Frank Ormsby interviews & poem features for The Tumbling Paddy
Frank Ormsby's eighth collection The Tumbling Paddy was published by Bloodaxe Books in June 2026. This is his fourth title from Bloodaxe Books, and his first new book since he served as the eighth Ireland Professor of Poetry from 2019 to 2022.
Frank Ormsby was born in 1947, in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, and was educated at Queen's University in Belfast. Until 2010 he was Head of English at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. His latest collections are The Tumbling Paddy (June 2026), The Rain Barrel (2019) and The Darkness of Snow (2017), a Poetry Book Society Recommendation, which was shortlisted for a National Book Circle Critics Award in the US. His retrospective Goat’s Milk: New & Selected Poems (2015), includes work from four earlier collections, A Store of Candles (Oxford University Press, 1977), A Northern Spring (Secker & Warburg, 1986), The Ghost Train (Gallery Press, 1995) and Fireflies (Carcanet, 2009), together with new poems, and was shortlisted for the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Literary Prize. He was editor of The Honest Ulsterman from 1969 to 1989, and has also edited Poetry Ireland Review. In 1992 he received the Cultural Traditions Award, given in memory of John Hewitt, and in 2002 the Lawrence O'Shaughnessy Award for Poetry from the University of St Thomas at St Paul, Minnesota. Frank Ormsby served as the eighth Ireland Professor of Poetry from 2019 to 2022.
Frank Ormsby launched his new collection The Tumbling Paddy at two in-person events in Northern Ireland in June 2026, supported by Malachi O’Doherty. The first took place on 6 June 2026 at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University Belfast, as part of the Belfast Book Festival. Frank spoke movingly about his experience of Parkinson's disease and read new work to an enthralled audience. The second launch was held at Seamus Heaney HomePlace, Bellaghy, on 18 June.
The Tumbling Paddy was also launched online with Bloodaxe on 23 June 2026 - scroll down for details and to watch via YouTube.
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POEM FEATURE IN THE IRISH TIMES
The Irish Times, Poem, Saturday 27 June 2026
Frank Ormsby’s poem ‘Remind Me How Often’ from his eighth collection The Tumbling Paddy was featured in The Irish Times of 27 June. The book is due to be reviewed by Martina Evans in her next poetry round-up in The Irish Times at the beginning of August.
The poem feature appeared in print on Saturday 27 June. It is available by subscription online, where it is illustrated with a colour photo of Frank Ormsby pictured in his Ireland Professor of Poetry robes. He served as the eighth Ireland Professor of Poetry from 2019 to 2022.
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/2026/06/27/poem-of-the-week-remind-me-how-often/
‘Remind Me How Often’ is the final poem read by Frank in a recording made by Malachi O’Docherty especially for Bloodaxe’s online launch.
Frank Ormsby reads poems from The Tumbling Paddy
These audio recordings of Frank Ormsby reading poems from The Tumbling Paddy were made by the writer and broadcaster Malachi O'Doherty.
Poems included: 'Racoon', 'Rhinoceros', 'On the Run', 'About Silence', 'The Terrace', 'In Great Form', 'Half-brother', 'Homage to Juggy' (from Florence Court and the Marble Arch Caves), 'The Tumbling Paddy', 'The Pole', 'The Birds', 'The Lovers', 'Hayfield', 'Too Late' (from Rooks and Nightingales), 'Ode to Retirement' and 'Remind Me How Often'.
An interview with Frank Ormsby about The Tumbling Paddy was featured in the Fermanagh Herald of 18 June ahead of his launch that evening at Seamus Heaney HomePlace. Illustrated with a colour author photo which was given the caption: ‘Celebrated Fermanagh poet Frank Ormsby has released a new collection, The Tumbling Paddy.’
Frank Ormsby was born in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, and has lived for many years in Belfast. He served as the eighth Ireland Professor of Poetry from 2019 to 2022.
Available in full by subscription.
https://fermanaghherald.com/2026/06/fermanagh-legend-inspires-franks-poetry-collection/
INTERVIEW WITH FRANK ORMSBY IN THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Belfast Telegraph, Friday 5 June 2026
A full-page interview with Frank Ormsby about his eighth collection The Tumbling Paddy was featured in the Belfast Telegraph on 5 June 2026 ahead of his Belfast Book Festival launch the following day. He spoke in detail about his work as a whole, and about the historical aspect to his new collection. Photos were taken especially for the piece by Malachi O’Doherty.
‘The Fermanagh poems in my previous books were based almost entirely on my own experience, whereas the Florence Court and Marble Arch poems in The Tumbling Paddy approach the subject from a different perspective and are more intensely focused on local history.’ – Frank Ormsby
In print on 5 June 2026. Also available online.here.
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ONLINE LAUNCH EVENT
Tuesday 23 June 2026 - online launch event with John Challis, Frank Ormsby and Lawrence Sail
Joint online launch event for new June 2026 titles by John Challis, Frank Ormsby and Lawrence Sail. All three poets celebrated the publication of their new books, with John Challis and Lawrence Sail by reading live from their books. Frank Ormsby draws on his experience of living with Parkinson's Disease in his recent work and is unable to take part, but has been able to make audio recordings to be played during this event with screen-shared poems from his book.
The post-reading discussion with the host, Bloodaxe editor Neil Astley, featured John Challis and Lawrence Sail along with Frank Ormsby's friend, the writer and broadcaster Malachi O'Doherty, who made the audio recordings.
This free Bloodaxe launch event was streamed on YouTube Live and is now available on this YouTube page: https://youtube.com/live/6OitDbheZ8A
[01 July 2026]
