My Ireland: An Autobiography in Poetry

By Ukachukwu Okorie

My Ireland is an anthology of poems, chosen from hundreds, reflecting the author’s thoughts at that particular time in Ireland. As a creative writer, the author has decided to write this autobiography in a style different to his earlier works about his life and leadership.

Themes of love, lust, sex, sensuality, anger, jealousy, betrayal, power, corruption, greed, ancestry, heritage, history, race, religion, politics, spirituality, pride of place, sense of belonging permeate the pages and crop up in everyday encounters as the author takes us on a personal journey, to places both near and far, taking time to relish in the moment and marvel at how other people go about their lives.

Ukachukwu Okorie was born in Owerri, the Biafra heartland. He is a poet and great Pan-African leader. He attended St Peter Claver Seminary, Okpala near Aba, which was established by Irish Spiritans in colonial Nigeria. He has lived in Ireland for over 15 years, where he founded The African International, a pan-African news magazine, in 2014. He holds a Masters in Globalisation from Dublin City University in Ireland.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Manuscript Publisher
• Release date: Aug 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005624941

Ukachukwu Okorie

Ukachukwu Okorie was was born in Okigwe, in Imo state of Nigeria, a city known for hilly farmlands. His ancestors hail from Owerri, the heartland of Biafra.As a child, he grew up without his biological mother and Ukachukwu (his name meaning 'Word of God') faced great uncertainty in life. However, the joy of a protective God, who is the Alpha and Omega, despite tribulations, knows no bounds.Today Ukachukwu Okorie lives and works in Ireland, where he is married to Onyebuchi and they are blessed with twins, Jideofor and Chinyere (Adauka) and Ukamaka.

Book preview

Dedication

To Chukwu Okike Abiama,

the source of my strength and courage

Table of Contents

Dedication

About the Author

South Anne Street of Grafton Street, Dublin

Mother Africa

The foundation of the earth,

You bore nations of all colours,

Leaving abundant resources

For them to live on.

You endured tribulations.

Is it your babies taken forcefully?

Or those whose lands were defiled?

Mama, your gods were taken away

And aliens brought in many taboos.

You were molested by your sister’s children.

Your offspring were relegated

And tears you shed uncontrollably

But, you cautioned on the need for patience.

That she who laugh last

Will definitely laugh best.

Africa is the cradle of mankind, as research has concluded so. Notwithstanding, European powers came in the name of colonisation and plundered the continent.

Fáilte Éireann

Sailing into the island

With the hand of the holy one,

In search of what is to come.

The authority of man to explore.

Oh Éireann! Land of the shamrock.

You nurtured my faith,

Dipped me into the River Jordan,

Bathed me in the life of his son –

The man who is worshipped.

The island of craic.

That my future shall be a fortune

But, will it?

Fáilte means ‘welcome’ in the Irish language (Gaeilge). This poem talks about my arrival here and the essence of it.

A Piece of Africa

The joy of inhabitants

Splashing in the pool,

Running on the sandy beaches,

Biceps at large,

The thongs freaking out.

It’s all a sleeveless show,

From the rise of the sun

To its setting.

Lasting long, it does not

But, the birds make the most of it

While animals cry for it.

A long day of fun

Heralded by movement in the sky

And the thronging of the legs,

As if it were in Africa.

This piece explains summertime in western hemisphere. During this time, everything comes to life and fortunately, the weather is not so much an issue as it is in the western hemisphere.

O’Connell

Dual and historical

Jolts from the Liffey

Caresses Parnell’s tommy.

Mat with indelible marks of foot

Sitting on the confluence place,

Smiles at the Post and his struggles.

You take the new and old

Standing tall and proud in his eyes.

Oh O’Connell! Kindest art thou!

How hast thou changed?

In the course of the struggle

That the olden dead

Might not know thee again.

This is about the central part of Dublin city centre, named after the great man, Daniel O’Connell, who is referred to as ‘The Emancipator’. He was an Irish political leader of the first half of the 19th century.

Big Nyash

Left…Right…Left…Right!

Moving majestically and simultaneously.

Sets tongue wagging

And the eyes browsing.

Commits the holy

To the unthinkable.

Palatable in a portable thing.

You send pulse racing

And force men to miss their heartbeat.

You pulled the greatest conquest

In the history of man.

Kings adore thee in secret.

Playboys worship you in public.

Your exuberance