The Patrick Kavanagh Celebration at the Palace Bar just gets better every year. Organiser PJ Brady from the Phoenix Dawn began the evening with his life-long learned stories about (and poems by) Kavanagh before giving the floor over to eMCee Desmond Swords. The best of Dublin’s performance poets and open-mic enthusiasts turned up and gave their all, to a packed house.

The night pushed on as late as it could possibly go, and with tight emceeing almost 50 poems by over 15 poets were recited in Kavanagh’s own, old haunt. Sleepy Rise and Sean Óg filled the breaks with cheerful trad music and this annual event is turning out to be one of Irish poetry’s not to be missed.