Jesus. That year went by fecking quickly, but life tends to slip by when it’s greased up with so many bloody brilliant poems.

In our final podcast of the year, we celebrate the winners of our Quillkeeper collaboration that all have won a page in our second anthology that will be out next week! Well done again to DK, Brenna and Katy for bringing absolute fire to us.

We have a lovely Christmas poem by JRR Tolkein, a piece about lovers from different worlds by Seán Óg Ó Murchú, a tribute to those we won’t be spending time with this Christmas from Ryan and our agony aunt is back helping someone who needs a hand finding their tribe.

As is standard, we share what little we know about all the bloody things those poems bring up including border crimes, how to maintain a relationship with your parents and what problems we think AI will actually solve that isn’t just writing better emails.

We’ll be getting the book details locked down this week and hopefully have it available in time for Santa 🎅🏻

As we’ve been saying a lot recently, every person who listens to the show means the absolute world to us. It’s been such a fulfilling year for us, and a lot of that is down to the connections we’ve found through the show so to each and every one of you, a huge thank you and a Merry Christmas.

Thanks guys

Ryan and Leon

Poems from the show

Support the show

Original music by Matthew Keating
Artwork by Paddy Downey
Introduction by Lisa Downey

Produced by Ryan Duggins

We couldn’t start the podcast any other way than with a poem from Sean Watmore of celebration for the Ireland Football Team getting the job done in Hungary. World Cup 2026? COYBIG!

We are so thrilled with the amount of poems that were submitted for the book, especially the many amazing submissions we got as part of the competition with Quilkeeper Press. Nicole Zwolinski didn’t get into the top 3 to win, but we wanted to give a special mention to her and read out her poem Stolen Wishes.

We talk about the aggressive attacks poet Aoife Dunne has been receiving and discuss what exactly is it that triggers so many men online, and why.

A first play too on the podcast for Jamaican dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson as we have a lot of fun with his words and swag. Thanks to Allie Asiri and her book A Poet For Every Day Of The Year for giving us a nudge in his direction.

Leon announces a very special guest joining his Rising Tide show at Pearce Street Library with the actor Robert Sheehan taking the stage. We share his short story Funeral on the podcast.

Our next show will be the final episode of the year. The podcast has given us so much joy in 2025. We’ve travelled to the UK to perform, we’ve hosted our first culture night event and we even interview a rock star!

We have no idea what 2026 will bring us, but we know it’s going to be fucking poetic.

Poems from the podcast

Sean Watmore - Daring To Dream

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRKVyc5iAsO/

A Singing Lesson - Jean Ingelow

https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/singing-lesson-1

Nicole Zwolinski - Stolen Wishes

https://www.nicolezwolinski.com/aboutRobert Sheehan - Funeral

Robert Sheehan - Funeral

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/funeral-a-new-short-story-by-robert-sheehan-1.4704886

If I Woz A Tap-Natch Poet - Linton Kwesi Johnson https://poetryarchive.org/poem/if-i-woz-tap-natch-poet/

Music from DC Dolls - Countess

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-5Hz1v-ZX8

Support the show

Original music by Matthew Keating
Artwork by Paddy Downey
Introduction by Lisa Downey

Produced by Ryan Duggins

Thanks to everyone who has submitted a poem for us for our 2nd volume of The Poetry's Dead Anthology. Submissions are now closed, and we have over 200 poems to read through to bring you a lovely book perfect for Christmas this year.

Today's show we have a lot of beautiful poems for you, along with conversations about poetry really can help turn a life around. We talk about phone addiction, how easy it is to slip into crime and how stories can save you.

We would really appreciate it if you do like the podcast to do your bit to get the word out. We love hearing from you too so don't be a stranger and get in touch with your poetry stories to thepoetrysdeadpodcast@gmail.com

Poetry from the show

T.S Elliot - The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

Read by Sir Anthony Hopkins with Stephen Colbert

https://www.tiktok.com/@colbertlateshow/video/7567195063692954894

Chris Eubank Sr recites Adi Shankara - Song Of The Soul

https://www.amritapuri.org/40614/shankaracharya.aum

Costa Del Joy (Without The Costa) - Leon Dunne and prisoners of Mountjoy Prison, Dublin

https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ4pcj5gCI8/

Heather Peteroy - On My Relationship With The Internet

https://www.instagram.com/bettydogood/?hl=en

Robert Cullen - Untitled Poem

https://www.instagram.com/rc1991/?hl=en

William Wordsworth - I Wander Lonely As A Cloud

Jane Lightbourne - The Bridge

https://www.janelightbourne.co.uk/

Music by Left Iris - Escitalopram

https://leftirisband.com/

Support the show

Original music by Matthew Keating
Artwork by Paddy Downey
Introduction by Lisa Downey

Produced by Ryan Duggins

OK fair, we are a few days late, but keep the skeletons out for a bit longer as we bring you our Halloween special!

Frankenstein, Dracula, the Rock DJ video where we strips his skin off, we leave no tombstone unturned as we take you to the darkest corners of horror with a few poems in the couldron thrown in

The podcast builds up to Leon reading one of popular culture’s most terrifying short stories ‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson. We’re sorry in advance.

We’re current accepting submissions to our second anthology collection so email your poems to thepoetrysdeadpodcast@gmail.com. Deadline November 14th - 40 lines max per poem

Enjoy the podcast…BOO!

Ryan and Leon

Poems from the show

Vincent Price - The Thriller

https://youtu.be/bfREGjSHD1g?si=S48t7XG88RiOM3ho

Suzanne Meehan - Shady

https://www.instagram.com/suzie433?igsh=MXNmc3Bsd3A1N2R6dA==

Conrad Aiken - The Vampire

https://poets.org/poem/vampire

Leon Dunne - The Hotel

https://www.instagram.com/nomanticz?igsh=MXRmNnZ0OGtud2ZwNQ==

Shirley Jackson - The Lottery

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1948/06/26/the-lottery

Music by Molly Donnery - Pull Me Under

https://open.spotify.com/track/6mjgRcLY4Bl76b4bltHk9L?si=tqWGSHz8SjGkEkadf6PR4g

Support the show

Original music by Matthew Keating
Artwork by Paddy Downey
Introduction by Lisa Downey

Produced by Ryan Duggins

Join us this week for a special men's mental health podcast in collaboration with Movember.

It's not easy out there. Juggling responsibilities, craving rest where there is little time, keeping struggles to yourself. Life can be a very difficult thing to navigate, and today's episode we hope to help with some honest chat interwoven between poems from both established voices and new writers sharing gifts to help through darker days.

A special thank you to Daragh Fleming who has created a poetry anthology with Movember where you can find all the poems we share and a heap load more.

MO Poems by Movember and Daragh Fleming is available now and all proceeds go to the Movember charity. If you'd like a copy, click the link in our bio or drop us a message.

I know we all say its time to talk, but doing that isn't easy. Hopefully this podcast starts a few more conversations from anyone struggling.

Ryan and Leon

The Poetry's Dead Podcast

Poems from the show:

Lee Sheridan - Why Men Have Nipples

https://www.writing.ie/member-authors/lee-sheridan/

Ryan Duggins - Peace

https://amzn.eu/d/jh45bB2

Phil Scully - Other Men

https://www.instagram.com/philscully

Myla Kortaba - Pulse

Leon Dunne - This Existence

https://www.poetryireland.ie/education/writers-directory/leon-dunne

James Mooney - I Was Lost

https://www.instagram.com/the.wanderingpaddy/#

Calum Stanley - Echoes Where You Were

https://www.instagram.com/calum.stanley.art/#

Music by Artsipolo - Slow Down

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX47rSU4FZA

Buy MO Poems by Daragh Fleming and Movember

https://jv5m8a-eq.myshopify.com/products/mo-poems-anthology-volume-1

Support the show

Original music by Matthew Keating
Artwork by Paddy Downey
Introduction by Lisa Downey

Produced by Ryan Duggins

We are paying tribute this week to the late writer and researcher of all things Irish, Manchán Magan who has departed our current world for the next one. We talk about his influence on the recent fire under the belly of Irish culture and share a few pages of his book '99 Words For Rain'.

Good news for the artists of Ireland came in the form of the basic income scheme for artists being stamped as permanent. We hear from writers, playwrights and poets on what this news means and the reality of being an artist in Ireland.

We've got a load of Irish sayings courtesy of listenter Theresa McCormack, a circle of life poem from Tanaaz about her own Granny and a banger of a poem from Derek Walcott as a reminder to be kinder to ourselves.

Our Agony Aunt is back helping someone who has a certain itch to scratch. Filthy carry on, really.

Music this week is from Ciaran Lavery who was recently shortlisted for the Northern Ireland Music Prize.

Hopefully see a few of you at the Rising Tide event this Wednesday.

Ryan and Leon

Poems from the show

Mánchan Magan - 99 Words For Rain

https://www.easons.com/ninety-nine-words-for-rain-and-one-for-sun-manchan-magan-9781804583340?srsltid=AfmBOoqb6KOMGIik3tc1OAUqANYGgiHJ3iML-zn-Vz0QUicV1sOZRep4

Derek Walcott - Love After Love

https://allpoetry.com/love-after-love

Leon Dunne - Scars On The Landscape

Tanaaz Kothawalla - Mangoes And Granny

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/poe_tryforme/

Agony Aunt - A Man

Music by Ciaran Lavery

https://ciaranlaverymusic.com/

Support the show

Original music by Matthew Keating
Artwork by Paddy Downey
Introduction by Lisa Downey

Produced by Ryan Duggins

Alright, alright, alright...it was too tempting to type so leave us alone.

How else do you expect us to start this podcast description when we're celebrating the poetry of Matthew McConaughey? Exactly. There are many poems we could have shared from his new books 'Poems and Prayers' but we went with Tips Included. Its a 2 hour listen to complete the audiobook, so create some space in your week and listen to his new book on Spotify asap.

After a week in Benalmadena, Ryan came home to Ireland gasping for a bit of Irish craic and, as fate would have it, that is exactly the subject of Irish Times columnist Brianna Parkins' column in the weekend edition that we picked up on arrival home, so we share her piece.

We have poetry from Norma Gill about believing in the future when grief arrives, a poem about a lesbian date that came with an unexpected twist and we also have our first ever trilingual poem!

Thanks for everyone's support. We would love to see the show expand so if you do like the show, please do review, like and tell your mates.

Yup poetry

Ryan and Leon

Poems from the podcast

Tips Included - Matthew McConaughey

https://greenlights.com/

Brianna Parkins - Good chat? Only when you leave Ireland, you realise it isn't universal - Irish Times Weekend Magazine Column - 27th September 2025

https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/brianna-parkins/

Norma Gill - The Rocky Patch

https://www.instagram.com/_words_to_soothe_/?hl=en

Ola Majekodunmi - On Her Own Terms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn9iQ_9lWi8

Hannah Porter - Lesbian Van

https://www.instagram.com/hannahkatep_/

Agony Aunt - Thought Invader

Music from Ben Reid - The Risen People

https://www.tiktok.com/@benreid___/video/7554574732532649218

Support the show

Original music by Matthew Keating
Artwork by Paddy Downey
Introduction by Lisa Downey

Produced by Ryan Duggins

We have a chonky boy of an episode for you this week!

Due to the magical powers of our sound man, the wonderful Finn O'Reilly (@finnreuben), we present to you our Culture Night episode recorded live at The LAB in Dublin.

This episode is an absolute banger, where we cover everything from poetry, comedy, storytelling and music ( interpretive dance doesn't transfer over to audio very well sadly).

First up we have the amazing Aoife Dunne (@aoife_is-never_dunne) who opens up our show and not only has our audience in fits of laughter, but also strums on the heartstrings with her personally reflective poetry. Ryan is in then for a post-performance chat with Aoife about all things writing.

Next up the Corkonian Bard that is Daragh Fleming (@daraghfleming) speaks of the dark side of masculinity and how he plans to raise the baddest men on the planet (by making them be sound). Leon swoops in after for a sophisticated chat about Daragh's writing process.

Third up the amazing Eve (@allthingsevemusic) serenades us with her incredible lyrics and powerful voice. Leon chats with Eve about what it's like writing in a different language.

The last of our fantastic performers- Danni Culllen (@dannicullen_gypsy_soul) lures you into the ancient art of storytelling with a tale from the myths of Irish folklore. Ryan is up after to chat about where one can go to learn such a craft.

Finally to wrap up the show, we have several audience members grace the stage with some amazing poetry that they wrote on the night! It was amazing to hear such incredible pieces that were made up on the hoof. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you to everyone who contributed x

Support the show

Original music by Matthew Keating
Artwork by Paddy Downey
Introduction by Lisa Downey

Produced by Ryan Duggins