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An interview on The
Pagan Poetry Pages and the Save Tara campaign, followed by Poems |
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| Poetry L & T: | How did you first
become fascinated with poetry and particularly Pagan Poetry, Beirn? |
| Beirn: | I
have always written poetry; even as a child I wrote very bad poetry so
I like to think it has improved over time. My work has always reflected
my spirituality so as my vague understanding of my beliefs has deepened
so too has the influence of spiritual concerns on my work. Also I have
always struggled to express the relationship between man and our
environment in my work, and Paganism lends this interest a framework
and a voice. I have always enjoyed other people’s work: I love to see different voices expressing aspects of a subject or theme. This is why I struggle on as an editor! |
| Poetry L & T: | What were the main
purposes associated with publishing the e-zine? And the main challenges? How did you get to know the other editors? |
| Beirn: | Originally
the PPP was a project between myself and two other Irish friends: much
of what was touted around as Pagan Poetry was little more than very
sentimental or obvious verse about “Mother Goddess” or “ye olde
spellcasting” We set out to create a space for those who had something
a little moer to say, and for whom poetry was a spiritual tool, a part
of their living tradition of spirituality. But the poetry came first
and foremost, and we have often published poets from other religions. Over the five years we have existed the make up of the editorial team has changed and we are very fortunate at the moment with Sarah Thomasin and Cath (Daisymaggot) who do a great job and are poets in their own right. |
| Poetry L & T: | Would you like to give readers further background about yourself or own works? |
| Beirn: | I
write under my own name Geraldine Moorkens Byrne: I have poems
published in several anthologies: my current favourite is the poem
Bealtine in Jane Raeburn’s “The Pagan Muse” collection. My work has
always been highly personal and I struggle to share it – which I
suppose makes me sensitive as an editor to other poet’s concerns. But I
do host a selection on the Pagan poetry Pages site and on
Poemhunter.com. I try to express a modern relationship with our land
and with our physical environment, filtered through tradition and
heritage. I also tend to rant a little in political satire. |
| Poetry L & T: | With regard to PPP, which are your standards or criteria for selecting a particular poet to be published? |
| Beirn: | Our
first and main criteria is the quality of the work. We hate bad poetry.
After that we look for originality of thought, depth of expression and
for the poems to touch on something a little deeper than the mundane.
Having said that though, we try to leaven the mix with some humour and
satire. The PPP site has an active and friendly members section and we
try to reflect some of the banter and poetic fun in each edition. |
| Poetry L & T: | With regard to the
Save Tara ongoing campaign, do you have the support of any political
party or links with other activist groups? Here in Yorkshire for
example, a group called Nine Ladies have been campaigning for a long
time now to protect the woodlands, are you in touch with them? What do
you think may happen if the campaigners succeed in saving Tara? Have
you any alternative plans of your own? |
| Beirn: |
I
plan on casting a hex on the motorway…..okay only half joking! The Tarawatch,org campaign is very well run under the auspices of Vincent Salafia, and the PPP was proud to be able to help, even a little, in raising awareness about this campaign. The proposed motorway will bring light and noise pollution to Tara, one of Irelands most important historical sites. It also happens to be one of the most sacred sites in Europe. The motorway will also destroy the archaeology of the Skyrne valley. We are linked to and learn from many different campaigns in the UK and indeed in the USA as well; the yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hilloftara has been created to enable people from around the world to exchange ideas about the campaign. There are some great events planned. Lughnasadh (the ancient Celtic Festival) will be marked with a candlelight procession – and if that doesn’t inspire a poem in me I will despair. Fundraising music gigs are held weekly and the summer will see other events – www.tarawatch.org has the details. But all of it would be pointless without Vincent Salafia’s ongoing litigation. He has undertaken this as a private individual and it’s a huge commitment. The appeal has been lodged in the Supreme Court and we can only wait and see, in the meantime people need to increase the pressure and not let the campaign fall out of sight. The poets at the PPP have contributed to this, using the pen and the poetic voice to raise at least one cry against the indifference of corporate greed and government apathy. If poetry doesn’t address the moral concerns of our lives, then I believe it is failing. The Tarawatch campaign gave the PPP contributors a chance to express their spiritual and moral faith. |
| Poetry L & T: | Anything else you
would like readers to inform about Save Tara? How can we help? |
| Beirn: | Join
the yahoo group above, visit http://www.tarawatch.org
and learn about the
campaign: include news from the campaign on your blogs: link to it,
write about it, get angry about it, care about it. Oh and if you feel
like making a donation that would be great too Merchandise available
from http://www.charlesbyrne.com
or donations can be made directly via paypal
to charlesbyrne@ireland.com. Most of all you can set up a Local Tarawatch Group. All information and help is available via the yahoo egroup (above) |
| Poetry L & T: | Anything else you
would like readers to inform about The Pagan Poetry Pages? |
| Beirn: | The
Pagan Poetry Pages is open to all poets, regardless of their faith, but
it is primarily interested in poems which express pagan issues. Pagan
issues can be everyday life, lived as a pagan or poems about our
relationship with the world, the environment: poems that express man’s
relationship with nature, poems of magical realism…and indeed magical
poems. The site has a members area where poems are discussed, work can
be posted for feedback and help, and occasionally fun breaks out. |
| Poetry L & T: Beirn: Poetry L & T: |
Sometime ago you
established a link to An Fiana web site which you described as your
sister affilliate, would you care to tell our readers how this relationship developed and what readers might find in visiting this site. I became involved in An Fianna - a group dedicated to the exploration and discussion of real paganism - at its inception: I was a founder member but the site was created by Tim, aka NS. It is a tough environment, we don’t suit everyone and it certainly isn’t for the fainthearted or the superficial but for the core membership it is intellectually and spiritually challenging. It is also a lot of fun. The An Fianna Site is really going to be of use to pagans with a solid grasp of their beliefs and opinions and a willingness to challenge themselves, or beginners who are not looking to be spoon fed information. The Pagan Poetry Pages last year switched to the AF server: this enabled us to offer a members area, new forums, members folders and other facilities. However membership of the PPP is completely separate and independent. Many of the PPP members are not or have never been AF members and vice verse. What both sites share is a questing attitude, a belief that searching beneath the mundane and the obvious brings its own rewards. Thank you for your contribution and this interview, Beirn. |
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