Colm Keegan (Leaving Cert English): Revision Notes
Memorial
Overview
"Memorial" by Colm Keegan is a powerful poem from his 2012 debut collection Don't Go There. The poem addresses the tragic loss of a young person to violence in Dublin, using innovative structural techniques to create an emotionally impactful piece that speaks to broader issues of urban violence and its effect on Irish youth.
The poem employs reverse chronology and direct address as its primary techniques, creating a unique reading experience that transforms tragedy into hope through its backwards narrative structure.
The poem's most distinctive feature is its reverse chronological structure, which begins with the memorial and works backwards to show the victim alive. This technique was inspired by Carol Ann Duffy's approach in "Last Post" and creates a sense of resurrection rather than loss.
Summary and narrative structure
The poem uses a unique reverse chronology technique, beginning with the aftermath of a young man's murder and working backwards through time to show him alive and surrounded by friends. This backwards narrative structure serves multiple purposes:
- It allows the reader to witness the victim's life being restored rather than taken away
- Creates a sense of hope and resurrection rather than despair
- Mirrors the wishes of those who knew the victim to "undo" the tragic events
- Makes the violent act feel even more senseless by showing what was lost
The speaker uses direct address throughout, speaking directly to the unnamed young victim. This creates an intimate, conversational tone that makes the poem feel personal and immediate.
The reverse structure is not just a stylistic choice—it fundamentally changes how we experience the tragedy. Instead of witnessing a life being taken, we witness a life being restored, which creates emotional catharsis for both speaker and reader.
Structure and form
Keegan employs a free verse structure with six stanzas of varying lengths. This differs from his initial drafts, which used a more rigid eight-line structure. The poet deliberately chose this freer form when rewriting the poem in reverse chronology, feeling that a strict structure would constrain the emotional journey.
The poem notably lacks a consistent rhyme scheme, which enhances its conversational, narrative quality. This allows the focus to remain on the direct communication between speaker and victim rather than on poetic artifice.
Key literary devices
The poem demonstrates masterful use of multiple literary techniques that work together to create its powerful emotional impact.
Direct address
The speaker consistently addresses the young victim as "you," creating an intimate dialogue that draws the reader into the emotional experience. This technique makes the poem feel like a personal conversation and increases its emotional impact.
Alliteration
Keegan frequently uses plosive alliteration (hard consonant sounds) to emphasise the violence and brutality of the events, particularly in phrases like "blood and bits" and "drainage ditch." This sound technique reinforces the harsh reality of the situation.
Symbolism
Flowers serve as a central symbol representing the victim's life - they transform from "wilted to vibrant" as time reverses, symbolising the restoration of life and potential that was cut short.
Lampposts represent memorials to the dead, lined up "in a row" like gravestones, but also suggest the victim's distance from safety at "the last in a row."
Metaphor and personification
The poem uses extended metaphors, particularly around the flowers and the personification of elements like heat that "creeps" into the boy's body, representing life returning to him.
Historical context and inspiration
The poem was inspired by the real case of a seventeen-year-old boy murdered in Dublin, though it represents all young victims of violence in the city. Keegan regularly passed memorials to young men who had died from violence or drugs in Dublin, and this particular case became the foundation for the poem's narrative.
The work was also influenced by Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy's "Last Post," particularly her technique of reversing events. Keegan has acknowledged that Duffy's approach gave him the framework to "do the subject matter justice" by allowing the victim to be resurrected through the reverse structure.
Key themes
Violence and its impact on youth
The poem highlights the ongoing problem of violence affecting young men in Dublin and Ireland more broadly. The victim's youth is emphasised - he was still "learning how to be a man" at seventeen.
Social neglect and urban decay
The setting in "wasteground" near housing estates reflects the neglect of underprivileged areas where such violence often occurs. The poem suggests these environments contribute to the conditions that enable tragedy.
Memorial and memory
The poem explores how we remember and honour the dead, questioning whether traditional memorials (flowers, lampposts) are adequate responses to such senseless loss.
Analysis of key sections
This section examines specific passages from the poem to demonstrate how Keegan's techniques create meaning and emotional impact.
Analysis Example: Opening Lines (1-3)
"They say in memory of you
there is a blessed bouquet tied
to the last in a row of lampposts"
The poem opens with plosive alliteration in "blessed bouquet," creating a contrast between the religious connotations of "blessed" and the anger underlying the memorial. The "last in a row of lampposts" symbolically positions the victim at the edge of safety and light.
Analysis Example: The Transformation (6-9)
"The flowers go from wilted
to vibrant before being untied slowly
and taken by your mother
who walks backwards into town"
This passage introduces the central metaphor of flowers representing the victim's life. The implied metaphor shows life returning as the flowers become vibrant again. The mother's solitary presence emphasises the victim's youth and the personal nature of the loss.
Analysis Example: The Attack (20-22)
"In the dark three men will come
(...)
blood and bits into your stomach"
The use of "three men" carries symbolic significance - groups of three often represent evil in literature. The plosive alliteration in "blood and bits" emphasises the brutality, while the definitive language ("will come") shows the inevitability of the violence in the original timeline.
Key Points to Remember:
- Memorial uses reverse chronology to show a murder victim's life being restored rather than taken
- The poem was inspired by real violence in Dublin but represents all young victims of urban violence
- Direct address creates intimacy between speaker and victim, making the tragedy feel personal
- Symbolism is key - flowers represent life, lampposts represent memorials and safety's limits
- The structure moves from death/memorial backwards to life and friendship, creating hope rather than despair
- Keegan was influenced by Carol Ann Duffy's reverse technique in "Last Post"