of Aosdána, the exclusive Irish arts academy.

Early life and education

Born Patrick Joseph O'Connor in Belfast to Bernard and Annie O'Connor, Fiacc's father was a barman who left for the United States when Fiacc was very young. Fiacc resided with his maternal grandparents who had recently moved to the Markets area of South Belfast after being burned out of their home in Lisburn in which all their furniture was burned by anti-Catholic rioters.
His family emigrated to the United States in the late 1920s and he grew up in New York City. He returned to Belfast in 1946 where he lived for four years before returning to New York in 1950; he grew up in Hell's Kitchen. The multicultural influences, coupled with the poverty and violence of the neighbourhood impacted Fiacc's outlook and his writing, especially his early writing.
He attended Commerce High School and later changed to Haaren High School to learn Latin. While at school, he produced several original plays and his first collection of poetry titled Innisfail Lost. The poems were reviewed by Padraic Colum who became a mentor to Fiacc, directing him away from themes of coming to America and encouraging him to research and write about his own people's history. Fiacc had already developed a distaste for America and found himself longing for Ireland as he dug deeper into its history and literary technique and style.
The seminary was Padraic's next step. He attended St. Joseph's Seraphic Seminary and later studied with the Irish Capuchin Order for a total of three years spanning 1941–44. He includes in his main reasons for leaving the path to priesthood his lack of disciplinary habits and longing for a freer existence.

Belfast and writing

On leaving the seminary, and to avoid signing up for military service, he returned to Belfast in 1946 where he lived for four years during which time his poetry was published in several magazines and the 1948 volume of New Irish Poets. Fiacc was the youngest poet in that edition. Publications of Fiacc's work from this time may be found in Irish Bookman, The Irish Times, Poetry Ireland, and Rann.
In 1952, upon the death of his mother, Fiacc returned to New York to look after his father, who was struggling to come to terms with the death of his wife Annie, and his younger sister Mary. It was during this time that he met his soon-to-be wife Nancy, who had read and enjoyed some of his early writings in 'New Irish Poets' published by Devin-Adair, Connecticut, 1948. Fiacc returned to Belfast marrying Nancy in Holy Cross church, Ardoyne 1956. They settled in Glengormley, a suburb six miles North of Belfast, where they had a baby girl in 1962. While here, he published his second collection of poetry 'By The Black Stream' Dolmen Press, Dublin 1969. This coincided with rising tensions and violence across the six counties, as Nationalists campaigned for civil rights such as fairer housing allocation for Catholics and one man one vote. Unionist hegemony since the partition of Ireland in 1924, had fostered second-class citizenship for the catholic minority. Violence engulfed the six counties for many years.
'Odour of Blood', by Goldsmith Press, followed in 1973. This was the first of many anti-war poems by Padraic Fiacc as he vented his rage at the violence of civil conflict.
'The Wearing of the Black' 1974 which was his edited collection of poetry by himself and his contemporaries, exploring issues of the conflict now raging across Northern Ireland. Poets from Ireland, the US and the U.K., were invited by Fiacc to tender poems. They were a broad representation of age, community, background and experience; A Bishop, teachers, academics, students, a senior civil servant Norman Dugdale, established poets such as Seamus Heaney and Michael Longley; young aspiring poets like Brendan Hamill and Gerard McLaughlin, and those from various political and religious backgrounds. The book represented an incredible feat of inclusion by Padraic Fiacc and stands as a pivotal anti-war collection.
Unfortunately some felt threatened by 'The Wearing of the Black' and embarked upon a mission to discredit Fiacc. In other settings Padraic Fiacc would have been honoured at the highest levels for his selfless dedication to alleviate the suffering of others.
In the early 1970s, Fiacc met poet Gerald Dawe with whom he corresponded. Dawe, while publishing his own poetry, also extolled Fiacc's work and introduced him to wider audiences, including his students at Trinity College, Dublin. Many poets and writers visited Fiacc in his Glengormley home.
In 1981 Fiacc was elected to membership of Aosdána, the Irish Arts Academy. Also in the 1980s, Fiacc collaborated with artist Seamus Carmichael, who produced a series of colour prints, based on Fiacc anthologies. These images were widely exhibited in Ireland in 1985 and 1986.
Many artists have depicted the poet and his work including: Neil Shawcross, Paul Bradley, Dan Dowling, Rory Lambe, Michael McKernon, Gearoid MacLoughlann, Helena Solana, Denise McShannon, Seamus Carmichael, and Marion Jordan.
Photographers who have depicted Padraic Fiacc include: Frankie Quinn, Bill Kirk, John Minehan, Stevie Raeylon, Jeff Russell, and Patricia Pyne.

Death

Padraic Fiacc died on 21 January 2019 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, aged 95.

Books

  • Woe to the Boy
  • By the Black Stream
  • Odour of Blood
  • Nights in the Bad Place
  • The Selected Padraic Fiacc
  • Missa Terriblis
  • Ruined Pages: Selected poems, Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 1994
  • Semper vacare
  • Red Earth.
  • The Wearing of the Black.
  • SEA – sixty years of poetry MH Press 2006
  • IN MY OWN HAND – poems written in the poet's own hand. MH Press, 2012
  • SEA – sixty years of poetry Padraic Fiacc - A Review and Critical Analysis by Dr Margaret Wright,
  • 'Tear The Dead Day Back Alive', Edited by Michael McKernon & Fiona Gault, MH PRESS, 2024. Published as part of FIACC100 initiative by M McKernon,. ISBN 9780993586170
  • 'Turas Filiochta - Bilingual Poems of Padraic Fiacc' Compiled & Edited by Michael McKernon,.Published by MH PRESS. ISBN 9780993586187

    Film/Theatre

  • Der Bomben Poet a film by Georg Stephan Troller, 1980
  • A Tribute To Pádraic Fiacc a short film by Michael McKernon, 2006
  • STORMBIRD - Pádraic Fiacc in his own Words, Poems and Images in Cinematic Theatre format, 90 minutes, by Michael McKernon, 2015. Performed in the MAC Theatre, 2015.
  • 'PADRAIC FIACC, specially produced by M McKernon for FIACC100, the Centenary of the poets birth, 2024, 30 minutes.

    Awards

  • Æ Memorial Award
  • Poetry Ireland Award
  • Elected to membership of Aosdana.
  • A Blue Plaque erected by the N.I. History Circle
on the Carnegie Fall's Road Library, September.

Reviews

  • Murphy, Hayden, review of The Selected Padraic Fiacc and The Wearing of the Black, in Bold, Christine, Cencrastus No. 2, Spring 1980, pp. 47 – 49.