The next meeting of the group is on this Thursday night coming at 7 pm in Navan Library. Over the past decade and especially last year we've lost many of the core members of our group who have passed on or are no longer able to attend meetings and just to thank all those who have contributed in any way to our success with regard to book or magazine sales or other contributions. Appreciated. Where we go from here time will tell. Hope to see you there.
This one was written in 1791 and refers back to the Scottish Act Of Union but I'll let you look up that for yourselves and of those involved. Something that won't go away. The Corries were as important to Scotland as any academic, historian, politician or other and the history of the group is well worth reading up on. 'Flower of Scotland' written by Roy Williamson will be familiar to all. From the Corries official website and with thanks. A visit to Youtube for the comments is a must.
On the eve of 'Burns Night' last night's get-together in An Tobar celebrated the poetry and life of Robbie Burns (25th January 1759 - 21st July 1796) Scotland's National Poet. And although as someone who was there noted he is not that often included in too many anthologies or school poetry collections, his influence though has been extraordinary and the night of the 25th of January is celebrated all over the world. As is the New Year celebrations! His writings too lend some weight to the argument that the pen is mightier than the sword and any meeting of the Scottish Parliament would have his ghost somewhere in the background. He was something of a romantic when it came to women and I've no doubt he'd have fitted right into the sixties. His early hardships may have contributed something to his early death, though from a documentary I remember the medical advice given would have finished us all off. Must find a video of his and load it next. Spoiled for choice.
Poetry Session on Tuesday 24th January in An Tobar at 7.30pm
JO
Jim Owens <jim@slip.ie
Mon 16/01/2023 11:43
Good morning
May 2023 bring you much joy, many creative moments and a feast of poetry.
Our first session of 2023 is on Tuesday 24th January at 7.30pm in An Tobar.
Because it is the eve of Bobbie Burns Day we agreed at our last session to focus on Scottish poets with particular interest in the poems of Bobbie Burns.
You may be interested to know that Sotland has, in recent times, their own poet laureate or Makar. The present Makar or National Poet is Kathleen Jamie appointed by Scottish government in 2021
Below I have included a poem with no connection to the above.
It caught my eye and imagination. It tries to answer the question: What Good is Reading Poetry?
Then I realised the poet has spent most of his life in prison. I also include a little bit about him from Wikipedia.
Maybe in future I can circulate a random poem suggested by members of the group when circulating the reminder about the next session.
Best wishes
Jim Owens
087 9676728
PS
Feel welcome to pass
A poem published in Irish Times on Saturday 7th January 2022
What Good is Reading Poetry?
A poem by Ilhan Sami Çomak, translated by Caroline Stockford
It's good for making hands fine enough to touch silk And for feeling the moment that stone turns impatient
It's good for looking in the eyes of hungry cats And extending curiosity out among all animals
It is the darkness that makes my night voice heard And makes it easier to say 'the moon will come up late'
For years my feet have been cold, so cold When I say this, it helps me compare winter to snow
Spring will begin today, I know Reading poetry helps me believe that feeling
It reminds me I don't miss the Istanbul bustle Lets me know things to tell my love in a letter
When I'm tired, to stop and rest, not to drink water when I sweat, It helps me to cry and fret over wildfires, over death
To know anger's reserved just for evil To stop and ask forgiveness of women
To feel youth when young, to understand it later on, It's good for helping me to sit and write new poems
Good for helping me seduce and flatter Then to kiss my love when the leaves turn yellow
Ilhan Sami Çomak is a Kurdish poet, writing in Turkish. He has published nine books of poetry. He has spent 28 years in prison (seven in solitary confinement). He has won two major literary prizes in Turkey, been accepted as a member of the Authors Union of Turkey and this year received the Freedom of Expression Prize of the Norwegian Authors' Union. He is also an honorary member of PEN na hEireann, Today’s poem is from Separated from the Sun (translations of his work by Caroline Stockford, Smokestack Books)
In 1994, Çomak was studying Geography at the University of Istanbul when he was arrested and charged with starting a forest fire and being associated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Çomak states that he eventually confessed to the charges under torture. He was tried by a State Security Court, which were known to give harsh sentences to people considered a danger to national security.[2] The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Çomak's prosecution was unlawful in 2007.[3]
Çomak's conviction was appealed in 2013 and 2016 but his life sentence was reconfirmed. Ipek Özel, who visits Çomak in prison, told Global Voices: "There was no military judge at the court this second time but the mentality of the military court and judge was there. They didn't listen to him, to his lawyers and to the witnesses at all."[2]
In 2018, Çomak won the Sennur Sezer poetry prize, for his 8th book of poems, Geldim Sana (I Came to You).[4][5] In March 2020, supporters of Çomak wrote a letter to The Guardian newspaper calling on the UK government to put pressure on Turkey to release Çomak.[6]
At the Diyarbekir book fair in 2019, a panel discussion was held about Çomak's work, with moderator C. Hakkı Zariç putting it in the context of a long line of Turkish prison authors including Nazım Hikmet, Ahmed Arif, Arif Damar and Enver Gökçe.[7]
In February 2020, an event was held at the Poetry Café in London to support Comak and call for his release.[8] The event was organised by Norwegian PEN, whose advisor Caroline Stockford is helping to translate Çomak's poetry and publish it in English.[2]
Brought to my attention by Sean Reilly, I watched the RTE Nationwide episode on the American Civil War, a subject we did a feature on in our 2021 magazine and it has rightly been called Ireland's forgotten war and difficult to understand why. You could argue that Ireland today is the commemoration of two cultures with the mainstream media and establishment classes leaning much more towards one side than the other and I'll let you figure that one out for yourselves. But this one was common to both sides and is almost completely forgotten. I know that President Kennedy on his visit here in 1963 gifted the standard of the '69th to the Irish people and what two people in the street today could tell you about that. Given the numbers involved that fought on both the Union and Confederate sides, why has there never been a commemoration day or other event to mark the sacrifices made? The battlefields and graveyards of the American Civil War have name after name of the Irish who died and yet here there is almost nothing here. Strange ...
So you think you can write? From the Bob Dylan official music site and with thanks. To Youtube for the comments. Great piece of work, Enjoy. Plenty of other info out there as well on Woody.
A member of the Meath Writers'Circle in Ireland since 2001 and a once a upon a time Teacher/Instructor in Telecommunications. Now that's too much. Winner of The Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Award Poetry/Saggart Dublin 2009,runner up Boyle Literary Festival Poetry 2008, 2nd Dromineer Literary Festival Poetry 2007 and Shortlisted Goldsmith International Poetry Festival, 2005, 2007 and 2014 and Highly Commended and Shortlisted in many others as well. Joint third Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Award Saggart 2013. Third in the Goldsmith Poetry Competition 2015. Final Four Humorous Essay Listowel Writers Week 2017. Honourable Mention, Frederick Douglass Poetry Competition 2021 and short listed Trim Poetry Festival 2021. Must Stop!
