As part of my very busy May 4th, I was invited to read 8 of my poems for the UCD Poetry Archive. It was to happen in the library and my only memories of this were fumbling around for my student card while a very angry looking security guard looked on. It’s all gone much more high-tech with swipe cards now and the place looks much more colourful than I remember. On the way in, it was a strange experience walking the same walk I used to do regularly 15 years ago. I felt the memories as I walked past the 46A bus stop, the lake, the entrance to the library and so on. For some reason I went to stand at the exact spot where I learned my grandmother had died. I have no idea why this is my outstanding memory.
I had a great time doing the recording and all the people involved were very nice and put me at ease. I had to introduce each of my poems to a video camera then turn away to read them from my manuscript.
It was great to be back in the college and I wish I had have had more time to look around. Ursula Byrne from the archives has invited me back on the 18th June as there’s a campus day that day so I think I’ll go along to that and see a bit more.