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Monthly Hybrid Poetry Events: Live Streamed What: Poetry Films, Five Word Challenge, Guest Poets & Open-Mic When: 2nd Monday, Monthly @ 8.30pm (+ Poetry Films from 7pm) Where: Hayloft Bar (Long Valley Bar), Winthrop St, Cork (& online). Guest Poet & Open-Mic mp3s: Monday Event Archive Wordshops: Creative Writing at Ó Bhéal and Beyond … Ó Bhéal – a poem by Anamaría Crowe Serrano |
*** Ópen *** 12th Five Words Poetry Competition *** Ópen ***
Events are posted every 2 months. Click names for biographical details
@ Nano Nagle Place 12th Winter Warmer festival – 22nd-24th November
Ó Bhéal’s End of Year Event Martina Evans – 9th December
First Fortnight Festival Jeanann Verlee & Lauren McNamara – 13th January
Events are held in the Hayloft Bar, upstairs at the Long Valley, Winthrop st,as well as on Zoom and streamed via obheal.ie/live (more details via the links above)
Poetry Films start from 7.00pm (45mins – Not Streamed). Five Word challenge starts at 8.30pm.
Guest poets begin at around 9.20/9.30pm, Open-Mic session from 10.30pm.
The 12th Ó Bhéal Poetry-Film Comp shortlist
… will be screened on Sunday 24th Nov at the
12th Winter Warmer Poetry Festival.
A special Irish Selection will be screened on Sat 23rd Nov.All Screenings are free to view ONLINE. Best of luck to all the filmmakers!
698 Responses to “Poetry Readings & Open-Mic Nights”
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Open-mic night – 1st March 2010
After a well-received workshop on narrative poetry, Nessa O’Mahony read from her rich gamut of delicate verse, to a much-enthused and appreciative audience. You can listen to Nessa’s reading here. Thanks Nessa.
Thanks and well done to Sue Cosgrave for her fine debut as eMCee and to all on the open-mic, Jen Matthews, Marie Coveney, Madeleine D’Arcy, Rosie O’Regan, Seamus Harrington, Joe Sweeney, Patricia Walsh, Míchael O’Donnell, Paul O’Mahony and Alan Titley.
Tina Pisco won the Five-Word Challenge this week. Nice one Tina! Don’t forget there are only three weeks until the deadline for the Five Words collection Volume III so get your poems in!
No luck getting last week’s mp3s back from the faeries I’m afraid, but I hear they’ve been enjoying the readings.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
03/7/10; 9:45 pm
Open-mic night – 22nd February 2010
Thanks to Teri Murray for her powerful, emotive and imagery-rich reading on Monday. Thanks also to Stephen O’Riordan for emceeing.
The open-mic was as colourful as always with contributions by Colm Scully, Seamus Harrington, Joseph Sweeney, Ed O’Dwyer, Teri Murray, Niall Herriott, Mary O’Connell (not the usual Mary O’Connell), Sheila O’Donnell, Lewis Quinn, Daw Harding, Michael O’Donnell and Chrisy Parker.
Teri Murray won the 5 Word Challenge, nice one Teri!
The tech fairies made off with the mp3s this week. We’re making enquiries …
02/28/10; 10:42 am
Open-mic night – 15th February 2010
Thanks to Liam Ó Muirthile for giving a brilliant reading, with fine gaelic poetry from another Corkman who grew up speaking english … well if that doesn’t inspire one to pick up cúpla focal nua … thanks Liam. And thanks to Billy Ramsell for compèring with his usual humour and professional excellence. You can listen to Liam’s reading here.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, Rosalin Blue, Miriam Casey, Isaac Xubin, Seamus Harrington, Adrian Ó h-alaithe, Aaron Lewis, Patricia Walsh, Alan Titley, Rosie O Regan and pc.
Phil was the winner of this week’s poetry challenge, well done.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
02/21/10; 7:40 pm
Open-mic night – 8th February 2010
Marian O’Rourke ventured down from the Shannon City to deliver an excellent reading and pre-launch of her debut collection, Inhaling the Light, prompting a healthy Limerick contingent among the audience and a great night for all. Thanks and best of luck to Marian with the success of her book. You can listen to her reading here.
Thanks also to all on the open-mic, Margaret Mary Glasgow, Sheila FitzPatrick O’Donnell, Bridget Wallace, Billy Ramsell, Edward O’Dwyer, Joe Sweeney, Niall Herriott, Patricia Walsh, Miriam Casey, Joe Bentley, Teri Murray, Alma Kelly and (as ever) the infamous Alan Titley.
Martín O’Brien won the McNamara Slam challenge this week – Nice job!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
02/15/10; 12:33 pm
Open-mic night – 1st February 2010
Matthew Geden delivered an excellent reading to a very full Hayloft on Monday. Thanks Matthew and also to Stephen O’Riordan for emceeing. You can listen to Matthew’s reading here.
There were 17 on the open-mic, thank you to all who participated … Joe Sweeney, Paddy Doyle, Dean Long, Seamus Harrington, Michael Loughrey, pc, John Ryan, Mark Noonan, Patricia Walsh, Fintan Brady, Mary O’Connell, Daw Harding, Aaron Lewis, Andrew Das Moon, Colm Scully, Alan Titley and Alan Coakley.
Well done to Mark Noonan, this week’s Five Word Challenge winner.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
02/7/10; 9:25 pm
Open-mic night – 25th January 2010
Chris Agee was well-received at a well-attended Ó Bhéal on Monday. He read mainly from his excellent collection Next to Nothing. Thanks for coming all the way down from Belfast Chris … and thanks to Jen Matthews for compèring on the night.
Thanks also to the open-mic contingent, Rab Urquhart (and for reminding us of Burn’s night), Joe Sweeney, Paddy Doyle, Seamus Harrington, Mark Noonan, Niall Herriott, Gerald Heffernan, Patricia Walsh, Brendan O’Sullivan, Dick Beamish, Sue Cosgrave and Alan Titley.
Paddy Doyle won the Five Word challenge this week … nice job Paddy.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
01/31/10; 7:16 pm
Open-mic night – 18th January 2010
Our first bi-lingual event of the year attracted a full-house and fortunately we had new sound equipment to record the evening. Thanks to Simon Ó Faoláin for driving over from West Kerry to present an excellent reading. Thanks also to Alan Coakley for emceeing. You can listen to Simon’s reading here.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, Alan Maguire, Aaron Lewis, Joe Sweeney, Colm Scully, Patricia Walsh, Roy Mayler, Sam Greenford, Lorcán Murray and to Simon again for ending with a song.
Well done to Aoife for winning the Five Word Challenge!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
01/24/10; 5:51 pm
Open-mic night – 11th January 2010
Again a huge thanks to Stephen O’Riordan for emceeing and setting everything up for the evening, and to guest poet Eugene O’Connell for agreeing to read at such short notice.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, John Mee, Fergal Harrington, Alan Coakley, Seamus Harrington, Aaron Carroll, Mary Noonan, Patricia Walsh, Matthew Sweeney, Dean Long, Becky Landry, Daw Harding and Alan Titley.
And well done to Aaron Carroll for winning the Poetry Challenge!
We should have sound recording from next week.
01/17/10; 7:50 pm
Open-mic night – 4th January 2010
Thanks to Billy Ramsell for emceeing on the opening Ó Bhéal night of the year, and to guest poet Patricia Byrne for coming down from Limerick to read.
Thanks also to Stephen O’Riordan for helping to organise the evening, and to all on the open-mic, Alan Maguire, Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh, Colm Scully, Alan Coakley, Seamus Harrington Harrington, Patricia Walsh, Miriam Casey and Alan Titley.
And well done to Aoife for winning the McNamara Slam!
01/17/10; 7:44 pm
Open-mic night – 14th December 2009
The year ended in great style with Gearoid MacLochlainn coming down from Belfast to treat us to a fine reading. Thanks Geroid.
The fairies made off with the mp3 device again so no sound till the new year I’m afraid!
Thanks to all on the open-mic, Alan Maguire, Tom Jordan, John Bracken, Paddy Doyle, Ed O’Dwyer, Joe Sweeney, Patricia Walsh, Seamus Harrington, Alma Kelly, Alan Flockhart, Alan Coakley and Daw Harding.
And well done to Seamus Harrington for winning the 5 Word Challenge!
01/17/10; 7:40 pm
Open-mic night – 7th December 2009
After flying in from the Isle of Skye to spend a weekend in Cork, Meg Bateman read from across the gamut of her life’s work, for fifty round minutes – which much be the longest reading we’ve had, and you wouldn’t have noticed it. I’m sure that great poetry suspends time altogether. Her tri-lingual (Scots Gallic, Gaeilge and English) reading was most warmly received, with Alan Titley reading translations as Gaeilge. You can listen to Meg’s reading here.
A big thanks also to Alan Titley for débUting as Ó Bhéal’s compère for the evening, and as you can imagine he was on top form. Sláinte! And thanks to all on the open-mic, Iain MacLean, John Bracken, Igor, Wes Wallace, Paddy Doyle, Mary O’Donnell, Ita O’Driscoll, Stephen O’Brien and Stephen O’Riordan.
Congrats to Wes Wallace for winning the Five Word Challenge this week!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
12/13/09; 12:12 pm
Open-mic night – 30th November 2009
The Hayloft filled up to the brim for Joseph Woods, and derservedly so for this fine poet, who presented his first Munster reading to a more than appreciative audience. Thanks Joe, and thanks again to Jen Matthews for fine emcee-work, as ever. You can listen to Joe’s reading here.
Thanks to all on the (slightly hijacked by the Crawford Arts Students) open-mic, John Bracken, Michael Fay, Keiran Healy (a.k.a. Gerald Heffernan), Gerald Heffernan, Dairena Ni Chinnéide, Maura McCarthy, Patricia Walsh, Igor, Terry Dineen, Mary O’Connell, Tom Jordan, Alma Kelly and Alan Titley.
Stephen O’Riordan won the 5-Word Challenge this week, well done Stephen!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
12/6/09; 8:48 pm
Open-mic night – 23rd November 2009
Another epic night with eighteen up for the poetry challenge before the guests and seventeen on the open-mic afterwards. Thanks to the Whitehouse poets for coming down from Limerick and braving the floods all in the name of poetry. Fair plé! You can listen to the Whitehouse poets’ readings here.
Thanks also to all on the open-mic, Tom Moloney, Peggy Tunick, Margaret Mary, Igor, Sheila O’Donnell, John Bracken, Rosalyn Blue, Seamus Harrington, Patricia Walsh, Amon Prendergast, Sarah Buckley, Edward O’Dwyer, Daw Harding, Alan Coakley, Rachel, Mary O’Connell and Joe Sweeney.
Donal O’Flynn won the Five-Word Challenge this week with competition from seventeen others. Great job Donal.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
11/29/09; 6:56 pm
Open-mic night – 16th November 2009
Thanks to Enda Coyle-Greene who came down from north Dubs to give us an excellent reading on Monday, living well up to, and preceded the same day by, a very complimentary interview in The Evening Echo, even though it mistakenly cited Enda as saying, and I paraphrase, ‘I love poetry more than love’, when in fact she later clarified that she had actually said that she ‘loved poetry more than anything’. And her poetry was more than lovely! Aren’t poetry and love the same thing anyway? Hmmm. You can listen to Enda’s reading here.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, Jen Matthews, Tom Jordan, John Bracken, John Ryan, Pat Cotter, Sue Cosgrave, Patricia Walsh, Alma Kelly, Daw Harding, Sarah Buckley, Rab Urquhart, Eugene Crowley and Alan Titley.
Ger Heffernan won the McNamara Slam challenge this week. Well done Ger!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
11/21/09; 6:36 pm
Open-mic night – 9th November 2009
Monday was a rare treat and pleasure, as you can imagine, with modernist poet Maurice Scully delivering an elaborate and rounded reading from a wide selection of his works, including poems from his latest collection, Humming, which we wish him the best with. It seems that what makes Maurice’s readings so engaging are that the comfortable tones of his delivery match the richness of his words. You can listen to Maurice’s reading here.
Go raibh míle maith ag Stephen O’Riordan for great emcee work as usual, and to all on this week’s open-mic, John Bracken, Joe Sweeney, Paddy Doyle, Seamus Harrington, Terri Dineen, Patricia Walsh, Matthew Sweeney, Igor, Sue Cosgrave, pc, Mary Brennan and Alan Titley.
Congrats to Matthew Sweeney for winning the Five Word Challenge!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
11/16/09; 12:23 pm
Open-mic night – 2nd November 2009
A big thanks to Gabriel Rosenstock for delivering a fantastic bi-lingual performance on Monday, where he also gave out free copies of some of his haikus published in Irish. You can listen to Gabriel’s reading here.
Thanks also to Aoife Naughton for her delicate compèring on the night and to all on the open-mic, Paddy Doyle, Alan Flockhart, Iain MacLean, Ed O’Dwyer, Roy Hayler, Patricia Walsh, Igor G, Mary O’Connell, Colm Scully and Alan Titley.
The McNamara 5-Word challenge was a tie between Miriam Casey and pc. Great stuff!!
You can listen to the open-mic here.
11/9/09; 11:15 am
Open-mic night – 26th October 2009
A great night all-round up in the Hayloft with Denisa Mirena Piscu’s book launch and the main Poetry-Jazz act with Morley, Haiden and Haines rounding off the Jazz Festival with the sounds and words of BACKRA MeN. You can listen to Denisa’s reading here. Videos of the BACKRA MeN performance can be viewed here.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, Neil McCarthy, Daw Harding, Eileen O’Regan, Lorcan Murray, Patricia Walsh, Rosie O’Regan, Gerry Murphy, Seamus Harrington and Alan Titley.
Congratulations to Neil McCarthy (and Paul Solecki) for winning the McNamara Slam this week!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
11/2/09; 3:45 pm
Open-mic night – 19th October 2009
Alison Croggon and Robert Gray impressed the audience with their finely-crafted verse and showed all why they’re rated as two of Australia’s most accomplished poets. Thanks to both and to Jen Matthews for her professional compèring. You can listen to Robert’s reading here and to Alison’s here.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, Joe Sweeney, Matthew Sweeney, Sarah Buckley, Aoife Naughton, Patricia Walsh, Roy, Rab Urquhart, Daw Harding, Pat Cotter and Diarmaid O’Dálaigh.
Rosie O’Regan won the 5 Word Challenge this week … nice one Rosie!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
10/25/09; 3:07 pm
Open-mic night – 12th October 2009
Thanks to Mayo poet Terry McDonagh for a most pleasant reading in the Hayloft … A slightly quieter evening than usual which picked up nicely as the evening went on. Monday saw Terry attract a number of more seasoned poets from out of the woodwork. You can listen to Terry’s reading here.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, Tina Pisco, Colm Scully, Mary O’Connell, Cliff Wedgbury, Rab Urquhart, Sue Cosgrave, Patricia Walsh, Daw Harding, Matthew Sweeney, Mary Noonan, Seamus Harrington, James Kelly, Patrick Cotter and Alan Titley.
Cliff Wedgbury won the Five Word Challenge … Congrats to Cliff.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
10/18/09; 5:35 pm
Open-mic night – 5th October 2009
A brilliant night in the Hayloft with the much awaited return of Australian maestro Robyn Rowland on Monday, and that after presenting a magical workshop on landscape. Inspiring stuff! Thanks Robyn. A nice full house too and great emceeing by Stephen O’Riordan. You can listen to Robyn’s reading here.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, An Capall Dorcha, Mary O’Connell, Kate McGrew and Austin, Seamus Harrington, Patricia Walsh, Paddy Doyle, Aaron Lewis, Eugene Crowley, Louis Mulcahy, Marie Coveney, Sarah Buckley and Alan Titley.
Rosie O’Reagan won this week’s McNamara Slam … Congrats to Rosie!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
10/12/09; 6:41 pm
Open-mic night – 28th September 2009
Again a much quieter night, though not too quiet either … it’s nice to have a more relaxed evening from time to time. Thanks to Billy Ramsell for emceeing as gaeilge on the night and to guest Pádraig Mac Fhearghusa for coming from Tralee. You can listen to Pádraig’s reading here.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, Stephen O’Riordan, Sue Cosgrave, Colm Scully, Louis Mulcahy, Patricia Walsh and Eugene Crowley.
Jen Matthews won the McNamara Slam Five Word Challenge this week. Well done Jen!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
10/5/09; 9:40 am
Open-mic night – 21st September 2009
A nice and full Hayloft for the Munster Slam Champs and Bernadette Cremin… non-stop poetry from 9 till midnight. Well done to the 2009 Munster Slam team, First place being taken by Tobias Manderson-Galvin and runner-up Tom McCarthy. No doubt we’ll hear of their escapades at the All-Ireland and wish them the best of luck. Well done also to the other 16 contestants and the judges for all the excellent quality they added to the event.
Bernadette Cremin then took the stage for the main reading and rounded off the slam performances most eloqeuntly with her great poetry, flush with style and presence. Thanks Bernadette! You can listen to Bernadette’s reading here.
Thanks also to the much-adbridged line-up of open-mic contributors … Joe Sweeney, Dominic Taylor, Paul O’Mahony, Niall Herriott, Sheila O’Donnell, Evelyn Casey and Teri Murray.
There was no time for the McNamara Slam this week and congrats again to Tobias and Tom the new Munster champs.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
09/28/09; 4:41 pm
Open-mic night – 14th September 2009
A quieter evening than usual following the first cloudless Cork weekend in months, though the intimate crowd slowly built up and were more than appreciative of Liz Gallagher’s fine verse, read from her new collection The Wrong Miracle. Thanks to Liz for driving down from Donegal and you can listen to her reading here.
Thanks to Rosie O’Regan for navigating the night in style, and to all on the open-mic, Anita Daly, Miriam Casey, Jerry O’Neill, Jennifer Matthews, Seamus Harrington, Paul O’Mahony, Patricia Walsh and pc.
Jen Matthews won the McNamara Slam … Sláinte Jen!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
09/20/09; 11:56 am
Open-mic night – 7th September 2009
Keith Armstrong and Rense Sinkgraven lived up to all expectations on Monday with their excellent performances. Thanks to both for travelling so far to read. you can listen to Keith reading here and to Rense here.
Thanks to Stephen O’Riordan for great emcee work as usual, and to all the open-mic contributors, Anita Daly, Colm Scully, David Pritchett, An Capall Dorcha, Alan Coakley, Niall Herriott, Patricia Walsh, Donna Coogan, John Bracken, Ita O’Driscoll, Rosie O’Regan and Alan Titley.
Colm Scully was this week’s winner of the McNamara Slam – Well one Colm!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
09/12/09; 8:13 am
Open-mic night – 31st August 2009
A big thanks to O’Connor (Kerry) Clan File Tommy Frank O’Connor for coming up from Tralee to share his adventurous reflections and excellent verse. You can listen to Tommy’s reading here.
Thanks to Jennifer Matthews for fine emcee work (as always) and to all on the open-mic, Dick Beamish, Donna Coogan, Mary O’Connell, Sue Cosgrave, Rosie O’Regan, Patricia Walsh, Paddy Doyle, pc, Christy Parker and Daw Harding.
Donna Coogan won the Five Word challenge this week … congrats Donna!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
09/3/09; 9:27 pm
Open-mic night – 24th August 2009
Ulster voice Nigel McLoughlin gave an excellent and inspiring reading on Monday to another packed Hayloft, reading mainly from his latest collection, Chora: New & Selected Poems, while Limerick’s Edward O’Dwyer did a fine job in his debut role as eMCee. You can listen to Nigel’s reading here.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, Paul O’Mahony, Donna Coogan, Mary O’Connell, Billy Ramsell, Miriam Casey, Niall Herriott, Daw Harding, Joseph Sweeney, Bríd Buckley, Patricia Walsh, An Capall Dorcha, Colm Scully, Roy McCarthy, Christy Parker, Alan Titley, Ed O’Dwyer and pc.
The Five Word Challenge was a tie this week between Joe Sweeney and Cathan. Well done!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
08/31/09; 4:05 pm
Open-mic night – 17th August 2009
An absolutely packed evening on Monday for Áine Uí Fhoghlú from An Rinn, Co.Waterford, whose eloquent bi-lingual performance was thoroughly enjoyed by all. From the humorous and ridiculous to the educational and contemplative, Áine delivered an excellent and excellently rounded display of diverse poetics. You can listen to Áine’s reading here.
A big thanks to Aoife Naughton for keeping the night together with her magical compère skills, and to all on the open-mic, Owen Killeen, Mary O’Mahony, Joe Sweeney, Rosie O’Regan, Paul O’Mahony, Bríd Buckley, Ed O’Dwyer, Niall Herriott, pc, Patricia Walsh, Colm Scully, An Capall Dorcha, Peter Power, Paddy Doyle, Alan Coakley, Donna Coogan and Alan Titley.
Well Done to Niall Herriott for winning this week’s 5-Word McNamara Slam Challenge.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
08/24/09; 5:51 pm
Open-mic night – 10th August 2009
We had another great night on Monday with Joseph Horgan satiating the attention with his fine verse, showing us why he won the Kavanagh. I hope to see more of Joe’s work soon. You can listen to Joe’s reading here.
Thanks to Bríd Buckley for excellent emceeing and to all on the open-mic, Madeleine D’Arcy, Peter Lucey, Mary O’Connell, Miriam Casey, Rosalin Blue, Anita Daly, Patricia Walsh, Sue Cosgrave, Paul Casey, Anne-Marie Grandfield, Christy Parker and Alan Coakley.
Jen Matthews won the McNamara Slam Five Word Challenge. Sláinte Jen!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
08/16/09; 11:30 am
Open-mic night – 3rd August 2009
A big thanks to Pete Mullineaux who gave an excellent reading on Monday, with poems from his recent collection as well as a variety of others, like his poem for slam poetry, written for this year’s Cuirt Grand Slam where Pete is resident eMCee. You can listen to Pete’s reading here.
Thanks also to maestro compère Christy Parker for running the show and providing much-enjoyed, lively entertainment … and to all on the open-mic, Alan Coakley, Donna Cougan, David Rowe, Niall Herriott, Joe Sweeney, Bríd Buckley, Miriam Casey, Sue Cosgrave, Barry Ahern, Billy Ramsell, Rebel Laureate Gerry Murphy, Rosie O’Regan and Christy himself.
Miriam Casey won this week’s McNamara Slam. Nice work Miriam.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
08/9/09; 9:16 pm
Open-mic night – 27th July 2009
After a 10am cancellation of the scheduled guest, Frances Cotter agreed to take center stage and drove down from the Marble City to deliver a great performance on the night. You can listen to Frances’ reading here.
Thanks to Joe Sweeney for his colourful compère work and to all on the open-mic, Donna Coogan, David Rowe, Anita Daly, Miriam Casey, Edward O’Dwyer, Paul Casey, Patricia Walsh, Seamus Harrington, Rosie O’Regan, Christy Parker and Daw Harding.
Pat Cotter won the Five Word Challenge this week. Nice one Pat!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
08/2/09; 9:15 pm
Open-mic night – 20th July 2009
A big thank you to Frank Dullaghan for delivering a fantastic workshop before his even more excellent reading. Frank visits Ireland annually from Dubai and hopes to visit Ó Bhéal again. You can listen to Frank’s reading here.
Thanks to Bríd Buckley for making a fine job of the eMCee work, and to all on the open-mic, Mary O’Mahony, Peter Lucey, Mary O’Connell, Joe Sweeney, David Rowe, An Capall Dorcha, Patricia Walsh, Paddy Doyle, Ed O’Dwyer, Seamus Harrington, Sue Cosgrave, Rosie O’Regan and Christy Parker.
The McNamara Slam was a tie between Ed O’Dwyer and An Capall Dorcha. Nice one!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
07/26/09; 6:13 pm
Open-mic night – 13th July 2009
Aidan Murphy gave a fine reading on Monday to a well-populated Summer Hayloft audience. Thanks to Aidan and to Stephen O’Riordan for great eMCeeing. You can listen to Aidan’s reading here.
Thaks to all who read on the packed open-mic, Matthew Sweeney, Sue Cosgrave, David Rowe, Miriam Casey, Seamus Harrington, Niall McCarthy, Eugene Crowley, Anita Daly, John Murphy, Joe Sweeney, Daw Harding, Mary Noonan, Anne-Marie Grandfield, Matthew Sweeney (again) and pc.
Seamus Harrington is this week’s Five-Word Challenge Winner. Well Done Seamus!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
07/19/09; 6:49 pm
Open-mic night – 6th July 2009
Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh rocked the house with an excellent bi-lingual reading … and set the pace for a fantastic open-mic. Ailbhe’s reading included a response to Gerry Murphy’s ‘Too Many Women’ where Pat Cotter phones Gerry to listen to it on the phone from the swimming pool. And he even came along to read later in the evening. Gerry at Ó Bhéal? You can listen to Ailbhe’s reading here.
Thanks to Alan Coakley for eMCeeing as Gaeilge and to all on the open-mic, David Rowe, Tom Jordan, Colm Scully, Pat Cotter, Sean Tracy, James Foley, Seamus Harrington, Patricia Walsh, Kim Wayman, Alan Titley, Kelfin Oberon (du de dan anne) and (the infamous) Gerry Murphy.
The McNamara Slam was a tie between David Rowe and James Foley. Well done guys.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
07/12/09; 4:07 pm
Open-mic night – 29th June 2009
Máighréad Medbh rocked the hayloft with her riveting lyrical performance on Monday, and mostly off the page as she usually does in her modernist-yet-bardic, universal-personal most unique voice. You can listen to Máighréad’s reading here.
Thanks to Rosie O’Regan for great eMCee work and to all on the open-mic, James Foley, Colm Scully, Miriam Casey, Patricia Walsh, Jericho Storey, Bríd Buckley, Paddy Doyle, Liz, David Rowe, Christy Parker, Niall Herriott, Adam Coyne and pc.
Jericho won the McNamara Slam this week, his first time at Ó Bhéal. Good Job!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
07/6/09; 4:51 pm
Open-mic night – 22nd June 2009
In a twinning exchange come poetry tour of Ireland, Jonathan Morley, Mike McKimm and Anthony Owen delighted with their poetry from Coventry, London and Antrim, Allihies even. A review of the tour should be up shortly. Deputy Lord Mayor John Buttimer’s speech is here. Thanks to Cork City Council for making the Twin Cities Exchange possible. You can listen to Jon here, to Mike here and to Anthony here.
Thanks to Jennifer Matthews for compèring on the night, and for the open-mic poets, Alan Titley, Billy Ramsell, Allyson Lozano, Mary Brennan, Sue Cosgrave, Seamus Harrington and Eugene Crowley. For the first time we couldn’t get everyone onto the mic, so thanks also to the six others for offering your poems.
Rosie O’Regan took the McNamara slam this week. Well done Rosie.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
06/28/09; 10:14 pm
Open-mic night – 15th June 2009
Frank Golden gave a charged reading from three of his diverse collections, as well as poems from his forthcoming collection, inspired by paintings. You can listen to Frank’s reading here.
Well done to Alan Flockhart for his debut as eMCee and thanks to all on the open-mic, Seamus Harrington, Paddy Doyle, David Rowe, Miriam Casey, Rosie O’Regan, Niall McCarthy, Bryn for his vocal overtones exercise, Joe Sweeney (In Person!), Alan Titley and PC.
And well done to Jeff Coogan who won the poetry challenge.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
06/28/09; 9:45 pm
Open-mic night – 8th June 2009
Great to have Westport poet Ger Reidy up in the loft where he treated us to a healthy dose of Mayo culture with a variety of poems new and old, from the pastoral to the humorous. Bríd Buckley once again made a fine job of the emceeing. You can listen to Ger’s reading here.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, Jennifer Matthews, David Rowe, Paddy Doyle, Joe Sweeney, Colm Scully, Sue Cosgrave, Niall Herriott, Paul O’Mahony, Tom Jordan, Alan Titley and pc.
The McNamara slam was a tie between Detroit visitor Joel Finkle and pc.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
06/15/09; 12:51 pm
Open-mic night – 1st June 2009
Gerry Murphy did the biz up in the loft on Monday as expected, to a full Summer house and actually managed to read some of his longer verses, proving for once and for all that Cork’s Poet Laureate actually does have an attention span longer than a haiku, as has been until now a question of much debate among his many fans (including myself I must admit) … Thanks Gerry. You can listen to his historical rebel Ó Bhéal reading here.
Go Raibh Maith Agat to Stephen O’Riordan for knowing his M’s from his C’s and keeping it all on track. The open-mic was well ablaze this week with poems from Colm Scully, Peter Lucey, Mary O’Connell, Rab Urquhart, Bríd Buckley, James Foley, Patricia Walsh, John Ryan, David Rowe, Niall Herriott, Christy Parker, Joe Sweeney, Seamus Harrington and Wes Wallace.
John Ryan took the McNamara Cup this week. Good Stuff.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
06/8/09; 11:26 am
Open-mic night – 25th May 2009
A big thanks to Janice Fitzpatrick Simmons for flying down from Donegal to share an engaging selection of poems from her last book, The Bowsprit, and from her forthcoming collection St. Michael in Peril of the Sea. There was a great turnout and the evening’s proceedings were finely carried by Compère Jennifer Matthews. You can listen to Janice’s reading here.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, Alan Coakley, Peter Lucey, Mary O’Connell, Joe Sweeney, Bríd Buckley, Alan Flockhart, Seamus Harrington, Pat Cotter, Patricia Walsh, Miriam Casey, Edward O’Dwyer, Sue Cosgrave, James Foley and Francis Spurling.
Edward O’Dwyer won the McNamara Challenge. Nice one Ed!
The Summer Tech Faeries made off with the open-mic mp3 and now we’re negotiating to have them banned from the venue altogether.
06/1/09; 5:28 pm
Open-mic night – 18th May 2009
Packed to the brim was the old Hayloft it was, as it should aptly be, for one of Ireland’s very finest poets, Thomas McCarthy, whose wide-range of carefully explored subject matter and soft, lyrical delivery silenced, yea, delighted the audience throughout the reading. Many thanks Tom. He also read poems from his next collection, due out later in 2009. You can listen to Tom’s reading here.
A huge thanks to Cork Maestro Billy Ramsell, for his ever warm and humourous compèreing, and to all on the open-mic, Noel King, Louis Mulcahy, Áine Moynihan (all three of whom travelled from west Kerry), Brian Rea (with a great debut offering), Miriam Casey, Colm Scully, Joe Sweeney, Seamus Harrington, Sue Cosgrave, Patricia Walsh, Mary O’Connell, John O’Riordan, Bríd Buckley, Christy Parker and Alan Titley.
Seamus Harrington won the Five Word McNamara Slam … well done Seamus.
The open mic mp3 is here.
05/25/09; 1:45 pm
Open-mic night – 11th May 2009
After presenting a stimulating workshop (gratis), Anamaría Crowe Serrano reminded everyone of what poetry is all about, with a phenomenal reading by this most talented wordsmith. Anamaría ended with a poem dedicated to Ó Bhéal (here). You can listen to the reading here.
Thanks to Joe Sweeney for steering the ship with much humour and grace, and to the open-mic readings by Bryan McElroy, Mary O’Connell, Wes Wallace, Rosie, O’Regan, James Foley, Patricia Walsh, Joe Sweeney and pc.
This week’s poetry challenge was a tie between Rosie O’Regan and Aoife Naughton. Sláinte!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
05/13/09; 8:06 am
Open-mic night – 4th May 2009
A charged night at Ó Bhéal with two very exciting poets, Dave Rock and Stephen James Smith, who have been emerging onto the scene in recent years. Thanks to Stephen O’Riordan for his cool handling of a very tight open-mic – great emceeing. You can listen to Stephen’s reading here and to Dave’s here.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, Jen Matthews, Carl Plover, Mary O’Connell, Joe Sweeney, Seamus Harrington, James Foley, Patricia Walsh, Billy Ramsell, Christopher Collins, Sue Cosgrave, Eddie, Daw Harding, Christy Parker, Rosie O’Regan and the infamous Alanis Titlus.
Christy Parker won the Five Word challenge this week. Sláinte Christy.
The open mic mp3 is here.
05/8/09; 3:43 pm
Open-mic night – 27th April 2009
To a quieter audience than usual, Rosemary Canavan read a fine selection of her lyrical verse, with many from her excellent new collection Trucker’s Moll. Thanks Rosemary. The reading can be heard here.
Thanks to Alan Coakley for compèring on the night, and to all on the open-mic, Colm Scully, Joe Sweeney, Jennifer Matthews, Miriam Casey, James Foley, pc and Stephen O’Riordan.
James Foley won the McNamara Slam this week. Well done James.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
05/4/09; 3:45 pm
Open-mic night – 20th April 2009
An excellent night again in the Hayloft with guest Karen O’Connor enthralling the audience. I’m delighted we managed to host Karen, she is one of the few poets whose collections I could not put down until I had read every last word. Thanks Karen. You can listen to her reading here.
Thanks also to visiting poet Rick Mullen from New Jersey for opening the evening for Karen with his very fine verse. Rick’s next collection will be published by The Seven Towers later this year. You can listen to his reading here.
Thanks to Bríd Buckley for great eMCee work, and to all the poets on the open-mic, Jennifer Matthews, Joe Sweeney, Seamus Harrington, Alan Coakley, Helen Kavanagh-Ronan, Miriam Casey, Fionn Barra, Bríd Buckley, Eugene Crowley and Gerald Heffernan.
Karen O’Connor won this week’s poetry challenge, congrats!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
04/25/09; 11:52 pm
Open-mic night – 13th April 2009
Well we had an excellent evening all round for our second anniversary with the double launch. After the usual challenge, eleven poets read from their entries in Five Words – Volume II and we managed to get those on video. They should be up over the next week, so watch this space.
The main part of the evening was John Ennis’ launch of How The Light Gets in … with a variety of readings of Canadian verse from the anthology, by John and five Cork poets. It’s another remarkable milestone in the long line of valuable efforts by John and well worth adding to the bookshelf. Thanks John and best of luck with the other launches to come. You can listen to the reading here.
Thanks to the open-mic contributors, Anthony Jackson, Seamus Harrington, Jennifer Matthews, Gerry Murphy (Not “The” Gerry Murphy), Anita Daly, Eugene Crowley, Rosie O’Regan, Christy Parker, Joe Sweeney and Louis Mulcahy.
Rosie O’Regan won the Five Word challenge this week. Nice one Rosie.
The open-mic mp3 is here.
04/19/09; 10:15 pm
Open-mic night – 6th April 2009
After facilitating an unusual and thought-provoking workshop, James Harpur gave an excellent reading to a very well attended Ó Bhéal. Thanks James, and congratulations on The Michael Hartnett Award! You can listen to James’ reading here.
A big thanks to Jennifer Matthews for fine eMCeeing, and to all on the open-mic, Alan Coakley, Pat Cotter, Joseph Sweeney, Gerald Heffernan, Seamus Harrington, Bríd Buckley, Colm Scully, pc, Daw Harding and Gail.
Aoife Naughton won the poetry challenge this week … Aoife, is é do bheatha!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
04/13/09; 12:35 am
Open-mic night – 30th March 2009
A big thanks to Lothar Luken for coming at such short notice. The crowd enjoyed his unique, satirical verse immensely, the humourous as well as the more serious. You can listen to Lothar’s reading here.
Thanks also to Stephen O’Riordan for performing a great job as eMCee and to all on the open-mic, Jen Matthews, Pat Cotter, Niall Herriott, Joe Sweeney, Peter Lucy, Anne-Marie Grandfield, Christy Parker and Alan Titley.
Niall Herriott won the poetry challenge this week. Nice one Niall!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
04/5/09; 6:46 pm
Open-mic night – 23rd March 2009
Mary Mullen’s poetry comprises an exciting gamut of imagery-rich verse stretching from Alaska to Connacht. A fine reading, much appreciated by all. Thanks Mary. The reading is available here.
Thanks to Bríd Buckley for great emceeing and giving away the chance to win the Five Word Challenge. Thanks to all who read on the quieter-than-usual open-mic, Anne-Marie Grandfield, Joe Sweeney, Miriam Casey, Edward O’Dwyer, Christy Parker, Alan Titley, Bríd Buckley and pc.
The McNamara Slam was a tie between Stephen O Riordan and Kate Huguelet. Well done to you both!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
03/29/09; 1:23 pm
Open-mic night – 16th March 2009
The bi-lingual event on Monday night was without a doubt one of the very best we’ve had. Master poet Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill attracted a fantastic turnout and as expected delivered all the goods and much more, of Ireland’s most exquisite and profoundly crafted poetry. Being St. Paddy’s eve the Hayloft was given a 40 minute extension on closing time, which the open-mic answered right to the end. A huge Thank You is due to Aoife Ní Neachtain for excellent compère work (agus as Gaeilge go leis). You can listen to Nuala’s reading here.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, Ally (from Cali) Bobus, Damian Ryan, Peter de Fombert, Kevin Mullaney, Joe Sweeney, Wes Wallace, Seamus Harrington, Daw Harding, Fiona Riordan, Stephen O’Riordan, Christy Parker, Rab Urquhart, Mary O’Connell, Jennifer Matthews, Bríd Buckley, Gerald Heffernan and pc.
The McNamara Slam was won by Fiona Riordan. Congratulations Fiona!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
03/22/09; 3:03 pm
Open-mic night – 9th March 2009
Following International Women’s Day, two Galway-based poets, Susan Millar DuMars and Lorna Shaughnessy presented a well-packed Ó Bhéal Hayloft with excellent readings from their first collections recently published by Salmon. A big thanks to them both and to eMCee Jennifer Matthews for great entertainment. You can listen to Susan’s reading here and to Lorna’s here.
Thanks to all on the open-mic, Eimear Conboye, Rab Urquhart, Gerald Heffernan, Miriam Casey, Colm Scully, Bríd Buckley, Fiona Riordan, Kate McGrew, Niall Herriott, Kevin Mullaney, Christy Parker and Rosie O’Regan.
Bríd Buckley won this week’s 5 Word Challenge. Sláinte a Bhríd!
The open-mic mp3 is here.
03/15/09; 8:30 pm