The Oliver Goldsmith Poetry Competition 2019!

The Oliver Goldsmith Poetry Competition 2019!

Oliver Goldsmith
Pallas

This one has a closing date of Friday May 3rd and all entries to the competition must not have been published or broadcast in any way. The entry fees are €5 or three for €10. Personal cheques, Postal Orders, Bank Drafts or Money Orders made payable to The Goldsmith Literary Festival. Entries on A4 single spaced. Poems and payments firmly attached to a fully completed entry form which can be downloaded from their site. The festival reserves the right to publish winning entries on their website, Facebook page and in local newspapers. The judges decision is final. The winners will be invited to read and receive their prize in Pallas on Sunday the second of June. The competition is adjudicated by Noel Monahan. All details on website.

Here    Be sure to check out and download entry form. And good luck!

An Tobar/ Poetry for Pleasure!

An Tobar/ Poetry for Pleasure ~ March 2019!

Last Tuesday night's gathering of the poetry group in Ardbraccan had a guiding theme of, "Celtic Travelers" and though loosely interpreted brought out some interesting material both old and new. "The Burial of Thomas Moore" by Sir John Betjeman had an interesting story or two attached and was followed by, "St Patrick" read by Willie G. Hodgins which is from a collection of his own poems he had published a while back. "The Wayfarer" by Patrick Pearse was read next followed by, "The Journey Home" by Rabindranath Tagore. Braving it perhaps as was the next one by Billy Collins, "Passengers" which gave pause for thought! "The Spring Well" by Cathal O' Searcaigh was followed by, "The Sea Farer" an Anglo Saxon narrative which was read by Carol Owens. (A translation of!) "The Song of Wandering Aengus" by W.B. Yeats also got an airing and was followed by, "Going Home to Mayo" by Paul Durcan, a favourite of Jim Owens, followed by, "The Poem of Columcille" taken from some ancient text, though author unknown I believe. Willie read, "April Fool" and Sean Reilly finished off the evening with Stephen Foster's, Beautiful Dreamer". Quite a selection on what seemed a difficult theme. The theme for next month is "Dreams".  

Trim Poetry Festival 2019!

Trim Poetry Festival 2019 and Launch of Boyne Berries 25!

Trim's first poetry festival was set to coincide with the launch of Boyne Berries 25 and ended last night with readings from a number of writing groups followed by readings by Ron Carey and Enda Wyley. Leafing through the magazine the writers included are some of the best known in Ireland and there are more than a few other countries represented here as well. Both in terms of presentation and content it is something of a gem and one for the bookshelves if you are anyway into the literary scene, here or abroad. This magazine was first published in the Spring of 2007 with a cover design by Greg Hasting and this design is recreated here in this issue by Rory O' Sullivan. Info on their poetry competition and shortlisted writers sure to be posted on their Facebook page and other links. Will have a read through on the magazine and get back to. Meanwhile congratulations to all.    

Trim Poetry Festival 2019!

Trim Poetry Festival and Launch of Boyne Berries 25!

The Trim Poetry Festival kicks off this Friday with the launch of Boyne Berries 25 at 7.30pm in The Castle Arch Hotel by Peter Fallon of the Gallery Press, Oldcastle. This will be followed by a reading by Peter and of course the contributors to the magazine will read their own material. Tea and coffee will follow and all are welcome to attend. The shortlist for the competition can be found on Orla Fay's website. Link to the right.

The programme for Saturday includes a workshop by Ron Carey at 10am with a cost of €20 and will be followed in the evening at 5pm by readings from those shortlisted for the competition and also contributions from other writing groups in the county. Ron Carey and Enda Wyley will read from 8pm, the night ending off with music. Other details can be found on the Boyne Berries link, Orla's website and the Trim Poetry Festival Blogspot site.

The Meath Writers' Circle/March 2019!

The Meath Writers' Circle/March 2019!

A small number turned out for our monthly meeting on last Thursday night so it was mostly given over to poetry and short stories with everyone getting to read a number of times. By far though the best  must have been the story told by Sean Reilly of been stranded in Brussels in 1973 and ending up sitting across the Lounge or aisle from Ian Callaghan while they waited for take off due to a strike in Heathrow. Sean leaned across and asked for his autograph and Ian passed it around to the rest of his Liverpool colleagues. Faded now but you can still make out some of the names. Steve Heighway, Phil Thompson, Brian Hall, Ian Callaghan, Chris Lawler, Trevor Storton, Kevin Keegan, Ray Clemence, and he said Shankly was there giving out something about those **** in Heathrow for holding him up! Liverpool had been in Brussels for a preseason friendly. Years later while visiting his uncle in Amlwch in Anglesey, Wales, he met Chris Lawler again, who was there coaching a local team. A nice souvenir.

 

Creative Ireland Longford!

Padraic Colum International Gathering Adult Poetry Competition 2019!

The above competition is based on his poem, "An Old Woman of the Roads" and all submissions must be inspired by this specific poem. The prizes are €250, €75 and €50 with a closing date or deadline of the 12th of April. The judge is John Connell, the Longford author of, "The Cow Book" and the competition is free to enter. The guidelines are that it must not have been published or broadcast before the closing date and typing must be on one side of the paper only. Other details must be submitted on a separate attached sheet or word document. 40 lines max but check out for full details over on the Poetry Ireland website. Link to the right! Send your entries to address below. One poem only!

Creative Ireland Longford

Longford Library HQ,

Town Centre Longford

N39, HK 76

E-mail:creativeireland@longfordcoco.ie

Tel: 043 334 1124