New Irish Writing: Poetry by Paul McMahon
New Irish Writing's winning poetry entry for April 2025
Today at 21:30
Paul is from Belfast and lives in Clonakilty. He was awarded the Keats-Shelley Poetry Prize by Carol Ann Duffy. Other poetry awards include first prizes in The Moth International, the Nottingham Open Poetry Prize and the Listowel Writers' Week Poetry Collection Prize. His poetry has appeared in Poetry Review, London Magazine and The Stinging Fly. For more details visit: www.paul-mcmahon.com
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The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- The Irish Sun
RTE Fair City star and father to A-list Irish actress reveals he is ‘heartbroken' after finalising divorce
SAOIRSE Ronan's father Paul has said he is "heartbroken" as he reveals he has finalised his divorce. The 56-year-old Advertisement 2 Paul Ronan reveals he and his wife Monica have divorced Credit: Jason Merritt/FilmMagic 2 The news comes after Saoirse announced she was pregnant with her first child Credit: Getty Paul and his now ex-wife Monica met in the 80s and, after having Saoirse together, they soon moved to the Bronx in While there, Paul worked in bars and construction, while Monica worked as a nanny. He began to train as an actor during their US stint and the family remained in the there for a few more years. Eventually, they moved back to Carlow and Saoirse was introduced to acting by her dad at a very young age. Advertisement read more on Saoirse ronan However, despite their bond and shared daughter, Paul revealed that the couple have been separated for 10 years and are now divorced. Speaking to The Sunday World, he explained: "The divorce came through a few weeks ago. "The barrister asked me when it was over, 'how do you feel?'. I said, 'I don't know, it's a weird feeling, of feeling happy but wanting to cry, sick but wanting to throw up, but wanting to jump for joy' "It's just a combination of a bunch of feelings, you know. It's moving on. I have done that as far as the relationship is concerned." Advertisement Most read in Celebrity Latest He added: 'To know that it was all over and not hanging over your head. "It's a new chapter and it's a new opportunity for a new start.' Saoirse Ronan appeals for public to support Childline this Christmas with 'Once I was that child' ISPCC campaign 'I am heartbroken about it. We separated 10 years ago, it was 2015. And now we are divorced, just in the last few weeks.' The Sunday World noted that Paul didn't want to comment publicly on his relationship with Saoirse. Advertisement This comes after Saoirse recently revealed that she is pregnant with her first child with her husband, Jack Lowden. The surprise announcement came just hours after Saoirse turned heads as she stepped out in a jaw-dropping black gown for the Louis Vuitton Cruise in BABY ON THE WAY A source close to the couple confirmed the news, with both The pair were married in Advertisement Giving a rare insight into her private life last year, Saoirse told of her She admitted: 'I became successful when I was quite young. It meant that by the time I found my partner, I'm now at the stage where if it happened, I would like to have a 'I feel fortunate enough that if I step out of this for a minute, I'm hopefully not giving it up forever. But, yeah, I've always wanted that.' winner Saoirse met Lowden in 2018 on the set of Mary Queen of Scots in which she played Mary and he was Darnley, Mary's second husband. Advertisement
Sunday World
5 days ago
- Sunday World
Fair City actor Paul Ronan ‘heartbroken' after divorce from Hollywood starlet Saoirse's mum
Fair City actor Paul confirms he is 'heartbroken' that he and his wife Monica Brennan have parted ways. Paul helped his talented daughter at the start of her career Paul told the Sunday World about the row over the Aghade bridge Saoirse Ronan's parents sadly divorced just weeks before the Hollywood star happily announced she was pregnant with her first child. So reveals the Oscar nominated actress's father Paul in an exclusive interview with the Sunday World. Fair City actor Paul confirms he is 'heartbroken' that he and his wife Monica Brennan have parted ways. And he discloses the couple have been separated for 10 years. 'The divorce came through a few weeks ago,' announced Paul, who plays postman Anto Collins in the RTÉ soap. Asked how he feels about the conclusion of their marriage, Paul becomes reflective. 'I feel like, I don't know, it's a strange feeling,' he ponders. Saoirse with her mum Monica and dad Paul 'The barrister asked me when it was over, 'how do you feel?'. I said, 'I don't know, it's a weird feeling, of feeling happy but wanting to cry, sick but wanting to throw up, but wanting to jump for joy'. 'It's just a combination of a bunch of feelings, you know. It's moving on. I have done that as far as the relationship is concerned. 'To know that it was all over and not hanging over your head. It's a new chapter and it's a new opportunity for a new start.' The 60-year-old Dubliner becomes emotional when talking about the separation. 'I am heartbroken about it,' he sighs. 'We separated 10 years ago, it was 2015. And now we are divorced, just in the last few weeks.' Paul does not currently want to talk publicly about his relationship with his famous 31-year-old daughter. Saoirse showed off her baby bump last week The only reference he wanted to make public about her was that 'I taught Saoirse to swim' in the nearby river Slaney, where she grew up in the house Paul and Monica once shared next to Aghade bridge, four miles from Tullow. He now lives there alone and is in dispute with some neighbours about access to the river. Saoirse is the couple's only child, and last Friday week announced she and her Scottish actor husband Jack Lowden were expecting their first child. Paul and married Monica Brennan in 1992, having met her in the 1980s. "My mam and dad left school at 15 or 16 and have been working ever since. My mam was a cleaner and a nanny and my dad worked in a bar and then was an actor, with a proper job for years," Saoirse once said to The Mirror. Paul told the Sunday World about the row over the Aghade bridge News in 90 Seconds - June 1st "We weren't poor but we didn't have money. So, I knew the value of money from an early age. I knew that whatever we had, it was because of sacrifices made by them. So, I think that's given me a great appreciation for money." Monica played a major role in Saoirse's early career, accompanying her on set as a chaperone when she was underage. The star's mum has credits in a couple of her movies, including Atonement, for which Saoirse as a teenager gained one of her three Oscar nominations. Monica now lives in Dublin, Saoirse in London (she also owns a house in Ballydehob in west Cork), and Paul has moved back to Co Carlow after spending much of the last three years looking after his elderly parents in the capital. Saoirse admits there is a huge bond between her mother and herself. "We've always been very, very close, but when I moved away a few years ago to London, where I lived for a year and a half, I remember feeling so homesick,' she recalls. "I always need to talk to her, but she really helped me through it and helped me to get the courage to keep going with it. Paul helped his talented daughter at the start of her career "I had such newfound respect for my mom once I left. When you're on your own, you don't have anyone to clean your clothes, you don't have anyone to cook for you, you don't have anyone at the end of the night to give you a cuddle. "So I think then my appreciation for her went through the roof. We're best friends." Saoirse and Paul appeared side by side on The Late Late Show in a joint interview in December 2010. They recollected how she got into acting and they recalled working together on RTÉ's The Clinic. "From the age of two I spotted something in her. She was an amazing kid, very friendly and sociable. More so than any kid I have seen,' Paul told Ryan Tubridy. "Eventually, when she was seven or eight, I put her in a short film I was doing. They needed a kid and I said 'I have got one'.' He also took her on set when he starred in The Devil's Own and Veronica Guerin, and got her a role alongside him in the TV series The Clinic. "In the scene [in The Clinic], she was nearly knocked down by a car. I knew the stunt guys but we were still nervous so they put me driving the car. I was glad to be around when she was filming her first scene, it was a big honour,' he raved. He always knew she would make it big in acting. 'From the day she was young, she was always a very confident little child — and I knew she'd make a good actor. I loved it so much that I encouraged her and I put her in a short film when she was five years of age,' he told the Irish Star's Chic. 'She was on set with me a lot — pretty much with everything I ever did, I was bringing her and her mother on-set. So, when she was making her own films and doing plays with her friends and stuff, I saw that she was really into it. 'After the short film, I introduced her to my agent and we started doing auditions. Her third job was with Michelle Pfeiffer in I Could Never Be Your Woman, and from there, that was it.'
Irish Independent
30-05-2025
- Irish Independent
Wexford artist brings history to life with Modern Nostalgia exhibition
Wexford People Today at 12:12 Wexford is a town that has a particular penchant for nostalgia. Oftentimes all it takes is a throwaway reference to particular character or the appearance of an old photo to send memories flooding back and spark lengthy conversations, be they at a barstool or in the virtual world. Local artist Paul Whelan's latest exhibition Modern Nostalgia seeks to explore that fondness for times gone by, but through a modern lens. His paintings capture old, familiar scenes but in a modern way that's uniquely his and invites reflection on the personal histories of his subjects. Pauls art bridges the past and present, combining traditional themes with innovate techniques to create visually stunning works that resonate emotionally and spark conversation for a whole host of reasons. Well-known for distinctive work in pen, ink and acrylic, Paul brings history to life by creating his own unique interpretations of old images. His work certainly generated discussion at the opening of his exhibition in The Pigyard Gallery on Selskar Street. Doing the honours was fellow artist Declan Breen, who provided his own insight into Paul's work, while Jason O'Connor's music provided a lovely soundtrack to the evening. The exhibition will run at The Pigyard Gallery at 13 Selskar Street until June 21.
