A Poet's Point of View

The contemporary Irish poet, Desmond Egan, whose much acclaimed works have been translated into several European and Eastern languages, has worked with Liam Lyons on his 'Peninsula' book of poetry.  He has written the following:    

'The landscapes of Liam Lyons are remarkable.  They awe in the face of creation, they have the same willingness to decrease in its presence, that same ënegative capabilityí so lauded by Keats and the same persistence to wait until the scene delivers itself.  His famous images of Croagh Patrick, a holy mountain, full of mystery and in communion with the clouds, are certainly some of the finest photographs I have seen anywhere. True works of art. I would suggest that a typical Liam Lyons photograph manages to combine such a mixture of spontaneity and silence, in the same way that Patrick Kavanagh managed to do.  The comparison is interesting: like Kavanagh, Lyons manages to conceal techniques within the larger demands of theme.  Like him too, he has a spiritual, integrated view of life. I shall conclude by saying that, for me, Liam Lyons is a remarkable photographer and that his best work - like that of any true artist - is a dialogue with time, space and light, the metaphors of our existence - will survive'.