The Shahidah Janjua Poetry Competition | Poetry Ireland

The Shahidah Janjua Poetry Competition | Poetry Ireland

The Ballybunion Arts Festival is now accepting submissions for the above competition and both email and postal entries are accepted. The cost of entering the contest is €10 for two poems with a first prize of €150 and €100 for 2nd and €50 for third. The winners will be announced at the opening night on the 9th of September at the Tintean Theatre in Ballybunion. The Judge is the celebrated Kerry poet Mike Gallagher. The closing date for entries is the 12th of August. Check the above link for details. 

An Tobar ~ Poetry for Pleasure Group.

 An Tobar ~ Poetry for Pleasure Group.

On what was a beautiful Sunday afternoon the above group held their July meeting in the outdoor setting of the  grounds and in the shadow of the house itself. The theme for the afternoon was a poem by an Irish female poet and there was a wide and varied choice of material read, leading off with The Barrel which was read by Paula Casey and dedicated to her mother. Also noting that she wrote the piece herself. Warning by Jenny Joseph was read by Willie G. Hodgins who also read School's Back which was written by his daughter Alma. The Old Fireside by Teresa Brayton was next with Ambushed to Prison written and read by Lory Dalton. A poem about her experiences during the Lockdown,

In Glasnevin by Jane Clark is a poem in memory of Elizabeth O' Farrell and Julia Grenan and was read by Jim Owens. A reading of this poem can be heard over on Youtube. A Birthday by Christina Rossetti was  next followed by Comrades by Eva Gore-Booth and this was followed by a little remembrance of Leonard Cohen's visit to Lissadell House in 2010 ~ and those who were there.

Naming my Daughter by Rosita Boland, who is a Feature's Writer for The Irish Times was followed by The House Remembered by Eileén Ní Chuilleanáin and this was read by James McConnell, followed by an interesting discussion on buildings that are long deserted but which still retain a little of the character of those who inhabited the places.

  The 'Singer'  a poem about the old sewing machine written by Medbh McGuckian was read by Leona Rennicks and this one also can be heard over on Youtube. A piece by Erin Hanson an Oregon based artist was read by Carol Owens and followed by Dark Butterfly by Dunsany poet Myra Lalor, the reading by Clare Kane. The afternoon finished off with Keep in Touch written by Eugene Kane. The host for our afternoon session was Carol Owens and arrangements were made by Jim Owens. The next meeting is on the first Sunday in September.    

  

Walk: An Tobar

Raftery Returns Poetry Competition 2021

 Raftery Returns Poetry Competition 2021!

This one has a closing date of  Friday the 20th of August and a shortlist of ten poems to be announced with the first, second and third invited to read. Also the winning poem will be unveiled as the first poem on the Kiltimagh Poetry Trail on Anthony Raftery's birthday on the 30th of March 2022. The first prize is €500 with €200 and €100 for the second and third places. Further info can be had on the Poetry Ireland website (Link to the right) so be sure to double check for details. Entries can be sent via email or by postal delivery where the first entry costs €7 with €5 for the second etc. Send your postal entries to:

Raftery Returns Poetry Competition
C/O Martin Byrne
Enterprise House, Aidan Street
Kiltimagh, County Mayo
F12 A7 P1

And good luck!

Cathal Buí Poetry Competition 2021!

Cathal Buí Poetry Competition 2021!

Dropped into the above via Zoom on Sunday last where the winning entry was Rainbow Inferno by Ojo Taiye, a poem about the Igbo genocide of 1966. The runner up and second prize went to Joanne McCarthy of Waterford for her poem Girls of Fairhill with third place going to Philip Quirke of Wexford for his poem Minor Roads. The Highly Commended prize went to Margaret Galvin also of Wexford for her piece Mothers Life in Terms of the Four Elements and there were commended awards as well.

The Igbo Genocide and the Biafran war that followed had extraordinary Irish connections and I remember talking to a priest once who was part of the relief efforts out of Sao Tomé. The airlift to bring supplies into Biafra was I'm told even greater than that of the Belin Blockade. For those interested and the part the Irish church played well worth looking up. Colonial interests have a lot to answer for in the deaths of so many people.

Minor Roads by Philip Quirke is a poem I like but I just like road poems. In a time of very few festivals and other restrictions well done to the Cathal Buí Hedge School.   

The Fourth Estate!

 The Fourth Estate!

Watching a clip of Alan Jones on Sky News, Australia and his take on the Covid restrictions there ~ right or wrong I leave it to you to decide ~  one can only wonder at his bravery and note the absence of any such dissent in our own country where everyone seems to be on central message. But that is not the duty of the Fourth Estate, theirs is to protect the interests of the governed and whether they be the national broadcaster or any other parts of the mainstream media an even and balanced broadcasting of both sides is of such importance in any democracy that dismissal of one side as cranks or conspiracy theorists without their views being subject to cross examination does the public no justice at all. Bring them on and let the public decide whether their arguments stand the test or not. If you don't then what you are broadcasting or printing has no real validity. I wrote this poem before the last great financial crash when we were threatened that if we didn't do what we were told a financial bomb would go off in Dublin and only Ballydehob said no! And now here we go again, do what you are told - settle into apartheid. What ever happened to the fighting Irish?

The Fourth Estate

Embedded in such legalize
As please M' Lords
A little wheeze
Could show good cause
To such respect
When body politic
Dissect.

That every class
Of hound or hack
Was safely muzzled
Round the back.
Or carcass nailed
In some debate
That prowled about
The Fourth Estate.

Frank Murphy

"Piano" by D. H. Lawrence (read by Tom O'Bedlam)

'Piano' by D.H. Lawrence.

This is another one of the poems read at the An Tobar poetry gathering, though my notes are not too clear as to the reader. D.H. Lawrence was born on the 11th of September 1885 and died of TB complications on the 2nd of March 1930. One of England's most controversial writers I can't say I'm too familiar with his writing but do remember watching the film 'Women in Love' many years ago. Either loved or hated and a bit like Joyce everyone has heard of him and you are probably more familiar with his writings than I am. But give a listen as the above is a fine poem. With thanks to Spoken Verse (Tom O' Bedlam) who reads the poem,