‘Love’s Doorway to Life’ is a unique compilation of Patrick Kavanagh’s work, which traces the story of his life from the drumlin hills of Monaghan to the Grand Canal in Dublin. Together with her brother Art, also expert in the field, Una Agnew follows in broad outline, Kavanagh’s poetic life and his struggle to fulfil this destiny as a writer. Fully aware of his eccentric public persona and frequent social improprieties, these recordings remain attuned, to the poet’s unique conviction that “posterity has no use for anything but the soul”. Utilising more than 50 excerpts that cover three stages of his life, Kavanagh is celebrated as the people’s poet who captures the spirit of a people and immortalises cameos of Irish life in a lyrical language that is unsurpassed.
Disc One: Poet and Farmer, the poet’s early Doorway to life and love
Disc Two: Exile in Dublin and search for Recognition
Disc Three: Turning Point, Rebirth and Final Years