Poetry is an art-form and a deeply personal, introspective form of catharsis for many. And, for Banbridge-born poet Colin Hassard it’s no different… in fact, he says the genre has been his “Godsend”.
Speaking to Armagh I ahead of World Poetry Day (March 21), Colin was all too happy to discuss his love of versification – explaining that it all started with an enthusiastic English teacher and a burning desire to “be Noel Gallagher”.
The former Banbridge Academy pupil explained: “I wrote my first poem in secondary school when I was 15 years old.
“It was a break-up poem to express my feelings about the break-up, the negative thoughts I was having and to work through the process and the emotions.
“That hasn’t changed over the years. My approach has still been to use poetry to process whatever’s happening, good or bad.
“To write poetry was certainly something a bit odd. At the time I had a really supportive teacher who encouraged me.
“That poem that I mentioned, I actually gave it to him to read and I don’t actually know why I did it.
“I remember hanging about after class and I said, ‘Sir, will you have a look at this poem and see what you think?’ He gave it back to me with a mark, I think it was an A- and he gave me feedback on it and I still have that bit of paper somewhere in a drawer upstairs.”
Fast forward 20 odd years and the bard was presented with his chance to thank the influential teacher, Mr Cromie, in a visit to the school with the Chief Executive of the Education Authority – where he now works full-time.
He said: “I went back to Banbridge Academy a couple of years ago for a school visit and I saw Mr Cromie. I brought my poetry book for him and was able to present it to him and say, ‘You started me off on this journey and I have a book out now, thank you sir’.
“It was a lovely moment.”
But the truth is, Colin had not always harboured an ambition to be a poet but he does admit he had long harboured a natural proclivity for harnessing the power of the written word.
Perhaps, more of a lyricist rather than a poet initially, he explains: “It kind of came naturally.
“The reason I started in music – you might laugh – but I wanted to be like Noel Gallagher; to play guitar and write songs and be a musician. But I found out that I was better at lyric writing than I was at actually playing music and that led into poetry – but it kind of just found me, I didn’t particularly find it.”
This vein of thought led into conversation about poetry’s intention to be read aloud, rather than inwardly to oneself.
It’s an aspect of the genre that has largely fallen to the wayside in modern times – but as a spoken word performer and musician – Colin understands the need to return to performing poetic works.
The spoken performance of poetry, he says “captivated” him and allowed him to further explore the genre in a way that ‘page poetry’ hadn’t previously permitted.
“The only time you really hear it spoken now is sort of against extreme emotions like at weddings or funerals,” he said. “Through university I was always writing and not telling anyone or showing it anywhere but I moved to Belfast in 2006, just around the corner from Book Finders’ Café and they had a monthly poetry night.
“I called in one Friday and was captivated by the people and the poems and the night. It was like what you might imagine 1950s’ America, in a hip New York poetry café; candlelit, drinks and hippy-types, just all those creative, interesting people.
“Up to that point I had been writing a certain way. I was trying to be like Robert Frost, for example. Then I saw people really bringing their work to life through spoken word and bringing in elements of theatre, comedy and rap and I didn’t know it could be like that.”
Photo credit: Stan Nikolov
He introduced these elements to his own writing and suddenly, a new world had been awakened. Colin discovered a new-found courage to take his words to the stage and after winning a few slams, he toured Ireland. But it remained a challenge at times – after all – let’s not forget how deeply personal these stories can be.
“I still do find it nerve-racking,” added Colin. “When I first performed in Belfast I didn’t really know anyone so I was doing it for strangers but then I started to get to know people and you do a gig in Banbridge, for example, and your friends and family turn up.
“You could be talking about some personal stuff or maybe some of the people in the room are referenced in there. But I think if it comes from a real place then that gets you away with it.”
That place – the place of genuine feeling and emotion – that Colin references is the reason he champions the art-form. For him, it started with heart-break and it began a process of looking inward to find healing. And, he believes it to be an important tool for anyone in the self-help handbook.
Said Colin: “I think people should have an outlet of some sort, a creative art form to express themselves.
“Personally, if I’m performing for an audience I want to entertain them and my personality is to try and find the humour and make jokes and be a bit of a clown.
“On the flip side of that too, I think if you’re making an audience laugh it’s easier to make a serious point and slip something in and it doesn’t feel quite as heavy.
“If they are coming to a poetry gig they are on a night out. They don’t want to be depressed. I think that’s why people switch off from poetry in a way. They think it’s depressing or it’s heavy.”
Luckily, he sees that there has been a resurgence of sorts. With modern influences affecting the genre, there is scope and room for fresh talent to put their own spin on traditional form.
“I think from where I started to where it is now – it’s night and day,” said Colin of the changing poetic landscape. “There are so many more opportunities, there’s more acceptance of the genre and there’s more opportunities for funding – albeit not big money.
“The younger people coming through now, I think a lot of them – like I was – are thinking about poetry in the traditional sense.
“The main performance poets that were around in 2010 when I was starting out are still the main performance poets in 2025.
“In terms of that aspect there isn’t a lot of new blood on the island. I look at someone like Stephen James Smith – who’s probably the biggest name in terms of Irish performance poetry – and he’s touring around Europe and that’s his full time job as an artist.
“When I’m holding a workshop I always say, ‘Just tell your story’. Don’t feel like you have to be like Robert Frost, Shakespeare or Bukowski or any of those, just do it in your own way.
“Get it down on paper, that’s the most important thing. You can learn the techniques, the similes the metaphors and the technical aspect which is a different sort of skillset you can build up over time and I’m still learning.
“Don’t think of it in those grand terms. It’s just a few words on a page so get it out and give it a chance!”
Today, Colin is continuing to reap the rewards of his book of poetry Age of the Microwave Dinner and – having not yet given up on that dream of being Noel Gallagher – has found himself making a return to song writing.
In a blend of his two loves, Colin – who has started working with a producer in the studio – explained his latest endeavour: “It’s been interesting because I can’t sing but I know enough about music and song writing to put structures together and I have enough together at the minute for an EP but I’d love to get an album together of spoken word music.”
He also touts Armagh’s Abbey Lane Theatre open mic night as a great opportunity for anyone to come along and read their work.
Said Colin: “It’s a great night out and I perform there usually once or twice a year”.
