A Christmas Childhood

One of my favorite songs recorded by the late Luke Kelly was “Raglan Road.” It was probably that song that led me to explore the work of it’s writer, Patrick Kavanagh.

Now it seems I’m reminded of the great Irish poet and writer regularly this time of year. His poem “A Christmas Childhood” comes across my desk or computer screen in one form or another, sometimes a link to the full piece, others just a line or two. Either has me reaching for my copy of his collected poems.

Kavanagh was born October 21,1904 in a rural area of Co. Monaghan in the province of Ulster. He grew up on a small farm there, but it was in Dublin, living alone and longing for home, that he wrote “A Christmas Childhood.”

His formal education ended at the age of twelve, when he left school to work on his father’s farm, but he continued to educate himself about literature. Like other young men in his community, he would follow in his father’s footsteps, or so everyone believed.

Irish Literary Renaissance

Kavanagh’s writing career began in the waning years of the Irish Literary Renaissance, which coincided with the rise of nationalism and pride in Ireland and it’s culture and heritage. Those were the seeds that eventually led to Ireland’s independence.

Unlike Yeats or Pierce or even Douglas, don’t look too deeply into Kavanagh’s work for hidden meanings or metaphors. His poems and writings were from the heart.

Many of the other writers from that era were on a mission to distance Ireland and to gain a literary and cultural independence from Great Britain. Many waxed poetically about the life of the Irish peasant, Kavanagh had lived it.

In an interview later in life he said, “in fact a peasant is all that mass of mankind which lives below a certain level of consciousness. They live in the dark cave of the unconscious and they scream when they see the light.”

Growing up poor, he felt that,”the real poverty was lack of enlightenment.” Throughout his lifetime he recounted the ridicule that the people in his community viewed his interest in literature and poetry

That didn’t stop the aspiring poet and he continued to write poetry for his own pleasure, even though as a teen he seemed destined for a life as a small farmer. Fate intervened, and in his mid-twenties he had his poetry published in two non-literary periodicals.

George Russell

In 1929, he came across a copy of the Irish Statesman, a periodical that published the work of the major Irish writers, but also highlighted promising unknown writers. Kavanagh’s first submission was rejected, but the editor, George Russell, encouraged him to try again.

Two later submissions were subsequently accepted and published. Kavanagh wished to thank Russell personally and walked a distance of fifty miles to Dublin to do just that.

In turn, Russell became a mentor to the young man. He introduced him to the works of Hugo, Emerson, Whitman and other great writers. Perhaps more importantly, Russell helped him to become accepted into Dublin’s literary society. An easy endeavor due to Kavanagh’s unique status as a peasant poet. Kavanagh’s first book Ploughman and Other Poems was published in 1936, shortly after George Russell’s death, refashioning his path in life.

The book recieved luke warm reviews, The Spectator said, “Mr Kavanagh’s lyrics are for the most part slight and conventional, easily enjoyed, but almost as easily forgotten.” Despite his passion for poetry, his first critical success came with the publication of The Green Fool (1938).

Here he tells of his rural backgound and his dreams of becoming a poet. Part autobiographical and part novel, he paints a broad portrait of Irish society in the early 1900s. That book recieved international recognition, with positive reviews in both England and the United States

In later years, Kavanagh expressed an unrelenting dislike for the book. His persona in The Green Fool contradicted his desire to be respected as a gifted writer and for his intellect.

In the 1930s, he left farm life for good and settled in Dublin to pursue his literary career. Dublin, however was not the hospitable environment he had hoped for. He felt that many of the writers hid behind a facade of literary and artistic sophistication.

The Great Hunger

That discontent led to a change in his writing. He left behind the role of peasant poet and instead became known for his outspoken views on Irish society. His first attempt at social criticism, The Great Hunger, is considered by many to be his greatest work. New York Times Book Review contributor Richard Murphy called it “a great work” that conveys “a terrible and moving image of human frustration.”

In the decade that followed, he made his livelihood as a free-lance writer and columnist. He also reviewed films and books for various publications. He was often critical of Dublin’s level of literary achievement and in the process, made a few enemies in Dublin.

At the end of World War II, he moved to Belfast, finding employment as a barman in a number of Falls Road area public houses. He continued writing for the Irish Post until 1949, returning to Dublin in November of that year

Kavanagh’s personality and focus was becoming unpredictable as his drinking increased. He became unkemptin his appearanceas he wanderedthe pubs of Dublin in a whiskey fueled haze,often turning on his friends and benefactors. He was writing a monthly column for a publication called The Envoy, their offices were on Grafton Street, but most business was conducted at McDaid’s Pub, and Kavanagh could often be found there.

An anonymous author penned a profile of Kavanagh in the magazine The Leader descibing him as an “alcoholic sponger.” It could have been any number of people that Kavanagh had crossed over the years, but he saw an opportunity and filed libel charges against the magazine, hoping for a quick settlement to make him go away.

The case ended up going to trial and Kavanagh lost. Soon after he was diagnosed with lung cancer and had to have one of his lungs removed.

He recovered from his surgery and spent time on the banks of the Grand Canal. There he regained his appreciation of nature and beauty and found inspiration for his poetry. He submitted some of his new work to McMillan and became depressed when it was rejected.

Patrick Swift was in Dublin and Kavanagh asked him to take a look at his work. Swift saw merit and arranged for nineteen of the poems to be published in the English literary journal Nimbus.  Soon after Kavanagh began recieving the acclaim he was due.

Kavanagh began to spend more time in London and contributed to Swift’s X Magazine. He lectured at University College Dublin and in the United States. He even became a judge at the Guinness Poetry Awards.

In April of 1967, he married his long time companion, Katherine. Life was good. Unfortunately his earlier lifestyle had taken a toll on his health and he fell ill, passing away on November 30 of that same year. Patrick Kavanagh is buried in Inniskeen, next to the Patrick Kavanagh Centre. His wife is buried at his side; she died in 1989.