A Donegal man has put pen to paper for a second time to chronicle his musings of life during lockdown.
‘The Thoughts and Poems of Joseph Cannon’ is a follow up to the Carrick native’s previous collection ‘Miscellany of Thoughts and Poems of Joseph Cannon’, a work that raised thousands of euros for three worthy causes.
This time around Joseph has nominated Exwell as one of his chosen organisations, a community-based chronic illness rehabilitation programme based in Dublin where the author lives. The other half of the money will go to Kilcar Pipe Band.
Joseph Cannon suffered a devastating spinal injury in 2016 and has used his recovery time to write poems and short stories about his early life, his family and about Straleel, the townland he grew up in.
“I grew up in the hills where the GAA was a real centre point of the community. Kilcar was the team that my brothers played on and I saw them win leagues and championships for many years there. I lived on a farm which was hard work looking after the sheep with the family and daily trips to the bog to cut the turf.”
Joseph moved to Dublin in search of work in 1979. Aged 18 he found employment as an apprentice barman in Burchell’s of Ranelagh before moving to Dalkey where he worked as a senior barman.
When things got quiet in the mid-1980s he decided to return to Donegal and his family. But the lure of the capital took him away again less than three years later, employment coming this time in the form of the Parks Department of South Dublin County Council.
It was a post he held up until his accident, an accident Joseph puts down to “wear and tear”.
“I had an accident at work and I fell off the bike a few times but I couldn’t really pinpoint what happened,” said the Donegal man.
Rather than dwell on his misfortune though he has bravely turned a negative into a positive. While awaiting the numerous operations he has had to undergo and between gruelling physio sessions Joseph began writing down his memories and thoughts.
In ‘The Thoughts and Poems of Joseph Cannon’ he has used his literary talents to chronicle life during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The first book did well and I’ve had a lot of people asking me if I was going to do any more. So I said I would give it a go.
“This second book is about the history of places I have lived in, it’s about growing up, people I know and it’s about life during Covid which has been tough on so many people,” he said.
Joseph’s book will be available in shops in Kilcar and Carrick within the next few weeks. However anyone wishing to grab a copy can ring the writer on 0870692943 or email rosscannonitt@gmail.com.
An official launch will take place in the Áislann Chill Chartha on Saturday, February 12. Joseph will be on hand to sign books from 7.30pm to 9pm before things move to the Kilcar House where DJ Ciaran Cannon will be on hand with some entertainment. Finger food will also be provided.
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