Sad life of Patrick Kavanagh an enduring lesson in why Government must always support the arts

Despite being one of Ireland's most celebrated poets, Patrick Kavanagh was generally short of money and in poor health. Photo: National Library of Ireland

Sarah Carey

In his great tribute to WB Yeats, WH Auden acknowledged that poetry makes nothing happen. But it can change how we feel.

I hang poems around the house – beside the mirror or on the fridge door – and a glimpse of a line rescues me from the relentless internal chatter.