Online is obviously the best place to embarrass yourself. Far from being difficult to obtain the writings of Mr James Simmons, I seem to be tripping over his work wherever I turn. Belfast Central library, which is an architecturally impressive building bathed in light and grandeur, had two copies of the 2003 commemorative issue of the Honest Ulsterman (contracted to HU to avoid offense.)
If you are not familiar with sensitivities hereabouts, Ulster is a province on the island of Ireland. Six of its nine counties lie within Northern Ireland (the state that was created after the Easter 1916 uprising and the treaty that sparked civil war among those who accepted the terms of the treaty, including partition, and those who rejected it); the remaining three counties are in Ireland (formerly known as the Free State, the Republic or Eire.)
Therefore an Ulsterman is an ambiguous term depending on which way you draw your boundaries. There is a further challenge if the word ‘man’ as in ‘mankind’ is too non-PC for your liking.
The Poets’ House in Falcarragh, Donegal continues the work of James Simmons, running poetry courses.
Having learned that James Simmons had made at least 6 recordings of his singing, I will be on the hunt to see what I can turn up. There must be some LPs out there somewhere. Hopefully the ITMA can point me in the right direction.
Here’s a taster from the Rostrevor Sessions album, a song called Pleasant Joys of Brotherhood
odespinner 