An Interview with Maurice Riordan
from Words That Burn - Poetry Podcast
In this episode of Words That Burn, poet Maurice Riordan joins Ben to reflect on a career-spanning selection of poems curated by former student and fellow poet Jack Underwood. With the new Selected Poems from Faber and Faber arranged out of chronology, Riordan discusses how themes like rural life, modernity, nature, and time emerge more clearly—and more hauntingly—across decades of work. Together, they explore how poetry manipulates time, the influence of film and science, the uncanny weight of Irish myth, and what it means to write with one foot in the past and the other in an overcrowded present. From candlelit farmhouses to televised World Cups, Riordan’s work straddles eras, places, and emotional states—always grounded in vivid, startling imagery. Poems discussed include Rural Electrification, 1956, The Flight, The Lull, Timeout, Gone With the Wind, and Badb, among others. 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast 00:06 Maurice Riordan's Selected Poems 00:48 Themes and Evolution in Maurice's Work 03:15 Rural Electrification and Early Influences 06:35 The Power of Imagery in Poetry 12:28 Cinematic Influences on Poetry 17:21 Observations and Domestic Themes 21:23 Exploring Connection with Nature 25:50 The Influence of Irish Mythology 30:24 Reflections on Isolation and Alienation 33:01 Balancing Life Between London and Cork 34:42 The Intersection of Poetry and Science 37:26 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Follow the Podcast: Read the Script on Substack Follow the Podcast On Instagram Follow the Podcast on X/Twitter Follow the Podcast on Tiktok Follow the podcast on Bluesky
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