Compiled and Edited by Sabina Clarke
I dabbled in poetry from the age of 15 when at 19 I came across a Federico Garcia Lorca poem ‘The Weeping’ translated by Kenneth Rexroth. It was unlike anything I had ever read. It changed my life and mindset and sent me on a path away from the usual one laid out for the youth in the notorious rough, violent and crime ridden housing estate that I lived in.
This poem opened doors to my creativity and willingness to embrace poetry and seek new voices that were not the usual Victorian writers or Irish poets taught in school. Though this Lorca poem was a translation, I was able to eventually hunt down a 1953 copy of ‘The Gypsy Ballads of Garcia Lorca’ by Rolfe Humphries which I still own today. And thus began my Lorca obsession with his poetry, theater, essays and life.
I regularly made trips to Spain to visit his home buying and reading everything Lorca and learning Spanish. I left Ireland and lived abroad in many countries due to a change in mindset which I will always attribute to that Rexroth translation and the ghost of Lorca who became my guiding companion.
I have been a chef for over 25 years now and have worked and lived in Ireland, Australia, Canada, Thailand and now Illinois in the US. I am self-employed as a personal chef, cooking for people in their homes, predominately vegan and plant-based meals but also catering to the client’s tastes. I do many dinner parties and some teaching. I became a vegetarian myself over two years now and love making veggie stews and curries, something I’ve become a pro at and share with family and clients.
I grew up in Coolock, North Dublin and left at a young age to travel and work abroad. All my family, my mother, father, sister and brother still live there. I do not miss it one bit but since moving to the US over three years ago — I’m starting to miss Ireland a lot, especially in the current U.S. climate. I lived in the west of Ireland, Galway for 15 years before coming here and I would love a visit as it is the best place to be especially for the arts.
I met my wife Angela, a Southside Chicago girl, in Galway by chance and by luck I like to say, and a year after meeting her and her four–year-old daughter Lilly, I eventually made the move to Illinois, married and became a stepfather. I like it here, though the heat takes a bit of getting used to. Chicago has an exceptional literature scene and I find inspiration in some of the writers here as well as in the broad and compelling history of the city.