Michael Coady (born 1939) is an

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poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

, short story writer, local historian, photographer, genealogist, journalist and "a lapsed trombone player" (his own description), born in

Carrick-on-Suir Carrick-on-Suir () is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It lies on both banks of the River Suir. The part on the north bank of the Suir lies in the civil parish of "Carrick", in the historical barony of Iffa and Offa East. The part on the so ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

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, where he continues to live.

Life

He was educated at

University College Galway The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...

and

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. He is a former Heimbold Professor of Irish Studies at

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

in the United States. His poetry and short stories have been included in many anthologies. Bursaries from the Arts Council have enabled him to travel in the U.S. and Newfoundland and he has held a residency in the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris. He is a member of

Aosdána Aosdána ( , ; from , 'people of the arts') is an Irish association of artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers with support from the country's Arts Council. Membership, which is by invitation from current member ...

. His awards include The

Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award The Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award is an Irish poetry award for a collection of poems by an author who has not previously been published in collected form. It is confined to poets born on the island of Ireland, or who have Irish nationality, or are ...

in 1979, the Lawrence O’Shaughnessy Award in 2004 and he was a prizewinner in the Francis MacManus competition for short stories in 1987 and 1993.

Critique of his work

His work is noted for its celebration of place, particularly his home town and the people who live there. It has also been praised for its compassion and for its successful fusion of literary language with the reported demotic of his community. Coady has mined poetic gold from the small, intimate, urban community (surrounded by rural countryside) to which he belongs. His literary strategy follows that of Patrick Kavanagh in celebrating the local and parochial.

Publications

Poetry books

*''Two for a Woman, Three for a Man'' (Gallery Press, 1980) *''Oven Lane'' (Gallery Press, 1987) *''All Souls'' (Gallery Press, 1997) *''One Another (Gallery Press, 2003) *''Going by Water'' (Gallery Press, 2009)

Non Fiction

''The Well of Spring Water'' (memoir of the Clare musicians Pakie and Micho Russel, 1996)

Essays

''Full Tide - A Miscellany'' (Relay Books, 1999)

Notes and references

External links

Biography
Irish Writers Online

Munster Literature Centre 1939 births Irish poets Living people Aosdána members {{Ireland-writer-stub