April is Poetry Month in Limerick Launch

  • Poetry Month Launch

According to the poet TS Elliot ‘April is the cruelest month’, but according to Dominic Taylor of the Limerick Writers’ Centre, April is no longer the ‘cruelest month’ in Limerick!

And the reason is because April is now officially Poetry Month in Limerick. At the press launch of the festival today Mayor of Limerick City and County Cllr. Stephen Keary signed a Proclamation officially declaring the month of April as, April is Poetry month in Limerick.

For the month of April Limerick will showcase the best from the world of poetry, including local, national and international readers! A cornucopia of events has been revealed which will appeal to those with a passion for poetry and also those with only a passing interest. 

Taylor, proudly calls it a ‘world-class, life-enriching series of events for Limerick audiences’. Scheduled is a full month of extraordinary and inspiring poetry events. During the thirty days of April events will include a discussion on the role of poetry in the political sphere, Kevin Higgins, probably Ireland’s most political poet, will be in conversation with Prof Eoin Devereux of UL at the City Library on the 19th April.

The festival, which was inaugurated by the Limerick Writers’ Centre and Quay Books in 2013, has now secured a grant from Limerick City & County Council to grow the event into a nationally recognised, all-poetry festival, for lovers of poetry, with a world-class series of events for participants and audiences alike.

Also included are readings by award nominated UK poets Helen Mort and Jacqueline Saphra, as well as Irish award winners Ron Carey and Tim Cunningham. Other festival poets include John Liddy, Edward O’Dwyer, Gerry Hanberry, Sarah Clancy, Eoin Devereux, Stephen Murphy and Knute Skinner.

Dr John McDonagh will give a talk on the Romantic poets in the City Library. There is a limericks verse competition, with cash prizes, called The News Gets Verse, where all the limericks must be based on current news plus workshops on poetry writing with Ron Carey and song writing with John Spillane (in association with Steamboat Music), and we discover the art behind the Poetry of Bob Dylan. Plus Polish Poetry in translation and Poetry and Painting with local artist Kate Hennessy.

Not forgetting two ‘On the Nail’ Literary gatherings, one in Chez le Fab and one in Limerick City Library. This year also sees the inauguration of a Poetry Wall in a prominent city location. National Poetry Day and World Book Day will also form an integral part of the festival programme. And, except for workshops, it’s all free to the public.

The 5th annual festival will take place in various venues around Limerick, see inside the festival brochure for further details or check out their Facebook page

www.facebook.com/aprilispoetrymonthinlimerick

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Treaty Stone Limerick. Photo Piotr Machowczyk