Congratulations to Aifric Mac Aodha on winning the Michael Hartnett Poetry Award for her bilingual collection, Old Friends (tr. David Wheatley).
Responding to the announcement, Aifric Mac Aodha said:
‘Díol áthais dom an gradam seo. Sa phíosa álainn, ‘Dán do Niall, 7’, dearbhaíonn Ó hAirtnéide go ‘labhraíonn dúch’ is go ‘labhraíonn pár’. Ina chuid dánta a nochtann file ar bith a phriocadh anama féin. Ní furasta dán a chur i gcrích ach ábhar sásaimh/iontais i gcónaí d’fhile nuair a thugann léitheoir taitneamh dá shaothar. Ar an ábhar sin, is rímhór agam é gur roghnaigh na moltóirí Old Friends (The Gallery Press, 2024). Tá mé an-bhuíoch díobhsan, de Peter Fallon, agus de David Wheatley, aistritheoir an leabhair.’
‘It is a great surprise and an even greater pleasure to receive The Michael Hartnett Poetry Award. In ‘Poem for Niall, 7’ — a poem full of love and solid advice — Hartnett tells us that ‘ink speaks and paper speaks’. Poets can only say what they have to say through their poems, and poetry resists the poet and puts up a hard fight. For this and many other reasons, it means a great deal to me that the judges have chosen my collection, Old Friends (The Gallery Press, 2024). I am grateful to them, to my publisher Peter Fallon, and to my translator, David Wheatley (the heart’s net).’
