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The Poetry's Dead Podcast

The Poetry's Dead Podcast

By: Ryan Duggins and Leon Dunne
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About this listen

Ryan and Leon are delighted to bring you your NEW favourite poetry podcast, exploring the work of poets old and new, with a little bit of craic mixed in.

We'll share our love of poetry every week, taking you on a journey through work from poets you'll have heard of, as well as poets you may not have heard of and even people you had no idea wrote poetry.!

We'll also help with our Agony Poet part of the show where we'll accept any challenge of solving a problem with a poem. Nothing is too trivial or too serious.

Ryan Duggins is a published English poet based in Dublin, with work found in journals Dreich, Flare and his first collection 'You're Never Too Old To Know Better' was published in April '23. He's also performed at Electric Picnic and is a regular on the open mic scene in Dublin

Leon Dunne is a spoken word artist and cornerstone of the poetry scene in Ireland. He is the 2022 All Ireland Poetry Slam Champion and co-founder of Rising Tide, an events company hosting the best spoken word performers the country has to offer out of Pearse Street library

Both of them are more fun than these descriptions would have you believe

Give us a follow, leave us a review, send this to your Ma' and join us :)

Original music by Matthew Keating
Introduced and co-produced by Lisa Downey

© 2025 The Poetry's Dead Podcast Art Entertainment & Performing Arts Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • David Balfe, Nikita Gill And Sneaky Cats

    David Balfe, Nikita Gill And Sneaky Cats
    Aug 18 2025

    On today's pod, we celebrate the release of the second album from For Those I Love, as well as hearing Olivia Rodgrido’s advice about poetry being the foundation for all songwriting, which we’d be on board with.

    We also dive into the work of Nikita Gill the hidden-in-Instagram-captions genius poetry from Teyindhi Ramsewak and talk about Alice Kinsella’s new collection ‘The Ethics of Cats’

    We also share a powerful and completely unique poem about Joan Of Arc by Pip McGough that’ll get your blood pumping before we help a listener problem with our agony aunt section all about feeling misunderstood.

    Great to be back and thanks to everyone who listened to last week’s return of the podcast.

    In the words of David, go enjoy that good drying

    Ryan and Leon


    Poems from the show

    Alice Kinsella - The Walkout

    https://www.rte.ie/culture/2025/0704/1521257-the-ethics-of-cats-alice-kinsellas-new-poems/

    Nikita Gill - If You Asked Me How To Live Forever

    https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7757886.Nikita_Gill

    Pip McGough - Joan Delux

    Instagram - @manifest_gothic

    Tenidhi Ramsewak - If I Leave The House

    Instagram - @syllabic_nomad

    David Balfe - Of The Sorrows

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp-f6cG6rco

    Support the show

    Original music by Matthew Keating
    Artwork by Paddy Downey
    Introduction and co-produced by Lisa Downey
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
  • Sylvia Plath, The Fleadh & Changing Jobs Too Quickly

    Sylvia Plath, The Fleadh & Changing Jobs Too Quickly
    Aug 11 2025

    Difficult third series? F*** that!

    We missed you guys and are delighted to return to your moistened ears as you go on your jog around the park that you hate to help you through another 5k.

    Or whatever you're up to listening to us, we're very bloody grateful.

    We have had a lovely few months off, so lots to fill you in on. From poems in English village pubs to bopping to The Fleadh.

    As for poems, we've both been writing a ton so have some poems to share, as well as poems from the competition winners for our prompts. A huge congrats again to Joe and Hayley for winning a place in our second anthology that will be out this Christmas, absolutely deserved.

    Our agony aunt is back, helping someone who needs a little career advice.

    We'll be back until December, so get used to us keeping you company for a while :)

    Ryan and Leon

    Poems from the show:

    Andy Porter - Unsuitable Activity For Poets

    Neighbour's Got a New Hot Tub: Amazon.co.uk: Porter, Andy: 9798280992061: Books

    Passage from The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

    The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath | Goodreads

    Ryan Duggins - Men In Group Chats After Diogo Jota Died

    Ryan Duggins (@ryanduggins) • Instagram photos and videos

    Leon Dunne - lámh

    Leon Dunne (@nomanticz) • Instagram photos and videos

    Hayley Louise McDonnell - All Roads Lead To The Quiet

    https://www.instagram.com/hayleylouisepoetry?igsh=MWxld2k1NHVrajJtOA==

    Joe Spivey - The Step

    Joe Spivey | Substack

    Barbagianni - Out Of My Head feat. Katie Ryan

    https://open.spotify.com/track/0KZ71kIJcZtESD032yU3iT?si=1f5b80c3eedc47f0


    Support the show

    Original music by Matthew Keating
    Artwork by Paddy Downey
    Introduction and co-produced by Lisa Downey
    Show More Show Less
    47 mins
  • Talking Gargoyles, Partying In World War 2 Berlin And Being Inspired By Young Poets

    Talking Gargoyles, Partying In World War 2 Berlin And Being Inspired By Young Poets
    Jun 2 2025

    Our last podcast was our 50th show lads. 50! Mad.

    On Monday, we have a load of poems and stories for, starting with some info about our live podcast at Swords Castle next Saturday with Wavin Words where there’s also a young poets slam for anyone between 14-18 years of age. If you know of a future world champion slam poet, bring them.

    Speaking of being inspired by young people, thanks to Katriona O'Sullivan sharing a post a few weeks back, we have poetry from Reece, who penned a powerful poem about the pre-conceptions he faces from the reputation of where he’s from.

    We were incredibly moved and got in touch with his teacher Nadine who sent us the story of the poem's creation and what it’s like to teach poetry in schools. She also pushed Reece to recite the poem for us, incredible.

    We have poems from Clonakilty’s own James Harpur, Dara Clear from @theclearoutpodcast and music from Derry’s own ‘James-Arthur-but-better’ Conor McLain @cmclainmusic

    Congrats Conor on killing it at Whelans last night and best of luck on the rest of your tour

    Hope to see you at Swords Castle for our live podcast!

    Poems from the show

    Dara Clear - Time

    https://shows.acast.com/theclearout

    Reece - Labelled

    James Harpur - Poem

    https://eblanapress.com/

    Fritz Von Ostini - We Snort And We Inject

    https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2016/11/nazis-drugs-how-kick-crystal-meth-powered-blitzkrieg

    Music from Conor McLain - Adored By You

    https://open.spotify.com/track/1DHTO5w62FnC6jx1zirAwC

    Support the show

    Original music by Matthew Keating
    Artwork by Paddy Downey
    Introduction and co-produced by Lisa Downey
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 13 mins
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