A young poet from Limavady has shared his amazing work through a series of YouTube videos and proven that Northern Ireland is home to some serious creative talent.
Paul Butterfield Jnr, 26, speaks directly from the heart and has turned his writing into short “poetry films” with accompanying music and footage.
“Little Boy” is an incredibly moving tale that Paul describes as “a rhythmic poetic heartbreak”, about a girl he had the pleasure to hold for just a little while.
Filmed by Jack McClay and Graham Keys, “Little Boy” was also shown at Northern Ireland Mental Health Arts and Film Festival in 2014.
In the more cinematic “This is my last poem”, Paul hauntingly depicts the inner world of “a man who lives with a raw fear of darkness and is seeking a spiritual journey for his dharma.”
Last year, Paul teamed up with NI musician Emmet McGonagle to create a “poetry album” called “XO” – a collaborative album based on poetry, allowing Emmet to turn poetry into music and Paul to work with atmospheric music to his poetry.
These poignant, raw pieces of work remind us why we value the arts so highly here in Northern Ireland. Poetry is certainly not dead!
Check out more of Paul Butterfield Jnr’s work at www.paulbutterfieldjnr.com and read our full interview with him here.