Apologia

Publication Instance Details #2824

Publication Overview

Translation	Is Multilingual	Explicit Irish Context?	Ekphrasis	Has Paratext?	Reference to News, Media or Technology
No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No

Details

Human Rights Issues	Assassination HR & Colonisation/Colonial Legacies
Irish Context	Other
Languages	Irish
Genre	Short Lyric
Medium	Print Collection
Paratext Text	(ag tuama Ernesto Guevara)
Notes	The speaker of the poem visits the mausoleum of Che Guevera in Cuba, experiencing mixed feelings about the place and the people who visit the area. The speaker criticises those who visit and treat the mausoleum like a theme park. The speaker imagines a heroic Che Guevara as a member of the Fianna, riding through the jungle. However, it is acknowledged that it is all too easy to praise the dead: one doesn't join the pantheon of the gods until one is dead. Thus, the speaker admits that while he strongly admires Guevara, he can't quite follow him or his ideology, as he is not a 'superman' like Nietzsche or Duinnín (a reference to An Duinníneach of Irish lexicographical fame).