Poetry Ireland yesterday (17.08.21) announced the names of the Poet Laureates selected as part of the Poetry Town initiative, which will see more than a hundred poetry-related activities take place in 20 towns across the island of Ireland between 10^th and 18^th September 2021.

Dungarvan in Co Waterford is among the Poetry Towns, and Poetry Ireland, in conjunction with Waterford City and County Council Arts Office, has appointed Áine Uí Fhoghlú as the Poet Laureate for the town.

A writer of poetry and fiction, Áine Uí Fhoghlú comes from the Waterford Gaeltacht area, An Rinn.

All Poet Laureates announced today are either from the respective local area or have strong connections with it and have been commissioned to write a poem honouring and reflecting their Poetry Town and its people.

As part of the week-long Poetry Town celebrations next month, each Poet Laureate will reveal and present their poem to the people of their Poetry Town at a series of flagship online events, one of which will be hosted in each town. Each event will also feature contributions from other local poets, artists and musicians (further details about these events is available on the Poetry Town website).

Further activities will include a series of poetry events involving local poets; poetry workshops; public poetry displays, including ‘Poetry Underfoot’; and a range of physical activities called ‘Poems that Move You’, which will vary from town to town.  Local businesses, including cafés and chemists, will also be participating in the activities to celebrate their towns by distributing ‘pocket poems’ to customers. The full programme of activities for each town will be made available on the Poetry Town website during the last week of August.

Commenting, Director of Poetry Ireland, Niamh O’Donnell said: “We are delighted we could secure such a strong cohort of Poet Laureates for this exciting new poetry initiative, which is characterised by collaboration and communal experiences.

“The aim of Poetry Town is to celebrate the vitality and strength of our towns and communities, and to shine a light on the wealth of creativity and talent that can be found in them. The diversity of this talent is reflected in the selection of Laureates, which includes both well-known visionary poets and new powerful voices.”

Áine Uí Fhoghlú added: “The Déise area of west Waterford, with Dungarvan at its heart, has a long tradition of poetry going back through the centuries, Donnchadh Rua Mac Conmara and Máire Ní Dhonnagáin being just two of the better-known poets associated with the locality in the past.

“In that proud tradition, it is a great honour for me to accept my nomination as Laureate for Dungarvan and I look forward to working with Waterford City and Council Arts Office and all the other parties who have made the exciting 2021 Poetry Town project possible. Poetry is for everyone, let’s make sure everyone knows it!”

Poetry Town is an initiative of Poetry Ireland in partnership with Local Authority Arts Offices. It is made possible with funding from the Arts Council of Ireland’s Open Call funding, and is also supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. 

For further information, visit the Poetry Town website: poetrytown.ie.

Fógraíonn Éigse Éireann/Poetry Ireland Ríon-Éigeas do Dhún Garbhán, Co Phort Láirge mar chuid de thionscnamh Bhaile na hÉigse

D’fhógair Éigse Éireann/Poetry Ireland ainmneacha na Ríon-agus na Rí-Éigse inniu (17.08.21) mar chuid de thionscnamh Bhailte na hÉigse nuair a reáchtálfar breis is céad imeacht filíochta i bhfiche baile ar fud oileán na hÉireann idir an 10ú agus an 18ú Meán Fómhair 2021.

Tá Dún Garbhán, Co Phort Láirge ar cheann des na Baile Filíochta agus tá Éigse Éireann, i gcomhar le hOifig Ealaíon Chomhairle Cathrach & Contae Phort Láirge, tar éis Áine Uí Fhoghlú a cheapadh mar Ríon-Éigse don mbaile.

Is scríbhneoir agus file í Áine Uí Fhoghlú ón Rinn i nGaeltacht na nDéise (tuilleadh eolais thíos).

Gach Ríon-Rí-Éigse a fógraíodh inniu, is filí áitiúla iad nó tá ceangal láidir acu leis an gceantar. Coimisiúnaíodh iad chun dán a chumadh in ómós don Bhaile Éigse agus dá mhuintir.

Mar chuid de cheiliúradh Bhaile na hÉigse a mhairfidh ar feadh seachtaine an mhí seo chugainn, nochtfaidh gach Ríon-Rí-Éigeas dán leo do phobal Bhaile na hÉigse mar chuid de mhórimeachtaí na féile, agus imeacht díobh sin in gach baile. Glacfaidh filí áitiúla eile páirt sa cheiliúradh, chomh maith le healaíontóirí agus ceoltóirí (tuilleadh sonraí ar fáil ón suíomh gréasáin Poetry Town).

Beidh imeachtaí breise ann le filí áitiúla; ceardlanna filíochta; taispeántais phoiblí filíochta agus réimse d’imeachtaí fisiceacha ar a dtugtar ‘Dánta a Chorraíonn Sinn’ agus a stampa féin ag gach baile orthu. Beidh gnólachtaí áitiúla, mar shampla cógaslanna, páirteach sna himeachtaí chun ‘dánta póca’ a dháileadh ar chustaiméirí. Léireofar clár iomlán na n-imeachtaí ar shuíomh gréasáin Bhaile na hÉigse an tseachtain dheireanach de mhí Lúnasa.

Arsa Stiúrthóir Éigse Éireann/ Poetry Ireland, Niamh O’Donnell: “Tá aoibhneas orainn gur éirigh linn grúpa tréitheach de Ríon-is Rí-Éigse a fháil don tionscnamh breá filíochta seo agus rannpháirtíocht an phobail ina lár.

“Aidhm na mBailte Éigse ná beocht ár mbailte is ár mbailte fearainn a chomóradh, agus díriú ar an gcruthaitheacht agus ar an tallann ina measc. Feicfear éagsúlacht a gcuid buanna go léir sna filí atá ceaptha don ghradam seo, filí seanbhunaithe a bhfuil eolas againn cheana ar a bhfís, chomh maith le guthanna tréana úrnua.

Deir Áine Uí Fhoghlú: “Tá traidisiún ársa filíochta in Iarthar na nDéise agus i nDún Garbhán ag dul siar na céadta bliain; tá cáil ar dhaoine ar nós Donnchadh Rua Mac Conmara agus Máire Ní Dhonnagáin ach go háirithe mar fhilí den scoth a raibh baint acu leis an gceantar seo fadó.”

“Ag cuimhneamh siar ar an traidisiún iontach seo, is mór an onóir domsa glacadh le m’ainmniúchán mar Ríon-Éigse do Dhún Garbhán agus tá mé ag súil go mór le bheith ag obair le hOifig Ealaíon Chomhairle Cathrach & Contae Phort Láirge agus leis na rannpháirtithe eile a bhí ag obair ar thogra spreagúil seo na mBailte Éigse. Tá an fhilíocht ar fáil do gach aoinne agus cinnteoimis anois go dtuigtear é sin!”

Tionscnamh de chuid Éigse Éireann i gcomhar le hOifigí Ealaíon na nÚdarás Áitiúil é Baile na hÉigse. Maoiniú ó Ghairm Oscailte na Comhairle Ealaíon a chuir ar ár gcumas é a chur ar bun, agus tá tacaíocht faighte againn chomh maith ó Chomhairle Ealaíon Thuaisceart Éireann.

Le haghaidh tuilleadh faisnéise, tabhair cuairt ar shuíomh Gréasáin an Bhaile Filíochta: poetrytown.ie.