Former College principal helps edit new book of poetry

Alister McReynolds, the former Principal of Lisburn Institute, worked on the volume of Robert Dinsmoor’s poems with Frank Ferguson, a lecturer in English and History at the University of Ulster.

Robert Dinsmoor’s poetry is perhaps the greatest achievement of Scotch-Irish writing in the nineteenth century. His work frames a vibrant culture whose ties of faith, family and friendship criss-crossed the Atlantic. He records people, places and events with humour and compassion.

The recovery of his work is important. It underlines the power of art to find pathways between Old and New Worlds: and how awareness of Scottish literature and traditions could be celebrated and extended in North America.

Dinsmoor’s writing encapsulates the hopes and aspirations of migrants asserting their place within a confident, awakening nation and stands as a pioneering articulation of postcolonial American literature.

Mr McReynolds has spent his working life as a teacher and college principal in the Northern Ireland secondary and tertiary sectors. He has lectured extensively in the United States and has worked with the Maine Ulster Scots Project (MUSP) and the University of Southern Maine.

The local man is the author of Legacy - The Scots Irish in America and is currently an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Ulster.