Winner of The Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Competition 2024 Announced

Pictured at the presentation to the winner of the 2024 Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Competition were Arthur Broomfield with winner Ger Duffy and Dominic Taylor. Photo: Patrick Thomas Howard

Ger Duffy announced as the winner of the 2024 Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Competition

At a thrilling Desmond O’Grady Memorial Reading, in association with Poetry Ireland, last Wednesday night the 17th April in The People’s Museum of Limerick, Co. Waterford-based poet Ger Duffy, was announced as the winner of this year’s Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Competition, with her poem ‘The Afters. There were congratulations all round as she recited her winning poem.

The judge for the competition Arthur Broomfield said, “There is so much to say about the poignant winning poem, ‘The Afters’: Its so appropriate choice of language, especially verbs ‘ snapped midstep’ ; ‘sandals hurry…’ brooch ‘coronaed.’

“The poem is coloured in rich imagery- ‘your dresses shiver on hangers’; ‘Your Child of Prague points to a continuous heaven’ ; ‘tears slide down their sides as the mousetrap snaps,’ and many more that contribute to a very special experience for the reader – not just for their originality, which, in their own right, would be enough to make it a wonderful poem – but for the powerful emotion they create and drive, which is the central intention of the poem.

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“All of which build to the heart-breaking, book-ending line ‘ the tap tap tap of your heels quickstepping away.’ In a field rich with exceptional poems ‘The Afters’ is a deserving winner. Congratulations to the author.”

There were also 10 ‘highly commended’ poems announced by the judge and four of the authors were present to recite their commended poems, they were; Barbara Dunne; Peggy McCarthy; Lauren O’Donovan and Marie Studer.

Ger Duffy’s winning poem:
The Afters
A photograph of Bray Promenade September 1953,
you link my father’s arm, snapped midstep on the prom,
a dark haired Grace Kelly with your very own James Dean.
Your open toed white sandals hurry towards
the next thirty years, he squints down the lens,
neither of you have a clue of what you are rushing to.
The fridge’s blue mouth highlights a bowl of coleslaw
with green spoon. Your sisters -in-law and nieces
stack cups on saucers, hunt down spoons, fill teapots,
disturb the mouse. One bends over a hostess trolley
clinking booze, others lift platters of food high
over their heads, step forward allowing in a cloud
of Silk Cut and burbled conversation. The tea
is stone cold.
You are gone. In your bedroom,
your music box’s ballerina is still, your dresses shiver
on hangers as mourners lie across on your bed,
blow blue smoke, sip whiskey – no ice. Your Child
of Prague points to a continuous heaven. Kettles
are switched on, teapots refilled; this time tears slide
down their sides as the mousetrap snaps.
When guests
have left the mouse is found – free, but for the tip
of his nose, his fur soft as ermine, the stole you wore
when going out smelling of Eau de Cologne, blushed
with Rouge, dark tint of Max Factor Luscious Lips,
your wavy hair coiffed, your brooch coronaed by streetlights,
and the tap tap tap of your heels quickstepping away.

Ger Duffy lives in Co. Waterford. Her poems have appeared in PNR (UK), Poetry Ireland review, Under the Radar (UK), Southword, the Ekphrastic Review (US), The Sailor Review (SA), The Stony Thursday Book, The Bangor Literary Journal, The Milk House, Skylight 47, The Waxed Lemon and Drawn to the Light Press.

Her poems have been anthologized in Local Wonders (Dedalus Press), #Public Sector Poetry (UK), Arlen House Press (In Washing Windows III & IV),The Weight of Motherhood ( Moonstone Press) (US), The Verve Eco poetry Anthology (UK) and “To light the trails” The Sidhe Press (Ger).

Her poems were placed 2 nd in the Goldsmiths Poetry Competition 2021, Travels with Joyce Competition 2022 and Write by the Sea Competition 2023. Her poems have been Highly Hommended in the Red Line Competition 2021 & 2022, The Francis Ledwidge Award 2022, The Allingham Award 2023, The Verve Eco Poetry Competition 2024 and The Bard of Connacht Award 2023. She was a featured reader at the Prebooked Poetry Introductions at the Cork Poetry Festival in 2022.

She has received poetry mentoring awards from The Munster Literature Centre in 2021 and the National Mentoring Awards in 2022. She was a featured reader at the launch of “On Being” by Padraig O Tuama at the Southbank, London in 2023. She is a Pushcart nominee.

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