*Paul Hickey. Photograph: Joe Buckley

A Rineanna man has taken up poetry during the lockdown and has credited the form of literature with helping to get through the restrictions.

To date, Paul Hickey has written two poems, โ€˜Lockdown 2020โ€™ and โ€˜Lockdown 2021โ€™ which chronicle the restrictions and their various impacts while adhering to an โ€˜AA BB rhyming schemeโ€™ throughout.

A general operative with Clare County Council for the past fifteen years, the Newmarket-on-Fergus said the turn to poetry during COVID-19 was โ€œa spur of the moment thingโ€. He admitted, โ€œOn the long cold dark evenings in the winter, it gave me something to do and passed away the timeโ€.

It was back in his schooldays that Paul last dabbled in poetry and he revealed that no poet has held a major influence on him. โ€œIโ€™d do a couple of hours during the week, I wouldnโ€™t do any on the weekends, if you get a chance on the weekends you would be going out walking, the midweek was when Iโ€™d be doing the poetryโ€.

Hickeyโ€™s new hobby came at a time when he was unable to watch sport or travel to local club games. โ€œThere wasnโ€™t much on the television with very few live games, theyโ€™re coming back a small bit, you canโ€™t go anywhereโ€.

Focusing in on dominant news stories allowed Paul to intertwine the topics with the various restrictions including school closures, out of work musicians and under pressure healthcare workers. โ€œI got a small bit of a kick out of it when I read it out, it brought back all the bad headlines of what we went through and are still going through. The headlines kicked me off, Brexit and what went on in the States with Trump were in the news around the timeโ€.

He is hopeful of penning a third poem later in the year when more vaccines are rolled out across the county.

Two friends of his have died as a result of the virus and Paul revealed that turning to poetry has helped in the grieving process as he was unable to attend their funeral due to the restrictions. โ€œIt is sad for a lot of families, to lose mates, Iโ€™ve lost a few myself, it has affected everybody. Hopefully we will see the light at the end of the tunnel in the near future, the quicker the betterโ€.

โ€œWe couldnโ€™t go to the funerals to say goodbye, that is hard on a lot of people. The poetry helped in a way, it got me through it, I canโ€™t speak for anyone else, it helped me in the evenings to put it together,โ€ the Smithstown resident concluded.

Related News

albert dolan sisters of mercy 1
โ‚ฌ1m allocated to rejuvenate old Sisters of Mercy convent in Gort
corofin v cooraclare 12-10-25 jamie malone 1
Malone clocks up the miles to help Corofin climb back to senior football ranks
kilfenora corner linnanes pub 1
Community plans for Kilfenora Corner Project scrapped
church scariff sacred heart 1
Bicentenary celebrations of Scariff church
Latest News
henry adams kieran considine 1-2
Liscannor.ie goes live as village's new official website
albert dolan sisters of mercy 1
โ‚ฌ1m allocated to rejuvenate old Sisters of Mercy convent in Gort
inagh kilnamona v scariff ogonnelloe 11-10-25 eugene foudy 2
Foudy & Inagh/Kilnamona looking to bridge five year gap for senior success
raymond o'mahony andrea o'keeffe 1-2
Awesome display from Andrea wins player of the week
corofin v cooraclare 12-10-25 jamie malone 1
Malone clocks up the miles to help Corofin climb back to senior football ranks
Premium
Malone clocks up the miles to help Corofin climb back to senior football ranks
No talk of three in a row for Truagh/Clonlara
U21 teams profiled as the games begin in football championship
The Water Break: How ร‰ire ร“g painted the town of Ennis red with historic senior double
Lanigan's having a ball in ร‰ire ร“g's golden era

Advertisement

Subscribe for just โ‚ฌ3 per month

If youโ€™re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just โ‚ฌ3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter โ‚ฌ8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.