Dingle poet Tim Hanafin on the cultural ties between Ireland's west coast and Australia

For this episode of Streets of Your Town, wander with me Nance Haxton to County Kerry on Ireland's west coast, to discover how close Australian and Irish cultural traditions are beyond the musical sphere.

Tim Hanafin has lived in Kerry all of his 85 years, in a tiny village called Inch. The town is still known by many as the location where the epic Oscar-winning movie Ryan’s Daughter was filmed, putting County Kerry on the tourist trail in the 1970s.

Tim is known throughout the Dingle Peninsula as the man who recites poetry from a deep well of decades of learning, with a poem appropriate for every event, whether it be wedding, funeral or spontaneous celebration.

When I speak to him in front of a cosy fire at Foley’s Bar overlooking the miles of sand dunes constantly evolving on Inch Beach, it doesn’t take long for the Australian influence on this far-flung county to appear from his extensive back catalogue of poetry.

Tim tells us how he thinks the affinity the Irish have with Australians goes back to the days of British rule, and continues to be expressed to this day.

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