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April is Poetry Month in Limerick 2020

April is Poetry Month returns for the 6th annual festival and will take place in various venues around Limerick.

April is Poetry Month in Limerick 2020

Over the 30 days of April, with 20 events and 35 performers, Limerick’s biggest and brightest poetry festival will fill 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 2014. For the month of April Limerick will showcase the best from the world of poetry, including local, national and international guest readers! Following on from last year’s extended festival, April is Poetry Month in Limerick returns a little smaller for 2020, due to a cut in funding. 


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The Mayor, Cllr Michael Sheahan on Thursday, March 12, officially proclaimed April as Poetry Month in Limerick by signing the Proclamation, designating Limerick as a city of poetry for the month of April. 

Over the course of the month local, national and international guest poets will visit and perform in the city, sharing the experience of seeing poetry as a living art form that anyone, no matter what age, can take part in.

Limerick’s thriving poetry and spoken word scene will be celebrated at this year’s festival with readings and pairings of poets including Scottish poet Hugh McMillan and Kerry poet Eileen Sheahan at The People’s Museum of Limerick on Thursday, April 2 at 8 pm. 

This will be followed by an open-mic for anyone wishing to share their own poetry. Music is from Limerick Jazz duo John Daly and Rory Murphy.

Exciting performance quartet from Dublin Quarterman, comprising of poets DaraghBradish, Seamus Cashman, Paul Bregazzi and Tom Conaty will play in the People’s Museum of Limerick on Thursday, April 9 accompanied by musicians Finnjamin Browner and Finn Conaty.

A showcase reading honouring the late Limerick poet Desmond O’Grady will take place in The People’s Museum of Limerick on Thursday, April 16 with poet John Liddy and Canadian poet Tammy Armstrong.

Tammy was the winner of the Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Competition last year. This year’s winner will be announced during the reading. Again an open-mic follows.

April is Poetry Month

Long associated with poetry and literature the Limerick Writers’ Centre inaugurated the festival in 2014. For the month of April Limerick will showcase the best from the world of poetry, including local, national and international guest readers!

Other International visitors include Keith Armstrong and Paul Summers from the UK who will read at a special Poetry Ireland event in the Coach House at The People’s Museum of Limerick, music by the wonderful Norma Manly and friends.

Award-winning playwright, lyricist, composer, and actor Roger Gregg comes to Limerick for the first time with his show Soundscapes, he will be joined by local poets Eoin Deveraux and Mel White

Musical accompaniment is by Angel Hannigan, a singer and actor from Donegal. She has been the frontwoman of Dublin band MERO for three years. This event takes place in Sexton’s Bar, Henry Street, Limerick. All events this year (except workshops) are free and open to the public.

In other events poetry lovers can wallow in the serene atmosphere of the Belltable Café on Friday, April 17 at 7.30 pm for a relaxing night of poetry and song called Ripples of Sound with poets Jessica Brown, Michael Durack and Fiona Clark Echlin and music from Killaloe based The Last Fridays. Their much loved Poetry Trail is back again this year with thirty poems on display in various premises around the city.

We’re also taking a look back at one of Limerick’s most famous poet sons Michael Hogan, the Bard of Thomond. Local legend Mae Leonard will join Patrick Power and others for a celebration of his work at Bake House 22, Nicholas St., Limerick from 7.30 pm Friday, April 24. A number of local musicians will also entertain the audience.

Also over the course of the month their visiting writer-poet John Liddy will be visiting a number of schools in the city, giving them the experience of seeing poetry as a living art form that anyone, no matter what age, can take part in.

There’s lots more including workshops, book launches and lectures, so join us for a fun celebration of poetry this April. The 6th annual festival, will take place in various venues around Limerick, see inside the festival brochure for further details or check out their Facebook page

For more information, click here.

For more Limerick Writer Centre stories, click here.

Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.