Iggy McGovern
Iggy McGovern (born 1948 in Coleraine, Northern Ireland)[1] is an Irish poet and an emeritus professor of physics at Trinity College Dublin.[2]
He has written four collections of poetry and also edited a poetry anthology. In science he has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles in surface science and synchrotron radiation techniques.[3]
Education
Iggy McGovern earned his BSc (1970) and PhD (1974) in physics from Queen's University Belfast. After conducting post-doctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Wisconsin, and the New University of Ulster, he returned to Ireland and joined the Trinity College Dublin faculty in 1979.[4]
Legacy
Iggy McGovern occupies a unique space in Irish culture as both an accomplished physicist and a celebrated poet.[5] He has said, "I am a physicist who also writes poetry - or a poet who is also a physicist."[6] Scientific icons from history are a recurring theme in his poetry, bringing a human and rhythmic dimension to their lives. His most acclaimed books of verse feature William Rowan Hamilton,[7] Erwin Schrödinger, and Isaac Newton.[5]
Honors and awards
- 1986 Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship at the Fritz-Haber-Institut, Berlin, Germany.
- 1988 Visiting Fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford[8]
- 1996 The Hennessy Award for Poetry[1]
- 1998 Chairperson of the Thin Films & Surfaces Group of the Institute of Physics, London, United Kingdom
- 2000 Director of Advanced Materials at TCD
- 2003 Chairman of the Institute of Physics in Ireland
- 2006 Distinguished Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies in La Trobe University, Melbourne
- 2006 The Glen Dimplex New Writers Award for Poetry[1]
- 2006 The Ireland Chair of Poetry Bursary[1]
- 2015 The Alexander von Humboldt Stipendium in Physics & Poetry at Erlangen University
Poetry collections
- 2005: The King of Suburbia (Dublin: Dedalus Press) ISBN 9781904556459
- 2010: Safe House (Dublin: Dedalus Press) ISBN 9781906614348
- 2012: Twenty Irish Poets Respond to Science in Twelve Lines [As editor] (Dublin: Dedalus Press) ISBN 9781906614669
- 2013: A Mystic Dream of 4: A sonnet sequence based on the life of William Rowan Hamilton (Dublin: Quaternia Press) ISBN 9780992629403
- 2017: The Eyes of Isaac Newton (Dublin: Dedalus Press) ISBN 9781910251270
- 2021: Making Waves: A sonnet sequence based on the life of Erwin Schrödinger (Dublin: Quaternia Press) ISBN 9780992629434
- 2026: Hammer and Spark (Trinity College Dublin)
References
- 1 2 3 4 dedaluspress
- ↑ Day in the Life: Iggy McGovern, Trinity College physics lecturer and poet Irish Independent, 10 Jun 2003
- ↑ Professor Ignatius Mcgovern Trinity College Research
- ↑ John Hewitt Society
- 1 2 Hammer and Spark: A Night of Physics and Poetry in the Fitzgerald Theatre
- ↑ Iggy McGovern Personal Blog
- ↑ Tate-McGovern interview University of Liverpool, Literature and Science Hub, 2014
- ↑ Readings by Magdalen Poets Magdalen College, 24 October 2011