Launch of "Boyne Berries 13"

Launch of "Boyne Berries 13"

Tommy
with one of his
Poet of Fingal Trophies.

Pride of place in the latest issue of "Boyne Berries" goes to Tom French of the Meath County Library for his fine tribute poem to the late Tommy Murray "To Tommy Murray in Heaven", which leads off on page five. The magazine will be launched in The Castle Arch Hotel in Trim tomorrow night at 8 pm with myself getting to say a few words so if you happen to be in the south Meath area and in need of a little entertainment  why not drop in for a while. Admission is free!  The magazine is the usual excellent production with contributions from both home and abroad and there are some very interesting titles and pieces inside, I'm sure, but will have to wait for now. Some of Ireland's best known writers are here as well those that are more local so it's bound to make for an interesting read. A copy of the magazine can be had by clicking on the link to Michael Farry's site over to the right or Boyne Writers and Antonia's Bookshop in Trim is sure to have copies for sale. Priced at €8 and a must for your collection!   

Withnail And I

Indulging myself while trying to figure out what has changed on the "Share" button on youtube this excellent excerpt from Withnail And I came up, which is what I intended anyway. So here goes and I hope it works this time. Michael Parkinson once remarked that the sixties were ten years spent celebrating mediocrity but "Danny" if you go to wiki quotes had it a little different, "They're selling hippy wigs in Woolworth's man. The greatest decade in the history of the world is over and as Presuming Ed here has so consistently pointed out, we have failed to paint it black". Really worth a visit over to wikiqoutes for more on the above. Talk to you! With thanks to you who posted.

Olympiad Testimonial Booklet.

Testimonial Booklet.

The "Scurlogstown Olympiad Testimonial Booklet" is as I said before to a fair old standard, and includes contributions from members of the Writers' Circle as well as a note on the passing of Tommy Murray. The booklet is a fine tribute to both John Wiseman and Madge Cook of the Olympiad Committee and the contribution they have made over the years to the success of the festival and other ventures. John has a fine little number included on the folk group "The Dubliners", though given their international standing they were  more than just that. Sadly now the members of the group have either passed on or gone their separate ways and maybe John might think of putting that piece to a little bit of music some day. John is also a member of The Writers' Circle. Madge I believe, has connections to a number of other events as well. Poems on Tommy Murray included in the booklet are by Carmel Murray his daughter, and Joan Leech with a prose contribution from Tess Ryan. The cover picture is of the 1000 year old 7 Arch Pack Horse Bridge located across the Knightbrook River at the Rock, Scurlogstown. The section on the "Light Of Other Days" mentions other members of the group who have passed on and Séamus Ó Dróma writes a piece on "The Future" and the plans for the development of a Heritage Park at Scurlogstown  And before I finish I must mention, delighted to be included in there myself.     

The Meath Writers' Circle (Meeting) March

The Meath Writers' Circle 

Almost forgot to take a photo!

About nine or ten people turned out last Thursday evening for the monthly meeting of the Writers' Circle on what was a very rainy night indeed. Not as many as the previous month but allowing for the weather and that some were on holidays or in sunnier climes, not so bad. Talk of gathering material for a book later in the year but funding it might be another problem! Interesting to see where it all goes. Some of the poems and short stories that were read might end up being included and sounded very good indeed. Got my hands on a copy of the "Testimonial" booklet for John Wiseman and Madge Cook of The Scurlogstown Olympiad Committee  from Carmel Murray and it is very well produced. A fair old standard to come up and nice to have a couple of pieces inside. Will give a mention the next time. 

"Heart in Mouth" Poetry Competition

"Heart in Mouth" Poetry Competition

Now here's an interesting one, Ireland's first ever poetry prize for original audio poetry. This is an event devised and curated by performance poets Dave Lordan and Colm Keegan and supported by Fingal county Council. Both of these gentlemen will be familiar to anyone interested in the poetry scene in Ireland and are regular contributors to the Arena Arts show on RTE Radio. Colm is a winner of the All Ireland Poetry Slam Championship back in 2010 and four times nominated for the Hennessy New Irish Writing Award while Dave is the first writer to win Ireland's three national prizes for young poets. So no pressure there! They will judge the entries on the basis of the content of the work as well as on the strength of the reading so get working on your microphone skills. The winner will receive an iPOD, and along with two runners up will be invited to partake at the Heart-in-Mouth performance poetry showcase on Saturday April 27th. So what do you have to do. 

(1) Create an audio file of your best and most heart-felt work and send it to Lilian Whelan at lilian.whelan@fingalcoco.ie or check with Fingal Libraries for further details. The blurb says an MP3 file but I believe any audio file will do. 

(2) The work should be original and not previously published and you have until April 20th to submit your entries. No limit on how many you can enter but check it out! 

For those who would have difficulty in creating the audio file, your computer will need a sound card and microphone or just nab somebody who looks younger than you and has a mobile to their ear.  Info from Fingal County Council Website.

The Meath Writers' Circle Video (1) March 2013

Attracta Moore

Attracta Moore gives a reading here of James Shirley's "Death the Leveller".

Death the Leveller

Death the Leveller

The glories of our blood and state
Are shadows not substantial things
There is no armour against fate,
Death lays its icy hands on kings;
Scepter and crown,
Must tumble down,
And in the dust be equal made,
With the poor crooked scythe and spade.

Some men with swords may reap the field,
And plant fresh laurels where they kill,
But their strong nerves at last must yield,
They tame but one another still;
Early or late,
They stoop to fate,
And must give up their murmuring breath,
When they, pale captives, creep to death.

The garlands wither on your brow,
They boast no more your mighty deeds;
Upon death's purple altar now,
See where the victor-victim bleeds,
Your heads must come,
To the cold tomb;
Only the actions of the just
Smell sweet, and blossom in their dust.

James Shirley: 1659

The Best Poems of the English Language/Harold Bloom/Wikipedia/Poem Hunter.