THEO DORGAN
Theo Dorgan is a poet with ten collections in print, the most recent of which is ONCE WAS A BOY — chosen as One City One Book 2024 in his native Cork. He is also a translator, editor, non-fiction prose author, essayist, novelist, broadcaster and documentary screenwriter. Volumes of his work have been published in Spanish, Italian, Greek and French, while among his own translations are three collections from the French of Syrian poet Maram al Masri and a version in Irish Gaelic of Lorca’s ROMANCERO GITANO.

Voyaging is an enduring feature in all his work, as narrative foundation in his prose and three librettos, as subject and ground in many if not most of his poems. He has published two prose books recounting trans-Atlantic voyages under sail, SAILING FOR HOME and TIME ON THE OCEAN, while his novel MAKING WAY traces a voyage under sail from Siracusa to Palma de Mallorca.

Most recently he is the author and presenter of the tri-lingual feature documentary THE LAUGHING BOY (2022) which has won many awards in Ireland and Greece, while his redaction of the Treaty Debates which signalled Irish independence was performed over four days by ANU Theatre Company in Dublin, and subsequently filmed.

Among the numerous books he has edited or co-edited is LEABHAR MÓR na hÉIREANN/THE GREAT BOOK OF IRELAND, a unique manuscript volume where over 140 poets and 125 artists made their work directly on to the vellum pages.

Among his awards are the Listowel Poetry Prize, the Irish Times/Poetry Now Award and the O’Shaughnessy Award for Poetry (USA). He is a member of Aosdána, Ireland’s academy of the arts.

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