Celebration of verse as April is Poetry Month in Limerick

2024 April is Poetry Month in Limerick brings over 15 events and over 26 performers during the 30 days of April

During the 30 days of April, with over 15 events and over 26 performers, Limerick’s annual poetry festival for the 2024 April is Poetry Month in Limerick

Updated April 11, 2024

On Wednesday, 17th of April at 7.30pm and presented in association with Poetry Ireland The 2024 Desmond O’Grady Memorial Reading takes place in The People’s Museum of Limerick, Pery Square. Plus the results of The Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Competition 2024 will be announced by competition judge Arthur Broomfield.

The three poets reading on the night are Niamh Twomey, last year’s winner of the Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Competition, and Arthur Broomfield and Matthew Geden.

Matthew Geden was born and brought up in the English Midlands, moving to Kinsale in 1990. His poetry collections include Swimming to Albania, The Place Inside and Fruit.

Niamh Twomey is a poet from Co. Clare. She won the 2023 Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Competition and the 2022 Trim Poetry Competition.  Her work has appeared in journals and anthologies such as London Magazine and Rattle.

Arthur Broomfield is a poet and Beckett scholar from Ballyfin, Co Laois. He holds a Ph.D. in English literature from Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick. Arthur’s poems have been published in Poetry Ireland Review, Cyphers and many other literary journals.

On Friday, 19th of April at The People’s Museum of Limerick, 2 Pery Square at 7.30pm a new collection of poetry by Limerick poets John Liddy and Jim Burke will be launched as part of April is Poetry Week 2024,

The book is published by Revival Press, an imprint of The Limerick Writers’ Centre, under their Community Publishing initiative and will be launched by poet Anton Floyd. This is a unique publication by the two original founders of The Stony Thursday Book, one of Ireland’s longest journals in circulation.

Slipstreaming recalls a cycling trip around West Clare, Galway, Connemara and Inishmore in 1972 by the then fledgling poets John Liddy and Jim Burke, they chronicled their trip by writing a journal filled with swapped entries, sometimes poems, sometimes prose, and after 50 years the poets reflect on that journey by writing new poems that explore the passage of time and the different stages of life, from childhood to old age. They contemplate the growth and decline that occur throughout one’s journey, both physically and emotionally.

Original story March 21, 2024

Once again poetry will echo in the streets and intimate venues of this historic city of Limerick. Long associated with poetry and literature, the Limerick Writers’ Centre inaugurated the festival in 2013.  For the month of April Limerick will showcase some of the best from the world of poetry, including local, national and international guest readers!

Dominic Taylor, director of the festival, emphasises the community aspect of the festival he said ‘poetry, like all genuine cultural activities, must have its roots among the “clay and soil” of its communities’.

Limerick’s poetry scene will be celebrated at this year’s festival with readings and pairings of poets including a host of locally residing poets such as Donal Ryan (of The Spinning Heart fame), Jon Kenny (of D’Unbelieveables fame), Jim Burke, Eoin Devereux, John Liddy, Tommy Collins, Mike MacDomhnaill and D’or Seifer. Other special guest poets appearing during the month are, from the USA, Partridge Boswell with Los Lorcas also from the USA Sandy Yannone plus Anton Floyd, John W. Sexton, Gabriel Rosenstock, Arthur Broomfield, Niamh Twomey, Seamus Cashman, Tom Conaty, Daragh Bradish, Paul Bregazzi, Noel King, Matthew Geden and Ross McDonnell.

Four poetry books will also be launched by community press Revival Press from Mike MacDomhnaill, Tommy Collins, Jim Burke/John Liddy and Gabriel Rosenstock. All readings and book launches take place in The People’s Museum of Limerick, Pery Square.

The poetry kicks off on Wednesday 3rd April at the ‘First Wednesday Series’ in the Whitehouse Bar with guest poet from the USA Sandy Yannone 7.30pm.

The annual memorial reading honouring the late Limerick poet Desmond O’Grady will take place on Wednesday 17th April at 7.30pm in The People’s Museum of Limerick with poets Arthur Broomfield, Niamh Twomey and Matthew Geden. Arthur Broomfield is also the judge of the Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Competition for this year and she will announce the winner of this year’s competition after the reading.

Four programmed readings from Lime Square Poets will take place on-line on Zoom 4th, 11th, 18th  and 25 th April. Guests are April 4-Italo Ferrante, April 11-Grace O’Doherty, April 18 – Marie Studer and April 25 – Thaddeus Ó Buachalla plus open-mic after the readings.

On Sunday 14th Anton Floyd presents Depositions, an audio/visual presentation of his recent book which deals with the worldwide refugee crisis and displacement. 3.00pm at The People’s Museum of Limerick.

On Sunday 21st John W Sexton presents Scéine and the Hag of Beare Meet Saint Killian – Tensions in the Creative Imagination: an essay, with accompanying poetry sequence. The People’s Museum of Limerick. 3.00pm.

On Poetry Day Ireland Thurs 25th April the Limerick Writers’ Centre invite you to ‘What the Thunder Said’ an introduction to and reading of Modernist poetry with reference to TS Eliot and The Waste Land.

The last event of the month features US poet Partridge Boswell and Los Lorcas give a concert which includes poetry and music at the People’s Museum of Limerick 3.00pm.Again this year all events are free and open to the public.

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