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Michael Pattwell was born in April, 1945 in Clonakilty in West Cork. Having worked at various jobs he finally took up the study of law as a mature student, graduating in 1974 with a BCL. in 1976 Michael qualified as a solicitor acquiring a small practise that year in his native Clonakilty. He was appointed a Judge of the District Court in 1990 and still sits in the North and East Cork District.
Michael acquired a love for poetry whilst still in the primary school but didn’t write until into his late teens. He married in 1967 at age 22 and in 1968 the first of eight children was born. “That soon put paid to my time for writing,” Michael says. He didn’t start writing again until January 1993 following the death of his father, when he wrote “The Clothesline”. He is a member of the “Making Words Work” group in Ballincollig. “Membership of the Ballincollig group”, says Michael, “is very important to me because it drives me on the produce some work on a fairly regular basis”.
Many of Michael’s poems are inspired by his wide life experiences including his involvement with his family as well as an interest in nature and mythology. Several of the poems in his recently published book, “Flaghopping”, are about his relationship with his father, his caring for his mother who suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease in the last years of her life and about his children, including one for a grandchild who died as a result of a cot death at seven weeks. He says he didn’t think he would ever publish but a cancer operation in July, 2010 brought him face to face with the possibility of death and that changed his mind about a number of things. The operation was totally successful and Michael is back doing all the things he likes doing best.
As well as writing poetry, Michael likes to write short stories too and says that his next book, if there should be one, is likely to be a mixture of poems and short stories. His other interests are wood-turning and gardening. The latter he shares with his wife Mairéad , his second wife, whom he married in 2003 and who, he says, “means the whole world to me.”
For more information visit Michael Pattwell.com.
Our thanks to Lismore Heritage Centre for providing the space to record in. For more visit http://www.discoverlismore.com
#1 by Siobhán Aherne on April 26, 2011 - 3:03 pm
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Easy and interesting listening Uncle M, dispersed with wonderfully warm anecdotes 🙂 Love & congrats from your very proud niece x
Siobhán
Limerick
#2 by Pat O'Shea on April 26, 2011 - 7:39 pm
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Hi Michael,
Fascinating interview there! Well done. I’m thrilled to hear that your book is in its 3rd print. It’s a great testimony to your talents. See you in the writing group again soon.
Pat O’ Shea
Dublin
#3 by Jim O'Leary on April 26, 2011 - 8:30 pm
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WOW AND DOUBLE WOW! I have just finished the podcast and I can’t wait to have another go at it. What can I say…..it was soft and moving, positive, personal, wonderfully anecdotal, real and rural yet sophisticated, (in the very best sense), ……all of those and more. Emotion and those like human softnesses were there too,…..hair on back of neck standing…..even a hint of a tear here! Please, please, do go back to read! Keep it going.
Jim O’ Leary
cork
#4 by Móna O'Riordan on April 26, 2011 - 9:36 pm
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A lovely interview Michael. You are a natural and I really enjoyed hearing all the stories and background to the book. Well done. Now that your rich and famous remember us in your little writers group haha x
Mona
Cork
#5 by admin on April 26, 2011 - 9:49 pm
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Thank you Siobhán, Pat and Jim. It was a great pleasure to meet this man you so obviously admire. Our policy here at Podcasts.ie in relation to pages is that we launch the page for the first week or so with just the interview and after that we will be uploading some of the poetry Michael read for us and will change it around from time to time. We do hope you will subscribe to our RSS feed and or follow us on Twitter (podcastsdotie) or Facebook Podcasts.ie (note the capital P) to keep informed of when new podcasts are made available. It is also our policy to forward comments on to our writers and we have done so with ye’res much to Michael’s delight and appreciation.
All The Best
The Podcasts.ie Team
#6 by Mary Malone on April 26, 2011 - 9:59 pm
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Brilliant interview, Michael! Continued success to you and I’ll be looking forward to your next edition which I’ve no doubt you’re putting together at the moment.
Keep up the good work!
#7 by Jim O'Leary on April 26, 2011 - 10:19 pm
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Delighted to see that your readings have already been recorded for later publication. I will look forward to that!
#8 by Andy Ashford on April 27, 2011 - 3:20 pm
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Enjoyable and very unpretentious interview – love the bit about the courtroom not being a place for punishing, but rather for vindication. To have a different view on life- can sometimes be key….Thanks for sharing Michael…
#9 by Helen Hallissey on April 27, 2011 - 6:12 pm
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Easy on the ear.
Go haoibhinn.
Maith thú!
Helen H.
#10 by audrey o riordan on April 28, 2011 - 10:37 am
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just got to hear this. very moving and honest, and really enjoyed your book. hope the comma’s are in the right places! as you know i’m not big into poetry but i have been inspired to write a poem or two for the class. continued success with your book, you deserve it
Audrey
#11 by Niamh on April 28, 2011 - 2:21 pm
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Lovely interview, Dad. Congratulations. I did not know about running out to the library to get books. I liked the interviewer’s final comments about ‘hiding in warm places’. Interesting. Anyway, well done.
#12 by John on May 1, 2011 - 2:49 pm
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Just listened to your interview, brought back some memories. It was really good to listen to, well done Michael.
John
#13 by John on May 1, 2011 - 2:57 pm
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Just listened to your interview, brought back some memories. It was really good to listen to. well done Michael.
John
#14 by Albert cullen on May 2, 2011 - 8:08 pm
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I attend the same writing group as Micheal and he comes across the same in public as he does one to one.
Micheal’s poetry is like the man himself honest, heartfelt and without a wasted word.
#15 by Sean Pattwell on May 3, 2011 - 8:59 am
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Well done Dad – Very proud all the ways from Abu Dhabi!
#16 by Anna Donovan on May 21, 2011 - 3:20 am
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Beautiful poetry, Michael. Flaghopping will make a wonderful Father’s Day gift for Jack Sr.
Thanks for reminding us of the wonderful trips we have taken to Ireland.
Anna Donovan
Portland, Oregon USA