Born in Co Mayo, Tom Duddy lectured in philosophy at National University of Ireland, Galway, where he authored A History of Irish Thought. For much of his life, he studied and wrote poetry as a private activity.

In his fifties, he began to share poems publicly. A pamphlet (The Small Hours, 2006) was followed by his first book of poems The Hiding Place, shortlisted for both the Aldeburgh First Collection Prize and the Seamus Heaney Centre Prize for Poetry.

In 2012 he fell ill while compiling his second full collection. In his last few months, he was driven by a new imperative, with remarkable results. Many of his final poems are collected in his posthumous collection, The Years, due early 2014 from HappenStance.

Tom's family maintain his own website. You can hear him reading a few of his poems there, two of which were recorded during the last week of his life.

Publications:

The Years, HappenStance 2014

The Hiding Place, Arlen House, (2011)

The Small Hours, HappenStance, (2006) (sold out)

A History of Irish Thought, Routledge (2002).

Links:
Tom Duddy's website