North West Words Poetry Competition 2016!

North West Words Poetry Competition 2016!

This one from the Poetry Ireland website (link to the right) and something to focus the mind on coming up to Christmas. The closing date is December the 31st and the prize is open to anyone over the age of 18. Entries must not have been previously published, self published, broadcast, and/or won any competition. The maximum number of poems you can enter is three and postal entries should be sent to: North West Words Poetry Prize 2016, Upper Corkey, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Send your poems along with a cover letter with name, address and phone number and /or e-mail address, and title (s) of each poem submitted. Do not put your name or personal contact details on the poems. The competition fee of €5 per entry (up to three poems) goes towards the admin fees of the competition. Payment may be made by Cheque, Postal Order, Money Order or via PayPal on the website: www.northwestwords.com.

The judge for this year's competition is Kate Newman from Summer Palace Press. All decisions of the judge are final and a shortlist will be published on North West Words' Facebook page and at the North West Words' January event in Florence Food Company. The winner will be announced and the prize awarded at North West Words Event in Florence Food Company, Letterkenny, on Thursday the 23rd of February 2017, with the winning poet notified on the 16th of the month. Check for further details on the Poetry Ireland website competitions' page and also check out the website above and good luck.

Online entries should be attached in one document  and copied into the body of the e-mail and sent to: editornww@yahoo.com 

Withnail and I - Camberwell Carrot

It seems the sixties are still coming to an end. It's amazing to read some of the newspaper reports on the death of Fidel and although the Cuban revolution was a little before that and to put it in some sort of context and giving what surrounded them and came after, it was perhaps a better place to spend the next few decades than a few others I'd care to mention. Especially if you were sick and ailing. The fourth estate has now wandered off somewhere into the fifth and balanced reporting we do not have. There are no perfect societies and all have their failings, it just depends on where you measure them from. The high moral ground is neither left or right of anything you'll read this Sunday. I remember once meeting a Polish guy who made it safely through the "war" and in the end, he said the only thing you could do was laugh at it. In the above Danny talks politics. Enjoy. With thanks to sugarplumfairiie who loaded and youtube.

"They're selling hippie wigs in Woolworth's man. The greatest decade in the history of mankind is over and as presuming Ed here has so consistently pointed out, we have failed to paint it black".

                                                                                                                              Withnail and I.

√♥ So Long Marianne √ Leonard Cohen

I know I put this one up before but this is a great take on the song. With thanks to Dimitris Tsaganos Channel and youtube.

The 2017 Gregory O' Donoghue International Poetry Competition!

The 2017 Gregory O' Donoghue International Poetry Competition!

The deadline for this one is fast approaching (30th November 2016) but still times to get your poems in. The first prize is a generous €1000 with a week's residency at The Tyrone Guthrie Centre and publication in  the Southward Literary Journal. The Munster Literature Centre will cover travel for the winner up to €600 and provide hotel accommodation and meals for four days during the Cork Spring Poetry Festival. Second prize is also a generous €500 with a third of €300 and ten runners-up who will have their poems published in Southward and receive a standard fee of €30. Check out for full details at : Here!

Also Poetry Ireland link to the right. And good luck! 

Photos/Magazine Launch! 2016!

The Meath Writers' Circle 2nd Annual Magazine Launch/Jack Quinn's Scurlogstown/Friday 11th of November 2016.

John Donohue of The Meath Chronicle who launched the magazine.  Also Willie G. Hodgins and Michael Fahy

Michael Farry/The Boyne Writers

Some of those in the picture are, Michael Fahy, Peter Fahy, Betty Hodgins, Iris Douglas, Sean Reilly, Máire Ní Mhórdha and Willie G. Hodgins 

Some of those in picture include Louise Scott and Husband, Eugene Kane and Clair Kane, Bridie Halton, Paul Martin, James Lalor and James Linnane

 A big thank you to all those who turned out for the launch of The Meath Writers' Circle 2nd Annual Magazine in Jack Quinn's of Scurlogstown on what was a very wet night indeed, also to John Donohue of The Meath Chronicle who did the honours on the night.  

Meath's War 1914-1918!

Meath's War 1914-1918!

Tom French and Seamus Smith

An event to mark Armistice Day was held in Navan Library yesterday with poetry, songs and prose of the first world war. Organised by Tom French and others it included an act of remembrance by Ernest McBride and stories and poems from those whose relatives had fought in it or were later in the 1939-45 conflict. One interesting account was the bombing of Duleek and Julianstown around the New Year in 1941 with five bombs dropped in Duleek near the Railway Station and three in Julianstown. Also stories were told of veterans who returned to Navan that would make for good reading. A talk was given by Ethna Cantwell of The Navan & District Historical Society and copies of A. J. Horneck's Roll of Honour which lists the names, regiments and particulars of  men from County Meath who enlisted to date of publication; were freely available to everyone. The copies also included introductory notes and other statistics. Seán Lynch played the Last Post & Reveille.

Leonard Cohen - Anthem

Sad to hear of the passing of Leonard Cohen, one of the great singer songwriters and poets from the sixties. Should have given him the Nobel Prize for Literature a long time ago. Enough said. With thanks to youtube and difference 1's channel who posted.

Magazine Launch/ The Meath Writers' Circle 2016!

Magazine Launch/ The Meath Writers' Circle 2016!

Well that's it folks, hope to see you all there!! 

The Meath Writers' Circle/November Meeting 2016!

Meeting and Book Launch!

The Meath Writers' Circle/2nd Annual Magazine 2016

(Jack Quinn's Scurlogstown Trim)

About fourteen people turned out for the November meeting of The Meath Writers' Circle with most of our time given over to last minute arrangements for the upcoming launch of our magazine in Jack Quinn's of Scurlogstown on Friday the 11th. The launch time is approximately 8pm and it will retail at about €5, so great value! We're hoping to have some finger food and snacks as well, with the usual mix of music, poetry and song and not forgetting the storytellers of course. All are welcome to attend and the microphone will be open to anyone who wants to recite a verse or two of poetry or song. Hoping to see you there.

Book Launch/"Leaving Galway".

Book Launch/"Leaving Galway by James Linnane"

James Linnane will launch his first book of short stories in Jack Quinn's of Scurlogstown on Saturday the 3rd of December at 8pm. James is a member of both the Boyne Writers and The Meath Writers' Circle and this is his fourth book to date. His own blog, "Bookchat Corner" link to the right, has further information on this and it should be an interesting night with plenty of music, poetry and song, and an open mic for anyone who wants to get up and recite a verse or two. His other publications are, "Never Take An Irishman Seriously Unless He's Armed, The Life And Times Of A 'Gotcha', and The Potless Generation". The short stories chronicle a life that takes him from Galway to the building sites of Dublin, through bar work, a childhood growing up in County Meath and later times in New York or Boston or the west coast of America and much more. Available over on Amazon or Ebay but Jack Quinn's on the 3rd is the place to be.