The West's Awake ~ Diarmuid O' Flynn!

The West's Awake ~ Diarmuid O' Flynn!

There are many versions of this one out there and it's hard to choose, whether it's by the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem or Damien Dempsey or the beautiful version by Lumiere and you could go on and on; but I went for the above and with thanks to Diarmuid for his recording. Thomas Davis left a legacy that is hard to measure and in the unlikely event that you are not familiar with his work or contributions to the world we live in then a visit to Wikipedia is a good place to begin. I'll finish with - genius, 

 

Mirror In February ~ By Thomas Kinsella!

 Mirror In February ~ By Thomas Kinsella!

Something for a Sunday morning and in February too; this one is by Thomas Kinsella who needs no introduction and it is probably one of his best known poems. Performed here by Kern a contemporary Irish folk group from County Louth and who have many other videos loaded to Youtube. A visit to the site for background info on the above is recommended. With thanks to Kern Ireland who loaded. Enjoy.

Thomas Kinsella: 4th May 1928 - 22nd December 2021

Desmond 0' Grady International Poetry Competition 2026!

Desmond O' Grady International Poetry Competition 2026!

The closing date for this one is midnight the 7th of March coming and it is really worth entering  given the times we live in. Full information and details are available from the website below or from the Poetry Ireland website link to the right (Competitions). Fees are very reasonable and the Limerick Writers' Website is worth a visit anyway. All sorts of info there. 

https://limerickwriterscentre.com

Cathalbui Poetry Competition 2026 - Free entry!

 

Cathalbui Poetry Competition 2026 - Free entry!

Deadline: 17 Mar 2026
One poem,  maximum: around 20 lines in Irish or English

2 Please paste your unpublished poem into your email

3 Send to: Belcoopoet@gmail.com

4 Closing date: 17 March 2026

Results announced at Macnean Hedge School 11 July 2026

Patrick Harte poetry prize and plaque; 1st £100: 2nd £60 3rd £40.

The Meath Writers' Circle ~ February 2026!

 The Meath Writers' Circle ~ February 2026!

The next meeting of our group takes place this Thursday night coming on the 5th of February in Trim Library at 6.15 pm and all are welcome to attend. So whether it's poetry or short stories, singer - songwriters or anything else in the literary sphere or maybe you'd just like to sit in and listen, well we'd love to see you there and membership is free! All the best.

* Meeting is cancelled due to weather conditions.

The next meeting is on the first Thursday in March.

Brigid by Winifred Letts.

Brigid by Winifred Letts.

With thanks to Michael and Matt for this one and something to celebrate St. Brigid's day on the first of February. This is one of a series of videos and presentations (152) that were produced by Michael Farry and Matt Gilsenan during the Covid period and afterwards. Winifred Letts was born in Salford, England to an English vicar father and an Irish mother and moved to Ireland when she was sixteen. Considered by many today as a poet of the first world war she was accomplished in many other interests as well, including Irish folklore. No shortage of information out there and a visit to Wikipedia is a good place to begin. Matt and Michael's videos are a fair source of information on many different items of interest especially from the musical or literary field and from a time when most others just locked down.  

Winifred Letts: 10th February 1882 - 7th June 1972

Dido - Grafton Street!

Dido ~ Grafton Street!

Going back to the last video and their version of Raglan Road, something I was only reminded of recently listening to the song/poem was the connection between the international star Dido and Hilda Moriarty. Dido's father was a nephew of Hilda. She married the late Donogh O' Malley who as Minister for Education introduced free secondary education to Ireland. Also reminds me of a story about the late Charlie Haughey who as Taoiseach of Ireland on hearing of her death addressed the Parliamentary Party and recited the poem from memory. He said it went over the heads of three quarters of them! Believe it.

Dido is said to have written the song Grafton Street from her album Safe Trip Home in memory of her father and with reference to Hilda and to have sang Raglan Road to him as he was dying. Chase the back stories up. The video above was loaded by Rene Alejo and with thanks. To Youtube for the comments.