2016 Press Releases
Remembering John Montague
The School of English was saddened to hear that our former colleague, the renowned poet John Montague, passed away on 10 December, aged 87, at his home in Nice.
Born in Brooklyn in 1929, John grew up from the age of four in Co. Tyrone. A graduate of UCD, he would go on to study under Robert Penn Warren at Yale and at Berkeley, where he encountered Gary Snyder and Allen Ginsberg.
His first collection of poetry, Forms of Exile, was published by Liam Miller’s Dolmen Press in 1958. In 1972 John was appointed to the position of assistant lecturer in the Department of English at UCC, retiring as an Associate Professor in 1988.
In the year John came to Cork he published the poetic sequence The Rough Field, an extended examination of Ulster’s history and his own upbringing in the province, a volume recognised since its appearance as one of the most significant works of modern Irish literature.
During his tenure at UCC John published several more highly-acclaimed collections of poetry, including A Slow Dance (1975), a revised version of Poisoned Lands (1977), The Great Cloak (1978), and a further sequence of interconnected lyrics centring on Irish and personal history, The Dead Kingdom (1984).
He also edited The Faber Book of Irish Verse (1974). Following his retirement from UCC, John’s many publications included short stories, novellas, and memoirs, as well as several more collections of poetry. His Collected Poems appeared from Gallery Books in 1995 and an expanded edition in 2012.
The recipient of numerous literary awards and prizes, John was appointed first Ireland Professor of Poetry (1988-2001). Writing in The Sunday Times, John Carey observed that ‘His best poems are … splinter-sharp, they go straight to the heart and catch in the memory like burrs.’
Professor Adrian Frazier's moving tribute to John Montague includes discussion of his UCC years. https://t.co/OemysKV92d
— English UCC (@EnglishUCC) December 12, 2016
John Montague: A noble procession of poems has passed out of Irish life https://t.co/nEQnEfNt0O via @IrishTimesCultr
— POETRY IRELAND (@poetryireland) December 12, 2016
The sounds of Ireland...
— Ciaran Quinn (@c1aranquinn) December 10, 2016
Windharp#JohnMontague RIP pic.twitter.com/zU9LECWtxb
Revisit @rtetheworks special with John Montague speaking to @johnkellytweets: https://t.co/amf8W7tCAA https://t.co/oK8qgD3CL1
— RTÉ Player (@RTEplayer) December 10, 2016
My favourite classes in @UCC were weekly 4-person tutorials with John Montague. Really informative but also a lot of fun. RIP
— desod (@desodr1) December 11, 2016
Sad to hear the news of #JohnMontague passing,great poet & inspirational teacher fond memories of his classes @UCC https://t.co/dtDTdc1g81
— Gerard O'Donovan (@gerard_odonovan) December 11, 2016
Sad to hear of the passing of former neighbour John Montague. Always loved his lectures. A gentleman in every sense. #johnmontague @ucc
— john creedon (@johncreedon) December 10, 2016
I was honoured to present John Montague with a Lifetime Achievement Award @BGEIBAS - here's what I said in tribute. https://t.co/wqqU5y6R2F
— John Kelly tweets (@johnkellytweets) December 11, 2016
Some lovely tributes to John Montague from Paul Muldoon, Eavan Boland, @johnkellytweets @wiliamwallbook and others https://t.co/8cid7eEDbr
— Martin Doyle (@MartinDoyleIT) December 11, 2016