A Dublin-based poetry and performance group, Tara Telephone is often categorized as one of the Irish Beat groups
of the late sixties, as seen on irishshowbands.net.
This photo's caption reads "Eamon Carr (later of Horslips),
Peter Fallon (brother of B.P. and nephew of the poet Padraig Fallon and Lucienne Purcell. Lucienne subsequently joined Nightbus.)"
But that's only part of the story.
Of the photo and of Tara Telephone.
The history of Tara Telephone as briefly outlined in Mark Cunningham's Hot Press article on Horslips:
Both [Eamon] Carr and [Declan] Sinnott had been major players in Tara Telephone, a poetry and music group which among its many antics included the publication of magazines and broadsheets, such as The Book Of Invasions. Carr says: “Peter Fallon and I produced those broadsheets and we published just about anybody from Allen Ginsberg and Adrian Henri to Marc Bolan and Roger McGough. The artist that we had working with us was Jim Fitzpatrick who went on to design Thin Lizzy’s album sleeves.”
Of the heady late ’60s/early ’70s era, Carr recalls: “There was a really exciting underground movement going on in Dublin and some of the more interesting bands were Skid Row with Gary Moore, Dr Strangely Strange and Mellow Candle. Henry McCullough (later of Wings fame and one of the voices on Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon) played with The People who later became Eire Apparent, then he joined Sweeney’s Men who were a young traditional music group.
“We persuaded Philip Lynott to come and read some of his lyrics and poems at one of our poetry workshops. He was well nervous about it but it sort of validated what he was doing. There was a lot of exchange of ideas floating between people and it was a very healthy, creative period."
(Cover art from The Book of Invasions: A monthly broadsheet
published by Tara Telephone, Eamon Carr, Peter Fallon, editors. Title Design by Jim Fitzpatrick (Two Bare Feet)
Typeset by Irish Graphic Design, and Printed by Ben-Day Press, Ltd., Dublin 2. Image scanned from copy in private collection.)
In the summer of 2005, a piece of Tara Telephone artwork was in the Summer of Love Exhibition of the Liverpool Tate. Online research into private libraries and literary collections shows that the poetry and publications of Tara Telephone are worth closer study. Not only because they introduce themes and imagery later developed in Horslips lyrics and albums, but also because, in their own right, they are a glimpse into a time and place. They are documents of a wider movement and an emerging culture of modern Irish poetry and popular art.
Tara Telephone Publications (a partial list)
Capella
Capella 1 40 poems by 28 poems including Gerard McCarthy, Jim Burns, Pete Morgan, Brian Wake, Des O'Mahony, Tony Dash, Roger McCough, Mike Evans and Peter Finch. 3/ 6d.
Capella 2 38 poems by 24 poets including Pete Morgan, Leland Bardwell, Leo Finlay, Ben Gibney, Tina Morris, Liam Murphy, Brian Patten, Wes Magee, Justin McCarthy, Adrian Henri, Pete Sinfield and Knute Skinner. 3/-d.
Capella 3 Contributors include Brian Wake, Willie Kealy, John Lennon, Joe Taylor, Eugene Platt, Denis MacEoin, Brendan Kennelly, Pearse Hutchinson and Pete Morgan. 3/-d.
Capella 4
Capella 5+6
The Book of Invasions
Chapter 1 contains poems by twelve younger Irish writers. 1 /-d.
Chapter 2 contains poems from twelve poets including Gerry McCarthy, Leland Bardwell, Eamon Carr, Olga Murphy, Ben Gibney, Des O'Mahony, Peter Fallon, Terry Hayden, Richard Moran, Joe Taylor, Evanna O'Boyle, and Liam Murphy. 1 /-d.
Chapter 3 contains poems from ten contemporary British poets including Pete Morgan, Mike Evans, Brian Wake, Wes Magee, Adrian Henri, and Jim Burns.
Chapter 4
Cover designs by Jim Fitzpatrick (Two Bare Feet).
Poem-Posters
No. 1 'No Exit' by Peter Fallon and Two Bare Feet
Silver, black and white
No. 2 'A Tale of Love' by Eamon Carr and Two Bare Feet,
Day-Glo pink and silver
It is the hope of this page and the companion Tara Telephone site to explore and learn more about Tara Telephone and the intensely creative period of Irish and popular cultural history of the time.
I hope to respect all copyright issues and will update any information on this site that others may see as incomplete or incorrect. Also, the site location of Ireland is in acknowledgement of Tara Telephone. I am based in the United States.
Poems in the blog all originally appeared in Tara Telephone publications or broadsheets. Wherever possible, I would like to link to current editions of works by the poets highlighted.
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