Palestinian poet to address Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign rally today

AN award-winning Palestinian poet, whose works have been translated into Irish, will speak at this weekend’s Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign (CPSC) rally in the city centre, before headlining an event at the Triskel Arts Centre.

Marwan Makhoul is an acclaimed poet born to a Palestinian father and a Lebanese mother and grew up in Boquai’a, in the upper Galilee region.

Mr Makhoul is visiting Cork to speak at the CPSC rally and to headline a multilingual poetry event called Listen to the Birds at the Triskel Arts Centre this evening as part of the Cork World Book Festival.

The event will be presented in association with IMRAM, the Irish language literary festival, and Poetry Ireland.

Listen to the Birds will feature Mr Makhoul reading his own poetry in Arabic, English versions read by Raphael Cohen, and translations into Irish by poets Eibhlís Carcione, Louis de Paor, and Áine Uí Fhoghlú.

A Palestinian living within the state of Israel, Mr Makhoul’s poetry deals with the marginalisation of its Arab citizens, and with questions of personal and national identity.

“I’m a voice that tells people about our identity, and how we have worked to preserve it as Palestinian, Arab, and in connection with our people,” said Mr Makhoul.

Mr Makhoul’s poetry collections include Land of the Sad Passiflora, Where Is My Mom, and A Letter from the Last Man.

Ms Carcione said translating Mr Makhoul’s poems had been a very fulfilling and moving experience.

“Irish has its own unique and powerful words for war, suffering, and love,” said Ms Carcione. “Each poem brought me on many journeys to find the right words and rhythms in Irish.

“It’s not just the war that Marwan captures but all of the human condition: love, life, sorrow, happiness, death, and everything in between.”

Today's rally is the latest weekly gathering since the first event on October 14.