Rita Ann turns her attention to life after the Celtic Tiger

By Bernie Ní Fhlatharta

The latest volume of poetry by Galway’s own Rita Ann Higgins reflects the changes in Ireland since the demise of the Celtic Tiger.

In fact, the poems have much the same tone of much of Rita Ann’s earlier work, when her sardonic take on life provided her with the material that first got her noticed.

Poems like Goddess on the Mervue Bus gave Rita Ann almost pop star status – at least locally – and she was constantly asked to do readings, something she does very well in her distinct Galway city accent.

But her ability to read poetry is as much to do with her body language as it is with her nasal tones and accent. She has a way of peeking over her spectacles to make a point, or looking around the room to gain an intimacy with her audience.

Ireland is Changing Mother is her ninth volume and was launched in the Galway Arts Centre last Friday by comedian, Tommy Tiernan, who no doubt appreciated the nuances of this latest collection.

Indeed, Rita Ann is well able to deliver some of her poems with a touch of comedy! And with this book, she will get plenty of opportunity, even if the poems deal with the scandals of the property collapse and the end of the boom years.

A Galway native, Rita Ann now divides her time between Corrib Park and Spiddal. The time in the Gaeltacht explains the inclusion of many Irish words and she has learned to speak the language, complete with the local blás, though she is too modest to call herself an Irish speaker. . . yet.

She writes constantly, something she describes as “an escape”, although it’s a lonely activity. But she doesn’t close herself off from the world completely, which is good, as her observations gives her plenty to write about.

“I can’t help but be affected by what’s happening to the economy and how it is affecting people. I think this new collection of poems reflect that,” she says, adding that’s hard to believe that people are now on the breadline when the country was going mad a few years ago, spending money that we obviously never really had.

“I enjoy reflecting what people are thinking. I used to give writing workshops but I had to stop because I found they were taking a lot out of me and I need my concentration for my writing,” she explains.Her favourites from her own work change all the time and she hasn’t read often enough from this new collection to have developed a favourite.

In recent years she prefers to stay “under the radar” though with her own big personality, it’s not an easy thing to do. She is still amazed any time someone recognises her. Recently someone came up to her in the Old Curiosity Shop on Merchants Road. “I love second hand shops and when that person recognised me in there, that was the real me because I feel really at home there, rooting through the clothes for bargains.”

Ireland is Changing Mother, published by Bloodaxe Books, will also be launched in Dublin and will be followed by a tour of Ireland and the UK.