‘I am gripped by 100pc depression and living in dire circumstances in Cambridge Avenue (up to my ankles in rainwater). Back to alcohol.’ A glimpse into the private thoughts of Paul Durcan

A close friend since meeting at UCC, Sunday Independent art critic Niall MacMonagle was invited to view the complete archive, one public and one yet private, for a ‘Legacy in the Library’ talk at the National Library. He writes a version of it here