Cloonacool Heritage Group launch new book
The front cover of the collection of poetry by Johnny Carroll.
The Cloonacool Heritage Group will launch the new compilation of Johnny Carroll’s poems at a special event to be held in Cloonacool Community Centre on this Friday next, November 6.
Johnny Carroll, born in 1938, lived all of his life in his beloved Doomore, near Cloonacool in Co Sligo. In later life he developed a reputation as a poet and a rhymer. Despite ending his days in blindness, he retained visions of his place and the people who populated it.
The new collection, , produced by Cloonacool Heritage Group, is a collection of his poems, taken from various sources including two previous publications, . The new publication also contains additional poems written by Carroll. The book is being published with the help of a heritage grant from Sligo County Council.
One of the interesting things about Johnny Carroll’s poetry is that he only began to create it in later life, at a time when he had actually lost most of his eyesight. The images in his poems, and his ability to recall them, is remarkable. Remarkable also is the absence in his work of any hint of regret or self-pity. Instead, Johnny recalls only the beauty of his place; remembering particular people and particular places with affection and admiration.
This promises to be a lovely night of poetry and music, celebrating Carroll’s poems and his love of place. All are welcome to attend with an 8.30pm start and a customary cup of tea will be served. Copies of the book will be on sale on the night.
