Poetry in Motion: “All Ways Home” Marks a Huge Milestone for UCD and Irish Space Science
Ireland’s first satellite (opens in a new window)EIRSAT-1 from University College Dublin has launched into space. Built and tested over the last six years by UCD students and the UCD C-Space team, EIRSAT-1 took flight on Friday 1st December 2023.
A brand-new poem ‘All Ways Home’ written by 12 DEIS secondary school students is etched on the side of EIRSAT-1.
‘All Ways Home’ was commissioned by Professor Lorraine Hanlon, Director of EIRSAT-1 and the UCD Centre for Space Research. With the satellite's journey into space at the core, the young writers were encouraged to think and write about our home-place, local, and global in a universe which stretches far beyond our human understanding.
Jennie Ryan and Simon O’Connor at the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI), Kathleen Moran and Joe Kelly from the Junior Certificate Schools’ Project (JCSP) Demonstration Library Project together with Assoc. Prof. Paul Perry in the UCD School of English, Drama and Film and Emer O Boyle of UCD Parity Studios came on-board to get the poetry project underway.
The student poets came together from all over Ireland to come up with ideas and lines for the poem, in a series of online workshops during the Covid lockdown, when schools were closed. UCD MA Creative Writing students collaborated with Poets Jessica Traynor and Chiamaka Enyi-Amadi to create the final piece, based on the writings created during the workshops. Poet and Associate Professor of Creative Writing at UCD Paul Perry curated the final poem drawing the various strands together into a mosaic-like poem. Commenting on the poem Associate Professor Perry said:
“ Through ‘All Ways Home’, the school children, and UCD creative writing students offered up words and lines for us to make a poem that speaks to the mystery of the universe and sings it in musical and memorable lines.
Speaking of the student poets he added: “I'm incredibly proud of them. The poem really embodies the creativity of Irish school children and college students into communal utterance of hope.'
‘All Ways Home’ is on the outer cover of the Antenna Deployment Module, the part of the satellite responsible for communications with home. Tonight marks the release of this beautiful work both on the ground and in space. To celebrate the creativity of the students, teachers and collaborators who worked on this poem, UCD Arts and Humanities and UCD Research commissioned award-winning illustrator Alan Dunne to create a beautiful three-minute animated film of the poem, featuring some of the voices of its student writers.
‘All Ways Home’ was translated into Irish (‘Gach Slí Abhaile’) by Eoin Mc Evoy, UCD School of Irish, Celtic Studies & Folklore, who voiced the Irish language version of the film.
All Ways Home
A lone pilot searching for home amid starry frescos,
And little blood waves that mimic the tide-pull.
Our insignificance! Our planet a crumb on the fabric of spacetime,
Sharing the same sky, you and I, wherever feet are anchored.
I will write your name on the moon with my fingertips,
An apparition cast from memory's design.
Universe-whisper, orange as goldfish.
All I want is the delicious scent, the dark blue muddy shoes
and ruined grass of starlight, home,
Strawberry moon in the cloudless, blue black mystic, one day it could all be rain.
Those wind-swept words; voices clutched to our warmth,
Courage plucked from conversation.
Breezebreath, feel the blush dust my cheeks, the stars like old photos.
Leave the porch light on. The children dance, their mothers sing.
Everything changes all at once, the sky, the sun.
Bound with images of mystery, like lemongrass and sleep, except for the tree.
I look up. I see stars. They live forever inside me.
Home is the wild bitterness of backyard blackberries,
A bay tree, its fragrant leaves,
Breathing easy,
A smell so familiar it has none.
‘All Ways Home’ Contributors
Poets (UCD): Alison Martha Fagan, Ciara Mulherin, Lorna Donlon, Zandra Carrington, Jessica O’Brien, Sean O’Neill, Nina A. Devlin, Andrew Jeremy Nicoll, Kelly Michels, Elizabeth Paulsen, Maryanne Williams, Mary Irving, LJ Morris
Poets (Schools):
Joseph O'Reilly, Megha Macharla Grace Shelley, Evan Corrigan
Goran Roche Wynne, Chloe Monahan Sultan Martins, Micheál Joseph Mac Phaidín Nicole Lynagh, Sarah Thompson Lilly Roys, Alyssa McDonald
#eirsat1
Déanann ‘All Ways Home’/’Gach Slí Abhaile’ ceiliúradh ar chlochmhíle thábhachtach do UCD agus Eolaíocht Spáis na hÉireann
Seoladh(opens in a new window) EIRSAT-1, an chéad satailít de chuid na hÉireann, isteach sa spás. Satailít é EIRSAT-1 a thóg agus a thástáil scoláirí de chuid UCD thar thréimhse 6 bliana. Seoladh ó California é an 1 Nollaig 2023.
Tá dán úrnua dar teideal ‘All Ways Home’, a chum dháréag daltaí ó scoileanna DEIS, greanta ar thaobh EIRSAT-1.
Rinne an tOllamh Lorraine Hanlon, Stiúrthóir EIRSAT-1 agus Ionad UCD um Thaighde ar an Spás, coimisiúnú ar ‘All Ways Home’. Spreagadh na scríbhneoirí óga le machnamh a dhéanamh ar aistear na satailíte isteach sa spás agus ag an am céanna ar an mbaile, ár suíomh áitiúil agus domhanda sa chruinne, rud a shíneann i bhfad raon ár dtuiscinte daonna.
Tháinig Jennie Ryan agus Simon O’Connor ó Mhúsaem Litríochta na hÉireann (MoLI), Kathleen Moran agus Joe Kelly ón tionscadal Demonstration Library ag an Teastas Sóisearach – Clár Scoile (JCSP), an tOllamh Comhlach Paul Perry ó Scoil an Bhéarla, na Drámaíochta agus na Scannánaíochta UCD agus Emer O Boyle ó Parity Studios UCD le chéile mar fhoireann chun an tionscadal filíochta a sheoladh.
Tháinig daltaí ó áiteanna ar fud na hÉireann le chéile ar líne le linn dhianghlasáil Covid agus thug siad faoi shraith ceardlann san fhilíocht. D’oibrigh scoláirí de chuid an MA Creative Writing in UCD leis na filí Jessica Traynor agus Chiamaka Enyi-Amadi le dán a ullmhú bunaithe ar phíosaí scríbhneoireachta na ndaltaí. Ba é an file agus an tOllamh Comhlach Paul Perry a mhúineann i réimse na Scríbhneoireachta Cruthaithí a tharraing na snáithí éagsúla ar fad le chéile le dán mósáice a chumadh. Agus é ag trácht ar an dán, bhí an méid seo le rá ag an Ollamh Comhlach Perry:
‘Through ‘All Ways Home’, the school children, and UCD creative writing students offered up words and lines for us to make a poem that speaks to the mystery of the universe and sings it in musical and memorable lines.’
Agus é ag trácht ar na daltaí scoile a ghlac páirt sna ceardlanna:
‘I'm incredibly proud of them. The poem really embodies the creativity of Irish school children and college students into communal utterance of hope.’
Tá an dán ‘All Ways Home’ ar an gcumhdach seachtrach den Mhodúl Feidhmithe Aeróige [Antenna Deployment Module], .i. an chuid sin den satailít a dhéanann an chumarsáid leis an mbaile. Déantar ceiliúradh anocht ar sheoladh an tsaothair álainn sin, anseo ar an talamh agus amach sa spás. Chun cruthaitheacht na ndaltaí, na foirne teagaisc agus na ndaoine eile ar fad a d’oibrigh le chéile ar an dán a cheiliúradh, rinne Coláiste na nEalaíon agus nDaonnachtaí UCD agus Taighde UCD coimisiúnú ar bheochan álainn trí nóiméad den dán leis an maisitheoir mór-ráchairte Alan Dunne agus cuid de glórtha na ndaltaí féin le cloisteáil ann.
D'aistrigh an file Eoin Mc Evoy ó Scoil na Gaeilge, an Léinn Cheiltigh agus an Bhéaloidis UCD an dán go Gaeilge faoin teideal ‘Gach Slí Abhaile’ agus rinne sé an guthú ar an leagan Gaeilge den fhíseán.
Gach Slí Abhaile
Píolóta aonair sa tóir ar an mbaile i measc fhreascónna na réalt,
Agus tonnta beaga fola ag déanamh aithris ar tharraingt na taoide.
Nach beag ár dtábhacht! Grabhróg é ár bplainéid ar éadach an spás-ama,
Roinnimid an spéir chéanna, mise agus tusa, cuma cén áit a bhfuil na cosa fúinn.
Scríobfaidh mé d’ainm ar an ngealach le barr mo mhéire,
Taise a teilgeadh ó phatrún na cuimhne.
Cogar na cruinne agus dath oráiste an éisc órga air.
Níl uaim ach an cumhrán ríbhlasta, na bróga dúghorma lán lábáin
agus féar millte sholas na réalt, an baile.
An ghealach ina sú talún sa diamhracht dhúghorm gan néal, lá éigin, seans, ní bheidh ann ach fearthainn.
Na focail sceirdiúla sin; glórtha a dteannaimid leo don teas,
Misneach a fháisctear as an gcomhrá.
Anáil leoithne,
airím an luisne i mo leicne
na réaltaí ina seanphictiúir.
Coinnigh solas an phóirse ar lasadh. Tá na páistí ag rince agus a máithreacha ag canadh.
Athraítear an uile ní in éineacht, an spéir, an ghrian.
Ceangailte le híomhánna rúndiamhra, féar líomóideach agus suan, cé is moite den chrann.
Féachaim in airde. Feicim na réaltaí. Maireann siad ionam go deo.
Is é is baile dúinn seirbhe fhiáin sméara dubha an chlóis,
Crann labhrais gona dhuilleoga cumhra,
Análú réidh,
Boladh a bhfuil aithne chomh maith sin air nach ann dó.
Rannpháirtithe ‘All Ways Home’
Filí (UCD): Alison Martha Fagan, Ciara Mulherin, Lorna Donlon, Zandra Carrington, Jessica O’Brien, Sean O’Neill, Nina A. Devlin, Andrew Jeremy Nicoll, Kelly Michels, Elizabeth Paulsen, Maryanne Williams, Mary Irving, LJ Morris
Filí (Scoileanna):
Joseph O'Reilly, Megha Macharla Grace Shelley, Evan Corrigan
Goran Roche Wynne, Chloe Monahan Sultan Martins, Micheál Joseph Mac Phaidín Nicole Lynagh, Sarah Thompson Lilly Roys, Alyssa McDonald
Aistritheoir:
Eoin Mc Evoy