Studyclix Podcast on Paula Meehan

Introduction

• Podcast by Studyclix with Lara Daly, expert teacher
• Focus on poet Paula Meehan and her poems on the Leaving Cert English syllabus
• Structure: Background, key themes, essay structure, poem analysis

Paula Meehan's Background

• Born in Dublin, 1955; working-class family
• Influences: Oral tradition, poverty, education at Trinity College
• Activism: Social issues—drug epidemics, homelessness, women's rights
• Personal reflection in poetry: Family conflicts, social justice

Key Themes in Meehan's Poetry

1. Sense of Place: Dublin, working-class roots
2. Poverty and Class: Social justice, cyclical poverty
3. Women's Issues: Patriarchal society, oppression
4. Family and Community: Personal anecdotes, humor
5. Oral Tradition: Colloquial language, storytelling

Essay Structure

• Use the PCLM marking scheme: Purpose, Coherence, Language, Mechanics
• Use an inverted triangle approach: Overview, imagery, specific language
• Bookend essays with quotes for cohesion

Analysis of Poems

1. The Exact Moment I Became a Poet

• Themes: Education, class, vulnerability
• Key Images: Cloud of chalk, chickens on conveyor belt, plucked feathers
• Tone: Meditative, critical

2. The Pattern

• Themes: Mother-daughter relationships, societal patterns
• Key Images: Red dress, Phoenix Park photo, knitting by the fire
• Tone: Regret, sadness

3. Hearth Lesson

• Themes: Family Discord, poverty
• Key Images: Zeus and Hera, burning money
• Tone: Combative, resignation

4. The Statue of the Virgin at Granard Speaks

• Themes: Religion, societal responsibility
• Key Images: Nature in chaos, Anne Lovett's plea
• Tone: Bitter, judgmental

5. Prayer for the Children of Longing

• Themes: Addiction, societal failures
• Key Images: Streets personification, great tree
• Tone: Reverent, regretful

6. My Father Perceived as a Vision of St. Francis

• Themes: Aging, renewal
• Key Images: St. Francis comparison, feeding birds
• Tone: Intimate, awe

7. Buying Winkles

• Themes: Childhood adventure, tenement life
• Key Images: Winkles, light and darkness
• Tone: Playful, nostalgic

8. Cora, Auntie

• Themes: Love, illness, immigration
• Key Images: Death personification, red sequins
• Tone: Humor, admiration

9. Death of a Field

• Themes: Ecological destruction
• Key Images: Flora and fauna, chemical replacements
• Tone: Bitter, grief

10. Them Ducks Died for Ireland

• Themes: Commemoration, forgotten history
• Key Images: St. Stephen’s Green, nurse
• Tone: Meditative, reflective

Conclusion

• Highlight poetic terminology and quotes in essays
• Meehan’s poetry: Relatable, accessible, socially aware
• Best of luck in the exam!