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The Art of Staying

Poet MΓ­chΓ©al McCann navigates the etiquette of a rural Northern Irish wake as a queer man from the city.

Since its creation a century ago, perceptions of Northern Ireland have often been dominated by stories of conflict and political unrest. But as anyone who lives there or who has visited knows, it’s a picture that’s far from complete.

Five essays reveal Another Northern Ireland in its centenary year - the idiosyncrasies of the everyday, hidden histories and untold stories, which outsiders rarely get to hear about but which each of these writers inhabits, lives and understands.

Poet MΓ­cheΓ‘l McCann has always believed that, for queer people like him, to leave for the big city is not just a verb but a commandment. But at a traditional rural Northern Ireland wake, a mourning rite for his uncle, he reconsiders his understanding of β€˜home’ and asks if it could come to mean something different.

Written and read by MΓ­cheΓ‘l McCann
Producers: Ophelia Byrne and Conor Garrett

Available now

14 minutes

Broadcast

  • Wed 8 Dec 2021 22:45

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