Terry Dolan on Geoffrey Chaucer

Professor Terry Dolan of UCD was a great friend - of so many he knew, and of our school (pictured, talking to pupils for our Literary Society). In February 2008 he suffered a stroke which resulted in a long stay in hospital; after he left he became a prominent advocate for stroke-awareness. Terry left us in 2019, and I wrote this tribute after returning from his funeral in County Cavan, his homeplace.

In April 2009 I interviewed Terry about the life, times and works of the great Middle English poet, his beloved Geoffrey Chaucer, especially the poet’s masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales. He talked about the nature of English society at the time, and pilgrims such as the Knight, the Prioress and the Wife of Bath. The sound is a little tinny, since we recorded in his kitchen in Ballinteer.