Fermoy Poetry Fetival
I got down to the Fermoy Poetry Festival ran by the Elbow Lane Poets last Saturday, and contributed what is now becoming a party piece of mine “Give to me an Angry Sea” to the evenings festivities.
Ran by Gene Barry – who also edited a collection of poems by local students on the theme of “Inclusion” – there were poems and music from many walks of life, including verse from Alaska -all moose, fishguts and life!!! – and an Irish farmer poet who though does not write in rhyme, was both very interesting and listenable to.
A meetup in a neighbouring village with local characters who also specialise in poetry was something I had to pass on due to the pressing need to get back to the midlands to go to work!!!!
The Language of Poetry
In keeping with their theme of Inclusion for the Fermoy Poetry Festival, two poets from Holland read poems in both their own native languages of Dutch, Frisian and Low Saxon, but also had verses read in Spanish, German and a number of other languages as well.
No matter what the language, though we could not make out the words, the emotion, the song of the poem so to speak came across well.
There was a discussion on the relevance of dialects to their native area and as part of the wider European identity, with issues native to our own island and the role of the Irish language – directly addressed in same speech – and Ulster Scots and Hiberno-English having common cause.
Stop Press – Local Libraries Loss, Poets Protest
An interview was carried out with local writer Anthony Sullivan and myself on the loss of the local libraries in Offaly of late, and it has been published in some of the local media.
A scan of same I hope to append to this article when I get the opportunity!
