Alcove in the Wind:' Silence and Space in Eilean Ni Chuilleanain's Poetry‪.‬

This essay investigates Eilean Ni Chuilleanain's peculiar performance of inspiration, and argues that silence and secrecy are the two fundamental qualities of her work. (1) Its structure is thematic: it offers an exploration of the concept of silence within her poetry, and it concludes with an examination of the significance of hidden spaces in the context of her poetic output. Eilean Ni Chuilleanain's poetry, as I will discuss, is characterized throughout by secrecy and silence. Her work aspires to recreate meaningful silences that fill the gaps in imaginary conversations and thought processes. Describing her performance of inspiration, Ni Chuilleanain puts the emphasis on the element of surprise that follows artistic creation: The combination of a Shelley-like commitment to an inspirational 'fire' and a post-structuralist respect for the authority of the text are important attributes of Ni Chuilleanain's poetic approach, which provoke her readers to explore the mythical, together with the rational, in her work. The tools with which the poet achieves her purpose deploy the use of silence and spatial misdirection in hitherto uncharted ways.