Francis Ledwidge: A Life of the Poet - Tapa dura

A biography of Francis Ledwidge has been long awaited and the author has managed to piece together the most significant aspects of his life. These might conveniently be summarized under the headings, poverty, poetry, Ireland and war. Born in Co. Meath the heartland of Irish legend Ledwidge stumblingly found his way to poetry, despite obstacles that would have crushed someone of less gifted temperament. He was killed in action in 1917. As a youth he became involved in the incipient Gaelic nationalism of the time, but also in the emerging organization of labour. He had the fortune to find a discerning patron in Lord Dunsany, though that fact, like his service and death in the British Army, has been something of a barrier to appreciation in his native country. His poetry, which grew rapidly in directness, is his memorial and has continued to attract those who respect the honest and lucid in verse. His death was sad, but his short life was full.