13th ANNIVERSARY In loving memory of my father Patsy Hanratty, late of Bellurgan Point, Dundalk, who died 13 March 2005. The slippers lying empty under the bed; The shovel lying idle in the shed; The numbers scribbled beside the telephone. A new reminder every day Brings you close from far away. You're not here…
In memory of my mother A Sunday dinner, then tea and cake, Ties that bind and cannot break. A story told, a laugh or smile, Or gentle silence for a while. A special gift, now and then. Now she has gone home again. Someone to talk to any day, Someone to help in any way.…
On 6 April, the Dublin launch of Talkin' Squirrel Blues took place at the Irish Writers Centre. The IWC provides an amazing venue for book launches and other literary events. And tonight the spotlight was on my surreal comedy novel. I felt like I had finally grown up as a writer. Indeed, I almost felt like…
In preparation for the recent book launch at the Irish Writers Centre, I gave a short interview at the end of March on "Word for Word" on Dublin South FM. I was interviewed by renowned political expert and social commentator, Dan O'Neil. You can listen to the interview here. It starts around the 40 min…
On 6 April 2017, the Irish Writers Centre played host to the Dublin launch of Talkin' Squirrel Blues. By 6.00 that evening, the room was all set up. And at 6.30 the guests - the great and the good of the Dublin literary scene - began to arrive. After some refreshing refreshments and casual chatter…
Last Wednesday evening, the latest Sunflower Sessions took place in Jack Nealon's on Capel Street, Dublin. Sadly, this was to be our last literary gathering at this snug venue. We'll need to find pastures new in April. For this session, I decided to recite some of the blues lyrics from Talkin' Squirrel Blues. Fingers Flaherty,…
You can find further details about the Dublin launch on the Irish Writers Centre website here. Guest speakers and book signing on the night! See you there for a dash of Flann O'Brien with a splash of Muddy Waters.
Today is my father's anniversary. Each year, I publish a short poem in the local paper to remember him. The words are as true today as when I first wrote them. The slippers lying empty under the bed; The shovel lying idle in the shed; The numbers scribbled beside the telephone. A new reminder every…
Last night we had the January gathering of the Sunflower Sessions in Dublin. It was also the official launch of the second issue of Flare, currently available from Books Upstairs. And it was an ideal opportunity to announce the Dublin launch of Talkin' Squirrel Blues, taking place on 6 April at the Irish Writers Centre…
Today I was interviewed on the Midmorning Show on LMFM. I spoke about Talkin' Squirrel Blues and the various influences that inspired me on my squirrelly journey. If you'd like to listen to the interview, here's the podcast. The interview starts around the 9:00 mark. Listen! On the live broadcast, just before the interview, they…
Livin' life by song lyrics
Livin' life by song lyrics
Irish folklore and yarns
Livin' life by song lyrics
Deaf geographies, and other worlds.
An aggregate of music (and non-music) writing by Tom Baker.
Livin' life by song lyrics
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