The Western Writers Centre

The French-language, Breton-published cultural review HOPALA! has a new issue and it tells us much about Ireland. See Kiosque!

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At the All-Ireland Live Poetry Slam Championships on November 12 at the White House Pub in O Connell Street, Limerick former Sinn Fein activist Donal O Siadhachain, from Sliabh Luachra received the All Ireland Poetry prize for his passionate poem,  Mandela , a tribute to one of a personal hero. Donal competed with poets from Ulster, Connacht and Leinster and his greatest wish now was meet his hero Nelson Mandela and perform the poem for him. The late poet Michael Hartnett once remarked that the only genuine Irish was spoken in Sliabh Luachra. The jury’s still out on that one!

- do you need a hand with that? (l-r) Donal Ó Siadhachain and Barney Sheehan, White House MC.

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The eminent Three-Leggéd Stool writers’ group, long-running and always busy, has atarted up an Open Mic afternoon every third Saturday in the month at the Glór Centre, Ennis, Co. Clare. Admission is free, all are welcome, and it will kick off around two pm. The group have also published an anthology of their work which includes a CD. It was all go yesterday, Saturday, when the first session began, with readers from all over the County and even further, old and new, reciting their work. There was humourous poetry, serious poetry, sad poetry, political poetry. Dominic Taylor, from Limerick’s White House Poets and Revival Press, offered some initial words welcoming the project; the new writers’ centre in Limerick is a credit to all concerned, of course. Brian Mooney of the Three Leggéd Stool group was also there, pulling it all together nicely; and there was music too. A neat example of what groups can achieve individually and by working with and similar arts’ organisations, so we can only wish them all the very, very best for the future.

- literary glóry: (l-r) Sylvia Crawford, Secretary, The Western Writers’ Centre, Galway; Murdoch Lothian, writer; Brian Mooney, Three-Leggéd Stool poets; Dominic Taylor, Revival Press, Limerick; Donogh Macnamara, poet

- poet Patrick Stack (left of photo) with MC Robert Hopkins

- Natalie Arkin, haiku poet

- Clare poet Pádraig Haugh, whose poem, ‘The Medical Card,’ was certainly timely!

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