My poem Requiem had the honour of being selected for publication by the late Eavan Boland during her editorship of Poetry Ireland Review. It was published in the last volume of Poetry Ireland Review (129) of 2019. It was subsequently chosen for publication in the groundbreaking collection Queering the Green (Lifeboat Press 2021) by editor Paul Maddern.

Now Requiem has been published in German! It has been translated by Gabriele Kreuzner and is given prominence in Demenz das Magazin, a publication for people with dementia, and their carers and advocates. The hard copy of the magazine arrived on my mat over the weekend (accompanied, it has to be said, by much, presumably post-Brexit, paperwork).

This translation and publication has a special place in my heart. My late father, who is the subject of Requiem, suffered from vascular dementia. My late mother also had dementia, most likely Alzheimer’s disease (there was no post mortem, so any plaques were unidentified, but she fitted the profile). So it is particularly affirming that my poem has spoken across geography and language. Dementia is such a horrible condition that robs us of our loved ones before they die, and robs them of their former selves. But there is a little comfort in the thought that my parents may be resonating in the minds of others and not just in my own. And that my Dad continues to walk Rosnowlagh Strand as stubbornly as he did that long ago September afternoon

Many thanks to Cherry Smyth for suggesting the translation to Oliver Schulz, to Oliver himself for steering it, and to Gabriele for her faithful rendition. I am truly moved by this honour.