Irish poet, theologian and conflict mediator, Pádraig Ó Tuama, visited John Carroll University to speak about and read poetry on April 15. Ó Tuama mainly read from his book entitled “Feed the Beast,” but also shared some newer poems as well. 

It is apparent through his poems, diction, as well as his popular podcast “Poetry Unbound,” that Ó Tuama cares deeply for poetry and the power of language. He said that he believes that language has the ability to hurt us or save us, as well as make us more awake to the world around us. Language and poetry are everywhere, and in his mind, this makes it essential to the human soul.

As an Irishman, the topic of the civil rights of Irish people is prevalent in his works, though he covers a wide range of themes. These include wrestling with being a gay man, his experience with faith, and more. He draws inspiration from many other works of literature and poetry, which include but are not limited to Dante’s “Inferno,” Greek mythology – especially the story of Persephone and Hades – Shakespeare and the Bible. To Ó Tuama, a poem has a center to it, as well as a hunger, and these concepts help him reach the center of the poetry he is writing and reading.

Like that of Walt Whitman, Ó Tuama’s verse flowed off the page in a delightful symphony, celebrating the human body and what it means to be alive. The delicacy in which he chooses his words is an art in itself, creating a succinct yet powerful body of work that every person in the room was captivated by. It was powerful and unique, allowing every single person to see themselves within his words, even if they had a completely different upbringing than he did. It was a delight to see as well as an inspiration.

Those in the audience posed insightful and heartfelt questions to Ó Tuama; he responded to them with the same sentiment. His passion for his craft is apparent in everything that he does, making it a true gift to have heard him speak, as well as his existence as a gift to poetry. As Ó Tuama said, poetry is everywhere and it is essential for the human soul, making his work and passion that much more essential, and that much more beautiful.