MaREI Podcast – Energy Poetry
This episode of the MaREI Podcast is about energy poetry. It features a reading and discussion of a poem – The Lighthouse, by Vona Groarke – which looks at the Rural Electrification Scheme in Ireland through the eyes of the people whose lives were impacted by that energy transition.
Past, present and future energy transitions are often told exclusively as stories about technology, which overlooks the central role of people in the decisions and practices of energy usage. Poetry often sees and tells stories that are hidden, overlooked or ignored. Poems about energy can provide insights to the way different people see or relate to energy, which can help us as we think about energy, people and the future.
Written & produced by Fionn Rogan & Evan Boyle.
Poem reading by Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh.
The Lighthouse, by Vona Groarke, is from the collection Other People’s Houses (1999). Thanks for kind permission of the author’s Estate and The Gallery Press, Loughcrew, Oldcastle, County Meath, Ireland for allowing us to include this poem in our podcast.
Links:
Other People’s Houses, by Vona Groarke
ESB Archives on Rural Electrification
Music by: Francis Heery
Blog about Rural Electrification Scheme in context of Climate Action
