Theo Dorgan is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer, translator, librettist and documentary screenwriter. He lives in Dublin.
Life
Dorgan was born in Cork in 1953 and educated in North Monastery School. He completed a BA in English and Philosophy and a MA in English at University College Cork, after which he tutored and lectured in that University, while simultaneously Literature Officer with Triskel Arts Centre in Cork. He was visiting faculty at University of Southern Maine. He lives in Dublin with his partner, the poet and playwright Paula Meehan.
Career
After Theo Dorgan's first two collections, The Ordinary House of Love and Rosa Mundi, went out of print, Dedalus Press reissued these two titles in a single volume What This Earth Cost Us. He has also published a selected poems in Italian, La Case ai Margini del Mundo,. Dorgan has edited The Great Book of Ireland ; Revising the Rising ; Irish Poetry Since Kavanagh ; Watching the River Flow ; The Great Book of Gaelic ; and The Book of Uncommon Prayer. He has been Series Editor of the European Poetry Translation Network publications and Director of the collective translation seminars from which the books arose. A former Director of Poetry Ireland/Éigse Éireann, he has worked extensively as a broadcaster of literary programmes on both radio and television. His Jason and The Argonauts, to music by Howard Goodall, was commissioned by and premiered in the Royal Albert Hall in 2004. He was the scriptwriter for the acclaimed TV documentary series Hidden Treasures, and a series of texts commissioned from him features in the dance musical Riverdance. His songs have been recorded by a number of musicians, including Alan Stivell, Jimmy Crowley and Cormac Breathnach. He was presenter of Poetry Now on RTÉ Radio 1, and later presented RTÉ's TV books programme, "Imprint".
Awards
Among his awards are the Listowel Prize for Poetry, 1992 and the O'Shaughnessy Prize for Irish Poetry 2010. A member of Aosdána, he was appointed to The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon in 2003. He also served on the Board of Cork European Capital of Culture 2005. He was also awarded the 2015 Poetry Now Award for Nine Bright Shiners.
Works
Poetry
The ordinary house of love, Salmon Pub., 1990,
Rosa Mundi, Salmon poetry, 1995,
La casa ai margini del mondo., Translated by M. Giosa, Mobydick, 1998,
