Poem

Colditz

Title Colditz
Author Críostóir Ó Floinn

Instances of Publication

A published appearance of this poem.

Collection/Anthology Year of Publication Medium View Details
Aisling Dhá Abhann 1977 Print Collection View Details

Translations

Connected translations of this poem.

Title Author Collection/Anthology Year View Details
Mandelstam on his Deathbed Cathal Ó Searcaigh Crann na Teanga/The Language Tree 2018 View Details
Mandelstam on his Deathbed (Rosenstock) Gabriel Rosenstock An Fear Glas/The Green Man 2015 View Details
Publication Instance Details #329
Collection/Anthology Details
Collection/Anthology Aisling Dhá Abhann
Date of Publication 1977
Publisher Foilseacháin Náisiúnta Teoranta (Ireland)
Page Number(s) 18
Publication Overview
Translation Is Multilingual Explicit Irish Context? Ekphrasis Has Paratext? Reference to News, Media or Technology
No
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
Details
Human Rights Issues
War / Genocide Referenced
Irish Context
Languages
Genre Short Lyric
Medium Print Collection
Notes Sardonic reflection on how one generation's 'war' is the next generation's entertainment. Speaker of the poem refers to a documentary programme about British soldiers' escape from the Colditz prisoner-of-war camp during World War II. A young British soldier shot dead by Germans as he tried to escape is eulogized in the programme. The speaker asks if same kind of programme will be made for the internee (presumably an IRA volunteer) shot dead by British troops the previous night as he attempted to escape from Long Kesh Detention Centre where paramilitary prisoners were kept during the Northern Irish conflict. There is strong hints of anti-British sentiment in this poem, and an implicit suggestion that IRA volunteers were also prisoners of war.
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