A new video capturing the various strands of the Poetry as Commemoration initiative has been released on the UCD Special Collections YouTube channel. The video includes a sneak preview of Stephen Sexton reading a brand new poem, ‘The Head of a Man’, one of ten special commissions marking the centenaries of the War of Independence and the Civil War. The poems will be printed in a limited edition fine press book created by Jamie Murphy of The Salvage Press, seen in this video working on a printing press.

Also featured in the promotional video are a group of 5th class pupils from Catherine McAuley N.S. who visited UCD Library to take part in a workshop with Head of Special Collections, Evelyn Flanagan, and poet Lucinda Jacob. In a series of four workshops, the group responded to letters, photographs, postcards, and diaries from the revolutionary period and developed their own personal responses in art and writing. Their work will be preserved in UCD Special Collections.

Footage from a launch event in Cobh, Co. Cork, showcases the Poetry Jukebox installation with remarks by local poet Ruairí de Barra. The Poetry as Commemoration jukebox will be in place in the John F Kennedy Memorial Park in Cobh until the end of April 2023 before moving to Limerick City. A second jukebox will be located in Derry.

This video was produced by Piquant Media.