a herring famine
by the same author
In the Flesh
When Love Speaks: Poetry and prose for weddings, relationships and married life (editor)
a herring famine adam O’riordan
Chatto & Windus
london
Chatto & Windus, an imprint of Vintage, 20 Vauxhall Bridge road, London SW1V 2Sa
Chatto & Windus is part of the Penguin r andom house group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com
Copyright © adam O’r iordan 2017
adam O’r iordan has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents act 1988 first published by Chatto and Windus in 2017 www.vintage-books.co.uk
a CiP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library iSBn 9780701187972
Typeset in india by Thomson Digital Pvt Ltd, noida, Delhi Printed and bound in great Britain by Clays Ltd, St ives plc
Penguin r andom house is committed to a sustainable future for our business, our readers and our planet. This book is made from forest Stewardship Council® certified paper.
For Alex, as promised
Contents Crossing the meadow 3
Catalunya
Christ of Taüll 4
Carrer Sant Pau 5
The Evening Sea 6
a herring famine 7
Sulphur 16
The Caracalla Baths 17
ghost r anch 18
inner harbor 19
a mother 20
from the Deep end 21
Six Scenes from a marriage
Tir an Eòrna 22
Machir Bay 23
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg 24
Glenlyon 25
Campo Bandiera e Moro 26
Envoi 27
a history Lesson 28
Dorothea Beale’s Death mask 29
The Beekeeper 30
The Weatherman 31
r aketa 32
a Quaker Burial ground 33
night flight 34
The Leap 35
Spam 36
Xeno-Canto 37
The Devil’s festival 38