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Stories from the City: Circle and Square
The International Literature Festival Dublin, founded in 1998, is Ireland’s premier literary event and gathers the finest writers in the world to debate, provoke, delight and enthral. Described by the press as ‘boasting a stunning array of top international literary talent’ and ‘the country’s most successful and easily the best annual literary event’, International Literature Festival Dublin line-up is sure to impress.
Writer and editor Eileen Casey will present an evening of live readings from Circle and Square, an anthology of poetry, fiction and non-fiction, all inspired by experiences at The Square, Tallaght.
Date: Monday, 22 May 2017
Time: 6.30pm
Venue: Tallaght Library
Admission: Free (Book Here)
Confirmed contributors to the collection reading on the night include:
Michael Whelan
Mae Newman
Doreen Duffy
Susan Condon
Tony Sheilds
Vivienne Kearns
Orla Donoghue
Check out the full list of events which run from 20 – 29 May.
Our festival box office is now open at The Gutter Bookshop on Cow’s Lane, Temple Bar (recently voted the best independent bookseller in the UK & Ireland!)
Pop in to book tickets or pick up a brochure, or contact us by phone on +353 1 969 5259. Opening hours are Monday – Saturday: 11am – 6pm and Sunday: 12pm – 5pm.
Poetry Launch
I’m delighted to announce that two award-winning members of writing group, Platform One, launch their debut poetry collections this week!
Details below for these free events:
Peacekeeper by Michael J Whelan
Date: Wednesday, 13 April 2016
Time: 6.30pm
Venue: County Library, Tallaght
And
In Praise of Small Things by Áine Lyons
Date: Thursday, 14 April 2016
Time: 6.00pm
Venue: County Library, Tallaght
Jonathan Swift Awards
Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Awards, 2012
What a wonderful night, at the Saggart Arts Centre, for the Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Awards Ceremony.
Jam-packed with so many fellow writers the night got off to a lively start with music from Tony Bardon.
Maria Wallace, Hennessy Award winning poet, was the judge who offered her congratulations to all of the entrants who had their poems and prose short listed.
It was an especially enjoyable night for me when two great writer friends were awarded, in the Poetry category:
Third place: Michael J Whelan
First place: Doreen Duffy
To be awarded First place in the Prose category made the night even more memorable.
The evening finished with a customary Irish cuppa, courtesy of Mervyn Ennis and his lovely wife, giving everyone a chance to have a chat.
The Written Word
Little did I know, as I walked into Eileen Casey’s Creative Writing class in September 2008, the world it would open – the Narnia of my childhood resurrected . . .
From the age of seven I’ve always been an avid reader. Then, the libraries of my home and my grandmother’s, from North and South of the Liffey, were scavenged to reap the finest rewards. The little bookcase above my bed, filled to capacity with birthday and Christmas presents, mainly Enid Blyton, in those early days. Now, a bookcase in the family room sits three-deep along with an eReader I swore I would never buy.
I love books too much, I thought, but, it appears, I love the written word, in any shape or form, even more!
I’d be very interested in your feelings on the eReader versus the book – if you have the time to comment . . .
I would be lying if I did not admit to missing the look, the feel and the smell of a book with my eReader, but, on the other hand, I can read six books while on holidays without having to extract a couple of pairs of shoes from my luggage to squeeze them in! I can pick up the classics for free and borrow from the local library without leaving my house – and without incurring a fine when I fail to bring books back on time – they just magically return to the virtual world of the library, ready-and-waiting for their next reader.
And if I thought I’d captured the written word in all of its entirety I was wrong!
Hearing the written word, read aloud, preferably by its writer, really brings the world their words create to life.
I had the pleasure of being one of the many writers involved with the Tallaght Library Readings, facilitated by Eileen Casey, which ran from Monday, 5 December to Monday 19 December.
With Readings of poetry and prose from so many diverse writers; David Mohan, Louise Phillips, Brian Kirk, Mary Guckian, Mervyn Ennis, Doreen Duffy, Michael Whelan, Kate Dempsey and Eileen Casey herself, it was always going to be a success. The fact that The Echo is currently profiling each of these writers has made it even more special; you can find out more about each writer and read a little of their work here.
I wish you a Merry Christmas and hope you have an opportunity to take a break, in this madly busy season, to enjoy WORDS, in every shape and form . . .
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