A rebellious son of the ascendency who found his voice in Connemara

Poems 1952-2012

Our initial point of contact was last March. Murphy phoned me from his home in Sri Lanka after I emailed him expressing my admiration for a collection ofpoems he had just published called The Pleasure Ground. This book covers a career that spans from 1952 to 2012.

When we finally catch up, the 86-year-old poet apologises for his lack of contact. He puts this down to a damaged nerve that leads to severe losses of concentration over long periods of time.