Thomas Kinsella

Thomas Kinsella was born in Inchicore, Dublin in 1928 into a working class family – both his father and grandfather worked in the guinness brewery. He won a scholarship to study science inUCD but soon dropped out and joined the civil service. He published his first full-length volume of poetry in 1957.

His poetry is an intense account of his personal experiences. They offer a celebration of youth; evoke a profound fear of aging; attempt to come to terms with death; and meditate on his relationship with his wife and indeed the meaning of love. Each and every poem captures some profound truth about life, often by providing a portrait of a person or an experience. His style is notable for his use of cinematic imagery, contrast and a deliberate ambiguity which seeks to capture some of the paradoxes we all live with in our daily lives.

In this Study Guide, we analyse the following poems by Thomas Kinsella:

1. Thinking of Mr D.
2. Chrysalides
3. Mirror in February
4. Tear
5. From the familiar
6. Echo

NOTE: This is a PODCAST not a word file – download onto your iPod/mp3 player. Listen whenever & wherever you want to help you get to grips with the poet.