Published: Wednesday, 5th November, 2008 12:00pm

Fr. Kelly samples dapping in verse

Fr. Martin Kelly came home to Cavan last Thursday for the launch of Authors & Artists, the latest volume of poetry from Windows Publications.

The Bailieboro native has been parish priest in Portaferry, County Down for eight years, and finds the beauty of the area a great inspiration for the poems he contributed to the Windows book.

Reading his work at the launch, he said: 'Dapping on Sheelin (the title of a poem)... How many people here have dappled? Hands up.' About half a dozen hands went up, including Fr. Kelly"s, as he went on to reminisce in verse about that particular method of fishing, and Charlie Baker, as his late brother Vincent was known. There were a few sniggers of recognition from the audience at that one!

Following the reading Fr. Kelly spoke to the Anglo-Celt, saying he started writing about four years ago because 'he felt like it. I wanted to say something, it"s like sculpting or shaping something, to capture a memory.

'I want to capture something on paper - that gives great satisfaction. Before 2004 I"d written only sermons, but being in Portaferry inspires you to capture the beauty of the area, and then I went on to other things.

'It"s a sociological record and it"s good to capture that.'

Heather Brett and Noel Monahan, the Windows editors, had selected poems from Fr. Kelly"s work that represent his life as a priest, for example, After the Funeral, Ordination Day. Belfast 1966 and Stations of the Cross.

Fr. Kelly didn"t read the latter, the last of the 16 poems he wrote which appear in the book, but he was keen to talk about it.

'Stations of the Cross is a haiku, which means it has 17 syllables - five:seven:five - in three lines.

'It"s a Japanese style and it can be about an idea or a conflict. It"s a punchy style, suitable for the Stations of the Cross.

'But the last one has 18 syllables; it breaks all the rules because it"s about the Resurrection.'

Fr. Kelly clearly enjoyed being at the Johnston Central Library for the book launch, in the company of fellow poet Kieran Furey from Curraghroe, Co. Roscommon, who also read his works, and the painter Martin Campbell, whose work provides visual colour in this latest volume from Windows Publications.

Jack Keyes, the Cavan county manager, welcomed everyone to the launch, acknowledging the contribution of arts officer Catriona O"Reilly and sponsor Oxigen, while also affirming the council"s support of Windows Publications. He said he had enjoyed the poetry in the new book, adding that it was 'subversive' and like all good works, challenging.