Poetry For Pleasure ~ AnTobar/ March 2026.

Poetry for Pleasure ~ An Tobar/Ardbraccan, Navan.

Greetings folks,

Our next poetry is on Tuesday 7.30pm,  31st March.

The agreed theme is: March It can treated as noun or a verb!!.

But as usual any poem you wish to share is most welcome. 

We have a 5 member Editorial Board (EB)

who are working hard to progress the suggestion

of publishing poems by members of the full group

including former members. 

The new email address for this purpose:  Pfpantobar@outlook.com 

All members of the group are very welcome

to submit your best unpublished poems.

Please talk to any member of the board; Patricia, Frances, Richard, Frank and Jim 

if you have any difficulty in forwarding poems via the email address.

If you have contact with people who no longer come to the group

please let them know they are very welcome to send in poems.

Looking forward to meeting and sharing poems on Tuesday. 

Slán go fóill 

Jim.

Mobile: 087 967 6728

 

A Shropshire Lad ~ A. E. Housman

From 'A Shropshire Lad ~ A.E. Housman.

Looking out of my front window the cherry blossom tree is coming into bloom and it brought to mind Housman's poem which is more than suitable for this time of the year. The master of melancholy captures the moment well. Tom O' Bedlam is one of the best poetry readers out there so going with his version, although there are many other versions out there. In the comments section on Youtube it says that the photo is not of him but that of his younger brother Laurence who was also said to be an accomplished artist. I have or had a copy of the book somewhere in the house but can't locate it now. So with thanks to 'Spoken Verse'. Suggest a visit to Wikipedia for background info on the poet and please enjoy the reading. There is another short poem of his from the collection that I like and maybe will load it next.

A.E. Housman 1859 - 1936.

 

World Poetry Day ~ 2026!

 World Poetry Day ~ 2026!

Tomorrow celebrates the above so I'm a day early which makes a change. The background as to how the 21st of March was adopted, you'll have to chase up but it is what it is. The theme for the day is, Poetry as a Bridge for Peace and Inclusion, which sets a fair old standard and one that is seldom realized as some the best poems rest in conflict, but perhaps the theme is to inspire the writing of such. Shelley in 1821 claimed that, "poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world" and he was true in that as no one else tells the truth. The mainstream media in their careful columns feed us a tailored version of the truth so as not to annoy anyone that is of present importance. W.H. Auden said that "poetry makes nothing happen" but maybe he meant that it's not supposed to. The above line is from his poem "In Memory of W.B. Yeats" and I'll leave it to yourself to interpret. Much of modern poetry especially in its academic environs is a form of embroidery and well if you like that sort of thing. Yeats himself was much closer to a more dangerous truth, "Did that play of mine send out certain men the English shot", referring to " Cathleen ni Houlihan" (1902) and what he believed or wondered as to its influence on the 1916 rising. Bad poetry makes nothing happen. The other hangs around for a long time; good or bad. If you can write a poem or read one that serves as a bridge for peace and inclusion then for God's sake do so.The world's gone mad again. I'll wander off now.

  

Siobhán de Paor.

Siobhán de Paor.

Although I've driven past The Hill of Ward many times, which is close to Athboy in Co. Meath, I've never actually visited the site. Worth a look here as Siobhán ventures her own insights into our place in the scheme of things and with a little hypnotic drumming at the end. Our emigrants going to America and other places brought the customs and stories of Halloween with them and it's now become a major cultural festival both here and in other parts of the globe if that's the term to use on the day that's in it. All the way to the silver screen. Again thanks to Gabe Saglie. 

 

John Moriarty and Tommy Tiernan.

John Moriarty and Tommy Tiernan.

From Sineád de Paor to Diarmuid Lyng to John Moriarty to Tommy Tiernan; a fair old journey. Described by Diarmuid Lyng as a mystic, John Moriarty was born in Moyvane, County Kerry in 1938 and was educated at UCD in Dublin before teaching English literature at the University of Manitoba in Canada and that just touches on his career. Held in such regard that he is compared to writers such as Joyce, Yeats and Beckett; he lived in County Kerry until his death in 2007. To Youtube for other videos and to Wikipedia for further details. With thanks to jambonsambo who loaded.

John Moriarty: 2nd February 1938 - 1 June 2007

 

Diarmuid Lyng ~ Puca Festival/Trim Co. Meath 2024!

Diarmuid Lyng ~ Puca Festival/Trim Co. Meath 2024!

In the heartlands of South Meath hurling Diarmuid Lyng talks to travel expert Gabe Saglie about the ancient game. A native of County Wexford he was the winner of several personal honours in his sporting career and is the partner of the poet Siobhán de Paor, he was also was the subject of a number of television documentaries. Much more information on him if you go to Wikipedia or to Youtube for his other videos. This one was recorded in the Porchfields in Trim and that's King John's castle in the background. With thanks to Gabe Saglie who loaded.

 

The Meath Writers' Circle ~ March 2026!

The Meath Writers' Circle ~ March 2026!

The next meeting of our writers' group takes place on this Thursday night coming in Trim Library at 6.15 pm and all are welcome to attend. Unfortunately the February meeting had to be cancelled because of weather conditions so hopefully this week's gathering goes ahead in better circumstance. If you're a poet or short story writer, a singer-songwriter or just settling in to write that great novel; then we'd love to see you there. Or maybe you'd just like to sit in and listen. Anyway admission is free and we meet on the first Thursday of each month. All the best. FM.