Peter Howarth has had a varied career on both sides of the Irish Sea. He has now settled in Kerry where he has lived for the past thirty-four years and is employed in education at the Institute of Technology, Tralee. He first started to have poems published in his school fortnightly magazine where he became resident poet. He has now written and produced eleven books of poetry since 1990 and has spent much of his spare time travelling all over Ireland selling his publications. He has made many friends in all thirty-two counties north and south of the border and they eagerly await his regular visits and look forward to reading his new books. Peter has frequently appeared and recited his works on RTE Radio Shows with Gay Byrne, Joe Duffy, Alan Short, Steve Bolger and Donna O’Sullivan, and was also filmed for the television series Summer Journeys produced by Phillip Kampff. He is often heard on his local Radio Kerry, and during his travels he has been on air on countless other radio stations up and down the country.
He has also held many poetry readings and sessions throughout Ireland including his one man show at the Siamsa Tíre National Folk Theatre and a two year residency at the Pádraig O’Keeffe Traditional Irish Music Festival where he created the now regular Poetry Extravaganza. "Poetry is like music," says Peter. "It comes in all types and styles that differ from the traditional schoolroom variety that many of us try to forget." |
The poet, Peter Howarth |
Peter's poems are a breath of fresh air. They are written for everyone, and his captivating and informative verses hint simultaneously at the humorous and serious sides of life and will bring many a smile to the reader and, perhaps, an odd tear. His material covers a kaleidoscope of ideas and are often those we can identify with and enjoy. His vision, humour and sincerity combine well to produce excellent work, and many of his poems have found their way into the international press as well as the various T.V. and Radio programmes.
Many of his works have been set to music with some being sung in Church whilst others are performed in Dance Halls, with The Engineer of Blennerville already finding its way onto CD, Video and Audio Tape. His poem My Lord goes particularly well to the air of Morning Has Broken, and his poems Emmanuel, Let My Candle Shine and The Warmth of His Love, from his new book, have all been sung during Masses in his local church.
The prologue to a recent book includes:
Poetry is probably the least loved of all the art forms. It has wrongly gained a reputation for being complex, hard to understand and only for academics. This is the myth that I have tried to quash.
I agree that some poems are difficult to grasp, but the same can be said of anything. A person who likes country music might find it hard to appreciate a violin concerto; a walker who enjoys a stroll in the park might never climb a mountain, and so on. In the same way, there are many different types of poetry.
I tend to use rhyming verse as I find that this is part of the challenge of composing a poem. Very often, as I write, I find the rhyming word will lead the poem in a new direction or change the course of events. This can be quite exciting.
Most of his poems try to get a little extra something out of everyday situations, often with a tongue in the cheek, or just reflect time as it is, or was. People from all walks of life have read and enjoyed his work, and some, even some who have never read poetry before, have gone on to read the writings of other poets.
Copies of his books have reached all parts of the world where they are treasured and re-read many times.
