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Irish Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
President Michael D. Higgins to release spoken word album
PRESIDENT Michael D. Higgins is to release a spoken word album featuring his poetry set to music by Myles O'Reilly. The 10-track album is due be released on September 5, not long before the end of Higgins' second term as president in November. The title track, Against All Certainty, has already been released and is available now via streaming platforms. 'Incredibly interesting life' Higgins, 84, began his political career in 1973 when he was appointed to the Seanad by Taoiseach Liam Cosgrove. He later served two terms as TD for Galway West and for several years was Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht. However, throughout his political career, he also worked as a writer, broadcaster and poet. He had a regular column for the music magazine Hot Press and has had four poetry collections published, as well as a number of non-fiction books. Against All Certainty is the president's debut spoken word album and will feature 10 of his most well-known works. "Listeners can expect to find themselves fully transposed into the incredibly interesting life and times of the poet before he became Ireland's President, from childhood to adulthood," press for the album states. The album was recorded in Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence and office of the President of Ireland. The tracks will be set to musical compositions by O'Reilly, a member of the band Juno Falls, who has also directed a number of music videos and documentaries. 'Prodigious poems' Against All Certainty will be released on CD, hardback CD book and vinyl formats by Claddagh Records. Irish novelist, playwright and poet Sebastian Barry, who was Laureate for Irish Fiction from 2018 until 2021, hailed the president's work. "These are truly prodigious poems by Michael D. Higgins — not just a milestone in his own work but in Irish poetry," he said. President Higgins will step down from his role later this year, having served the maximum two terms. The album is available to pre-order from Claddagh Records by clicking here. See More: Claddagh Records, Michael D Higgins, Poetry
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Michael D Higgins set to release album of poetry
Ireland's outgoing President has recorded an album of spoken word tracks, Against All Certainty, and it will be put out by Claddagh Records later this year.
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Michael D Higgins set to release album of poetry recorded in the Áras
Ireland's outgoing President has recorded an album of spoken word tracks, Against All Certainty, and it will be put out by Claddagh Records later this year. The words of President Higgins will be accompanied by songs from musician and filmmaker Myles O'Reilly. O'Reilly was among the performers on stage when the President and his wife Sabina welcomed guests to the Áras last month for an annual garden party. Recordings for the album, which includes readings of 10 of the President's poems, were completed in the confines of the Áras in late 2023. Listeners have been told to expect to be 'fully transposed into the incredibly interesting life and times of the poet before he became Ireland's President, from childhood to adulthood'. In 2018, when President Higgins was campaigning for re-election, the hashtag #keepthepoet went viral on social media, a nod to his talent with a pen and paper. Ireland kept the poet, and the poet kept up the poetry. This is far from the President's first foray into poetry. His first collection of poems, The Betrayal, was released in 1990, followed by The Season of Fire (1993), An Arid Season (2004) and New and Selected Poems (2011). Against All Certainty is not his first release during his time in office, either. In 2015, his first written work since he was elected President was released when the text of The Prophets are Weeping was shared publicly. The President has also done readings of his work in the past. As part of a series released by UCD, he read a number of his works in videos released on YouTube in 2021. In a previous collaboration with Claddagh Records, he joined a star-studded cast that also included the likes of Bono, Liam Neeson, Aidan Gillen and Hozier. ADVERTISEMENT In 2022, a rerecording of Patrick Kavanagh's Almost Everything was released by the label. Bono read On Raglan Road, Neeson read Memory of My Father, and President Higgins read Stony Grey Soil. Through that reading of Kavanagh's poetry, the President has already racked up nearly 15,000 streams on Spotify, though he has some catching up to do in the monthly listeners category, where he stands at just 140. Those streaming numbers could get a boost in the coming days, with the title track from Against All Certainty available now on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your presidential spoken word. Garech Browne, who co-founded Claddagh Records in 1960, was a longtime friend of President Higgins, who spoke at Mr Browne's funeral in 2018. Against All Certainty is available to preorder now ahead of its release on Friday, September 5, when it will be made available in full on streaming platforms. For the physical media enthusiasts among us, it will also be released on CD and vinyl. Through a deal struck by Claddagh Records with Universal Music, the words of the Irish President will be introduced to a global audience.
Extra.ie
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
President Michael D. Higgins to release debut album
President Michael D. Higgins is set to release his debut spoken-word album Against All Certainty, set for release on September 5 via Claddagh Records. The record features ten original poems penned by the President, and is underscored by a musical composition from celebrated musician Myles O'Reilly. O'Reilly is best known for releasing several ambient albums and collaborating with many renowned artists on the Irish music scene, most notably Ronan O'Snodaigh (of Kila). The album announcement is accompanied by the release of the lead single and title track 'Against All Certainty', which you can check out below: To date, Michael D. Higgins has published four collections of poetry — The Betrayal; The Season of Fire; An Arid Season; and New and Selected Poems. Against All Certainty is the first-ever collection of vocal recordings of his works. The album was recorded in Áras an Uachtaráin, offering an insight into the life and times of the poet, from childhood to adulthood, before he became Ireland's ninth President. Sebastian Barry, novelist and Laureate for Irish Fiction, describes this incredibly immersive album: 'These are truly prodigious poems by Michael D Higgins — not just a milestone in his own work but in Irish poetry. Readers and listeners will be astonished by their inspired truthfulness and their lovely adroitness of line. 'Because the poet happens to be President of Ireland should not distract from the fact that these poems are written with all the precision and fervour of a free soul, and one that has made no bargain with rectitude or even the meaner sorts of discretion.' You can pre-order Against All Certainty here. 1. 'The Truth of Poetry' 2. 'Brothers' 3. 'Katie's Song' 4. 'Dark Memories' 5. 'My Mother Married my Father in Mount Melleray in 1937' 6. 'The Death of The Red Cow' 7. 'Against All Certainty' 8. 'The Betrayal' 9. 'The Death of Mary Doyle' 10. 'Stargazer'
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
President Michael D Higgins to release spoken word album
President Michael D. Higgins is set to release Against All Certainty, a new spoken word album of his poems set to music and recorded in Áras an Uachtaráin. Released on folk and trad label Claddagh Records 5 September, the 10-track album will feature music by Irish musician and filmmaker Myles O'Reilly, with the title track available to stream now. The new record is the debut spoken-word collection by the President, who leaves office after serving two terms as President of Ireland this November. Born in 1941 in Limerick City and raised in County Clare, President Higgins has published four collections of poetry - The Betrayal; The Season of Fire; An Arid Season; and New and Selected Poems. On 11 November 2011, Mr Higgins was inaugurated as the ninth President of Ireland. On 11 November 2018, he was inaugurated for a second term. O'Reilly has previously released ambient albums and has collaborated with Irish artists including Rónán Ó Snodaigh Ronan of Kila. His film work often explores themes of nature, spirituality and human connection through music. Speaking about Against All Certainty, Sebastian Barry, novelist and Laureate for Irish Fiction, said, "These are truly prodigious poems by Michael D Higgins - not just a milestone in his own work but in Irish poetry. "Readers and listeners will be astonished by their inspired truthfulness and their lovely adroitness of line. `…a new fire And a new day.' Because the poet happens to be President of Ireland should not distract from the fact that these poems are written with all the precision and fervour of a free soul, and one that has made no bargain with rectitude or even the meaner sorts of discretion. "They are not rawly truthful poems, but cooly so, and sometimes properly disquieting. There is something of the rejection of evasion in, say, the work of Paul Celan here, and what Matthew Arnold might have termed the 'dreadful authority' of remembrance without window-dressing. "Just the bare window both to look out of and look into. It feels like a signal achievement, and despite the mere chronology of the poet's life, not at all in the nature of a swansong - in fact, the poems have the unquantifiable strength of youth. "Like all tremendous poems they are being said for the first and the last time. They have appeared out of that 'nowhere,' that elusive 'thin air,' that all poets long to connect to. What a miracle." The tracklist for Against All Certainty is: The Truth of Poetry Brothers Katie's Song Dark Memories My Mother Married my Father in Mount Melleray in 1937 The Death of The Red Cow Against All Certainty The Betrayal The Death of Mary Doyle Stargazer
