Donal O'Flynn

Location Philippines for now
Occupation Engineer
Website http://

Why do you write?

Everything I smell, see, hear, taste, touch,...to the metaphysical.....; as well as the work of published dead poets, most living poets work, Ireland, man, myth and magic, interesting people, memorable events, history, culture, family, parish, hobbies, memories, geography, etc.

I write poetry because I enjoy it. lt's a skillrd craft and I like to continually hone and improve on what I write. Like reducing my golf handicap. And when a poem turns out right following a lot of re-work I love it enough to recite it in public.

Any favorite authors? Books?

Oh man!........too too many....eclectic eclectic eclectic

Favourite Authors: Teri Murray, Ciaran O'Driscoll, Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill, Jo Slade, John Carmody, Donal O Siodhachain, Seamus Heaney, W B Yeats, Goldsmith, Sylvia Plath, Anna Akhmatova, William Stafford, Mariamme Moore, Li Ho, John Ashberry, Gerald Manley Hopkins, Emily Dickinson, Paul Muldoon, Ted Hughes, Mayau Angelou, Oscar Wilde, John O'Donoghue, Michael Hartnett, Robert Frost, TS Elliot, Wallace Stevens, Elizabeth Bishop, Omar Khayyam, Wilfred Owen, Dylan Thomas,
Cecil Day Lewis, Rudyard Kipling, Banjo Patterson, John Claire, Shelly, Keats, Cowper, Pope, Bernadette Cremin, and of course Homer, Whitman, Poe, Pound, Les Murray, Patrick Kavanagh, Blake, Milton, Shakespeare and James Joyce.

I tend to read a book once (except for poetry I like) and store parts of it away in the sub-conscious somewhere. I used to read lots of cowboy/thriller type novels (Fredrick Forysyth, Tom Clancy, Louis L'Amour, and Sci Fi (the Dune series etc). No more. Now mostly Short Storier, (William Trevor type stuff) Environmental type books (Revenge of Gaia type stuff Rachael Carson's book The Silent Spring - made a big impact on my soul back in the '70's) , Biography (any kind though preferably Sports and Politics), and of course Poetry from anywhere and everywhere it has been translated into English......Every day I read and write poetry....One book I do go back to 'The Tailor and Ansty' by Eric Cross, The Secret I liked, History of the World type books

Donal O'Flynn's Wall

Stephanie Bobo – May 16, 2010

Thank you, Donal, for reading and commenting on "Mrs. Booth Reading Locke and Other Things." I think you're right about the need for breaks.

Matthew A. Hamilton – Apr 18, 2010

By the way, Happy Birthday.

Matthew A. Hamilton – Apr 18, 2010

Thanks for reading (and willing to read again) my poems. Please, criticize harshly if need be. I can take it. Its the only way I'll improve as a writer. No one can see their own mistakes, so please, slam away.

Donal O'Flynn – Apr 18, 2010

Thanks Susan. Matthew seems a nice chap. This may prove interesting. My first time in any type of 'cyber-space' poetry forum! I miss the weekly open-mike sessions at The Whitehouse and will see how I work out with Fictionaut.

Susan Tepper – Apr 15, 2010

Hi Donal, how great that Matthew has brought you aboard, so happy to see you here!

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