A Donegal poet using an online donation page to fund his first book has received a surprise contribution from Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan.
The legendary hellraiser dropped €20 into the kitty for Churchill man John O’Donnell Cotter who has released his collection ‘The Wild Atlantic Poet’.
The book comprises 120 of John’s poems, many of them about Donegal and others about his life experiences and journey.
“I have been to 83 of Shane’s concerts and I’ve met him on a few occasions but even then, I still wasn’t expecting a donation from him,” said John.
“The first time I came across Shane was years ago when he and the Pogues, they were still Póg Mo Thóin then, played in the Downtown Bar in Letterkenny. It was Rag Week at the Regional College so it was really packed and Elvis Costello was sitting smoking at the bar. It was a great night and I’ve been a fan ever since.”
A prolific writer, John O’Donnell Cotter has a back catalogue of almost 3,000 poems and has penned over 100 songs. His work has been published in America while his songs have been recorded in Australia, the USA, Italy and Switzerland.
“All my life I have had a great interest in writing poetry and lyrics. I started putting bits and pieces up on Facebook and people began saying I should get a book together.
Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan who dropped €20 into the kitty for John’s book.
“I decided to go down the Go Fund Me route and set a target of €1,000. I can’t thank people enough for their generosity. Quite a few people have put their hands in their pockets and to me every cent is the same, whether it comes from Shane MacGowan or a man or woman on the street. I’m equally grateful to them all.”
The artwork for the book is an image of Bád Eddie and was supplied by Pat Cooke Photography. The Wild Atlantic Poet collection will be available in bookstores and local shops in the coming days. For more information follow John on his Facebook page ‘Poems, Songs & Paint Splashes’ or his own John O’Donnell (Cotter) page.
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