POET Michael O’Dowd lives with Cerebral Palsy, which means he cannot speak clearly, but writing poetry has helped him find his voice.
Limerick Enable Ireland client Michael (32) from Rosbrien, now has two published books under his belt and is working on a third.
Michael has always been interested in writing and he told the Limerick Post that his work on the books, ‘Mourning Song’ and ‘Crack’ has allowed him to “express my feelings, emotions and opinions on a whole range of subjects in everyday life”.
Asked to describe the 60-plus poems, his wicked sense of humour comes to the fore. They are “brilliant bloody poetry by myself,” he says.
He describes himself as “spiritual” and says that the poetry explores his relationships with family, his beliefs, “God, funny poems, my own life, history, whatever. The inspiration could be anything.”
Michael communicates via a keyboard device on which he types and which then uses audio to speak the words for him while displaying the printed sentences on a screen.
He writes every day both at the centre and at home, using a laptop and credits the people at Enable Ireland and the Irish Wheelchair Association in Limerick for supporting and encouraging him.
Speaking about the time he spends at the centre in Mungret three times a week, Michael says it “makes life worthwhile and helps me feel close to my late friend, Ger.”
He says that far from feeling people with a disability are at a disadvantage when writing, “I need it (writing). I feel it is a great tool for expressing myself.”
His books are “almost sold out,” but a few copies are still available from Enable Ireland and so far, he hasn’t put a title on the coming work.
Asked what he likes to do apart from writing, Michael says he loves “going to the pub….and markets….and coffee shops.”
