Island Diary.

(Éigse is best translated as an “assembly of poets”)

Last weekend the island celebrated in a great weekend of music and poetry in Inis Meáin to commemorate local poet or bard – Dara Beag – who died almost exactly five years ago.

“Nuair a thiteann laoch, ardaíonn sé deannach na mblianta cróga; Nuair a thiteann laoch, lasann sé lóchrann inár gcroíthe”

When a hero falls, dust of all the brave years is risen up, When a hero falls, a lamp is lit in our hearts

– his nephew, Dara Ó Conaola’s tribute

Dara Beag was also featured in Jill Uris’ Book – Ireland Revisited published in 1982.

In the book she describes Dara Beag as: “the Bard of Inishmaan, a character of the peasant tradition. As a farmer he has literally created his fields by clearing the stone and finding rare soil between the limestone cracks around the island, fertilizing it with seaweed and somehow cultivating a meager crop to feed his family.”

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