Poetry Competition/Siarsceal.

Hanna Greally Poetry and Short Story Competition.

The Hanna Greally Poetry/Short Story Competition 2010 has a closing date of Tuesday the 9th of March and is looking for entries across three broad themes. (1)Home place in translation. (2)Threading my existence through family gone before, and (3) Roscommon my home. So if you think you have anything suitable for the above, details can be found at "siarsceal.blogspot.com" or by phoning 087 2628191. Something there about a river cruise with Don Baker on the River Shannon, Easter Sunday. Check it out!

Photos: River and street scene Boyle Co. Roscommon.

Open Mic Readings Feb/Knightsbridge.2010

Open Mic Night

Susan Connolly and Michael Sheils were the guest readers at the first open mic session of the new year at the Knightsbridge Village Hall in Trim. One of Ireland's best known poets, Susan read of Banshees and window cleaners, and friendships, and the Maiden Tower, and others, while Michael read extracts from his book "Short Trousers Days in Navan". In between and after was an open mic session followed by tea or coffee and biscuits. And outside the temperature dropped to -5C. Somewhere..... far away...

Photos: Susan Connolly and Michael Sheils and what I think is the Maiden Tower at Mornington.

Open Mic Readings/Knightsbridge.2010

Open Mic.

The guest readers for the first open mic session at the Knightsbridge Village Hall (2010) are Susan Connolly and Michael "The Sheriff" Shiels. Susan Connolly is one of Ireland's best known poets and was winner of The Patrick and Katherine Kavanagh Fellowship for poetry in 2001 and is widely published. Michael brought out "Short Trousers Days in Navan" in 2005 and has since gone on to short stories and poems. A much travelled man he has been a member of The Meath Writers' Circle for a good number of years and has his own website. Just click on the link opposite. In what promises to be an interesting evening the admission is €5 euro and tea and biscuits will be served.

Photo: Greetiagh Crossroads Bohermeen Co. Meath/Summer 2009.

Meath Writers' Circle.

Meath Writers' Circle

The Meath Writers' Circle had their second meeting of the year at the Castle Hotel in Trim on Thursday night, with a good number attending, or as Michael Regan noted, thirteen until he arrived, and one or two afterwards. Interesting and commented on was the great variety of style and content. Subject matter not being restricted to any one genre as it were, for want of a better way of putting it. From lyrical verse to modern prose to storytelling, and some of the storytelling was very good. The hand of god to Hank Snow. Come prepared!

Photos: Michael Regan reading "The Inspector of Drains" and some of the crowd.

War Poems III

War poems.

Reading through Tom French's "Touching The Bones" there is a very powerful piece called "Pity the Bastards" and apt if only for those at war with themselves and as good as any written, even if not intended as such. Gold as they say is where you find it. Books on war or war poems are ten a penny but maybe one of the best ever written was Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels" a 1975 Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the battle of Gettysburg and borrowed from by Steve Earle for his ballad of Buster Kilraine (Dixieland). Back to powerful writing. Look it up for yourself on youtube or wikipedia. Give yourself a treat. Tom French's book can be had from the library or any good bookstore.

Photo: Old graveyard Robinstown Co. Meath.

War Poems II

And still on the theme of war.

The Dead Wood.

Down here in the long grass

It was hard to tell

Whose side you were on.

You cut through the dead wood

And it was all the same

The medieval look

Both ways.

Couldn't kill you pretty like

Pushing a button

The two edged sword.

Frank Murphy.

Photo: Gormanston Beach Co. Meath.

War Poems

War Poems.

Leafing through a book of poems on the First World War (gathering dust for a long time) I noticed that Francis Ledwidge wasn't mentioned anywhere, although W.B. Yeats got more than a few lines included and rightly so. Some of the best and most powerful poems ever written touch on the above, though I can't say that I deliberately seek them out. Only a few stick in the mind.

Alan Seeger's "Rendezvous" or John McCrae's "In Flanders Fields", of note, while the old school books had more than their fair share, commit to memory or else! The anti-war movement of the 60s and the contemporary ballad scene have contributed any number of war poems and for getting a really powerful message across it's hard to beat Dylan or Steve Earle. Try "Dixieland/Steve Earle" or "Masters of War/Bob Dylan". Many others.

Photo: Dangan Church and Summerhill in the distance.