[L-R] Janet Smith, Jayne Stanton, Conor McManus and Matthew Geden

In 2012 the Twinning exchange was broadened yet again with four new participating poets, representing Coventry: Janet Smith and Jayne Stanton, and for Cork: Conor McManus and Matthew Geden. The Coventry poets visited for four days in August, giving readings at Ó Bhéal and the Whitehouse in Limerick, and were treated to excursions to Lough Gur, Cobh, Myrtleville and the English Market, while during a reciprocal four-day visit the Cork contingency gave readings at both Night Blue Fruit in Coventry and Tamworth, and appeared on HillzFM Radio. Both parties visited their respective host cities’ lord mayors.

For the full review from the participants, with photos, click here.

October saw another fantastic jazz-poetry night at Ó Bhéal, featuring poet Raven and the Dan Walsh Trio. Even though they’d only just met, many remarked on how they seemed to have been playing together for years. To view all the videos filmed by Stephen O’Riordan, including those from the open-mic, click here.

A mind-blowing 40 minute performance by multi-award winner Ilya Kaminsky at Ó Bhéal, filmed by Stephen O’Riordan. To view the videos click here.

‘An American fiction writer faces a crisis of self-doubt upon finding the poetry open mic of his literary-tourism dreams in Cork, Ireland’ – World Literature Today

Visiting writer Eric Bosse, Professor in the Expository Writing Program at the University of Oklahoma, came to Ireland to teach travel writing to students for a semester at UCC.

‘And, as I left the pub and raised my umbrella for the long walk to my apartment in the University College Cork dorms, I vowed to carry the spirit of Ó Bhéal home to Oklahoma’.

Enjoy the entire review at World Literature Today right here.

At Ó Bhéal’s 238th event, after a magnificent reading by poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and musical performance by John Sampson, all sixty-five minutes of which had to remain live for copyright reasons, we managed to video the poets from the open-mic, which you can enjoy right here.

[L-R] Malcolm Dewhirst, Afric McGlinchey, Colm Scully and Jennifer Matthews

The successful annual exchange between Cork and Coventry has been taking great strides forward, with poet Malcolm Dewhirst performing at Ó Bhéal and Limerick’s Whitehouse in early August, including excursions in Cork city, Cobh and Lough Gur. Malcolm has been inspired to write a number of poems about his visit. The return trip during the first week of November featured three Cork poets, Jennifer Matthews, Colm Scully and Afric McGlinchey, who gave readings in Coventry and Polesworth, were taken along the Polesworth poetry trail and performed on HillzFM Radio – and a lot more … reviews follow from each of the poets here.

You can also read Gary Longden‘s reviews of both events at Night Blue Fruit and The Fizz right here.

Two videos for you, the Five-Word challenge broadcast by BBC Northern Ireland this March along with Marie Coveney’s winning poem, and Alan Titley interviewed by TG4 about Ó Bhéal last year. Enjoy …

As the twinning relationship deepens between Cork and Coventry, so does the poetry. 2010 produced yet another eventful exchange with poets Barry Patterson and Anthony Owen performing at Ó Bhéal and the Whitehouse in Limerick last July, followed by a memorable reciprocal visit by four Cork poets for the Coventry Peace Festival.

For the complete review written in six seperate voices with photos, click here.

The 5th International Zebra Poetry Film Festival, held biennially in Berlin, is to screen the Irish poetry-film, The Lammas Hireling in October. It is the largest and most significant festival of its kind, so the email was particularly sweet.
 

Congratulations!

From a choice of about 1000 entries the programme commission has selected your film to be part of the film programme of the 5th ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival. We would therefore be happy to welcome you to the festival from 14th – 17th October 2010 here in Berlin.

And so goes the email of the year. On a zero budget, creating the film version of Ian Duhig’s award winning poem The Lammas Hireling, adapted for the screen with poet Sam Thomas, took the best part of eight months of near full-time beg, borrow and pray tactics, in order to be realised. Made by Paul Casey with the help of poets from Ó Bhéal, the ten minute film has a primary cast of two Corkonians, Geoff Daykin and Rosie O’Regan, who play the Farmer and the Hireling/Departed Wife, as well as a small flock of Cork poets who volunteered their natural skills at being extras. Most of the work and many of the locations and props were kindly donated by a long list of supporters from Cork and Antrim. The score reinterprets McCauley’s ‘The Aul Lammas Fair’ exquisitely rendered by Santiago Philharmonic Orchestra violinista Macarena Ferrer, and score engineer Carl Hammond.

The film was shot mostly in various parts of County Cork while the framing scenery was captured on the Northern coast of Ireland, around the Glens of Antrim and Ballycastle (plus a day on Rathlin island). Ireland’s nearest point to the Scottish Mull of Kintyre features in some of the time lapse sequences in the film, which was made entirely from still images taken with a Nikon D90. Completed in June 2010, The Lammas Hireling has been entered into at least a dozen other film festivals and has also been accepted for two literature festivals. This post will be updated with screening info as it becomes available.

Do I sense the rise of the poetry-film? Hopefully this new fusion of art forms will catch on more. It really is an avant-garde dance of 21st century digital technology with the timeless steps of poetry, which must surely be the freshest and most innovative combination of creative forces that can be experienced today. Whilst not quite the same as learning another poet’s poem off by heart, it’s a deeply rewarding experience, as is the festival in Berlin, showing the best from across the globe. See you there!

Terry McDonagh is certainly inspired enough to keep this festival on its toes, and what better tribute to pay than to Mayo’s most renowned poet, Anthony Raftery, who left Kiltimagh in the late 18th Century after breaking the back of his master’s horse. He spent the rest of his days wandering half-blind and reciting his poetry in the towns and along the roads of County Galway, where he now lies buried in the ‘Cemetery of the Poets’ (Reilig na Bhfilí) in Killeeneen (Craughwell).

After a four days of outreach workshops in local schools, book launches and readings by Colette Nic Aodha, Louise Lawrence, Geraldine Mitchell and Terry McDonagh, the Friday night readings by Phillip Casey and myself, which drew an excellent crowd of discerning enthusiasts and then the impromptu readings and song at Kitty McGreal’s and workshops on rhythm and music in poetry the next morning, the festival ended with the usual Saturday night Festival Slam, which saw two rounds of readings end with five finalists. Defending champion Micéal Kearney relinquished his title to newcomer Elizabeth Mace. 2nd place went to Tony Reidy, 3rd place was a tie between John Walsh and Miceál Kearney and 5th went to Una Flanagan. Well done to the contestants, and thanks to Terry and the Raftery Committee for keeping this important festival vibrant and fresh year after year.

On the way back to Cork I decided to stop in to Reilig na Bhfilí to pay my respects to the man himself.

Mise Raifteiri an file
Lán dochais is grá
Le súile gan solas
Le ciunas gan chra

– Antoine Ó Raifteiri (1779-1835)

The videos and review are here.