Frank Ormsby
Encyclopedia
Francis Arthur Ormsby is a Northern Irish poet
.
He was educated at St Michael's College, Enniskillen
and Queen's University Belfast. He was editor of The Honest Ulsterman
from 1969 to 1989, and has also edited the Poetry Ireland Review
. Since 1976 he has been Head of English at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution
. The man has been an inspiration for everyone who has been lucky enough to have him as a teacher or a friend. In 2010, after 34 years in the post, he announced his decision to retire from the role of 'Head of English' at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution
.
In 1992 he received the Cultural Traditions Award, given in memory of John Hewitt, and in 2002 the Lawrence O'Shaughnessy Award for Poetry from the University of St. Thomas at St Paul, Minnesota.
Recently he has returned to writing with a new collection Fireflies, published by Carcanet in 2009. The work features poems set in rural Fermanagh, Belfast and America.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
He was educated at St Michael's College, Enniskillen
Enniskillen
Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
and Queen's University Belfast. He was editor of The Honest Ulsterman
The Honest Ulsterman
The Honest Ulsterman was a long running Northern Ireland literary magazine that was established by James Simmons in 1968. It was then edited for twenty years by Frank Ormsby....
from 1969 to 1989, and has also edited the Poetry Ireland Review
Poetry Ireland Review
Poetry Ireland Review is a journal of Irish poetry published quarterly by Poetry Ireland, the national Irish poetry organization.Poetry Ireland Review publishes the work of both emerging and established Irish and international poets. In line with keeping the journal fresh, vibrant and progressive...
. Since 1976 he has been Head of English at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution
Royal Belfast Academical Institution
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution, is a Grammar School in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Locally referred to as Inst, the school educates boys from ages 11–18...
. The man has been an inspiration for everyone who has been lucky enough to have him as a teacher or a friend. In 2010, after 34 years in the post, he announced his decision to retire from the role of 'Head of English' at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution
Royal Belfast Academical Institution
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution, is a Grammar School in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Locally referred to as Inst, the school educates boys from ages 11–18...
.
In 1992 he received the Cultural Traditions Award, given in memory of John Hewitt, and in 2002 the Lawrence O'Shaughnessy Award for Poetry from the University of St. Thomas at St Paul, Minnesota.
Recently he has returned to writing with a new collection Fireflies, published by Carcanet in 2009. The work features poems set in rural Fermanagh, Belfast and America.
Publications
- Ripe for Company, Belfast: Ulsterman Publications, 1971.
- A Store of Candles, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1977.
- A Northern Spring, London: Secker & Warburg, 1986.
- The Ghost Train, Oldcastle, Co. Meath: The Gallery Press, 1995.
- Fireflies, Manchester: Carcanet / Oxford Poets, 2009.
Edited volumes
- Poets from the North of Ireland, Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 1979; revised edition, 1990.
- Northern Windows: An Anthology of Ulster Autobiography, Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 1987.
- The Long Embrace: Twentieth Century Irish Love Poems, London: Faber & Faber, 1987.
- Thine in Storm and Calm: An Amanda McKittrick Ros Reader, Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 1988.
- The Collected Poems of John Hewitt, Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 1991.
- A Rage for Order: Poetry of the Northern Ireland Troubles, Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 1992.
- The Hip Flask: Short Poems from Ireland, Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 2001.
- The Blackbird's Nest: An Anthology of Poetry from Queen's University Belfast, Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 2006.
- The Selected Poems of John Hewitt (co-edited with Michael LongleyMichael LongleyMichael Longley, CBE is a Northern Irish poet from Belfast.-Life and career:Longley was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution and subsequently read Classics at Trinity College, Dublin, where he edited Icarus...
), Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 2007.