The Stony Thursday Book

The current edition of the Stony Thursday Book runs to over 161 pages and needless to state I am delighted to be included with a number of poets that I had been published alongside in other publications. Gerard Hanberry Ciaran O'Driscoll,, Eileen Casey, Teri Murray just to mention a few. I'm on page 12 and publication in this book brings me a step nearer to having a second collection published. There is only two more publications to go can anyone guess what they are?
As a matter of fact I won t publish until I get published in these two first

2010 -A very good year

I would have to say that I am delighted with the way things went for me during 2010 beginning with Meath Oral History with Maurice O'Keefe and winning the battle of the books would have been great but to get published in The Meath Anthology and get 3rd prize in the Swift satire and get to be guest reader at the White House in Limerick was really great but there was more to come and in August I got a certificate of Merit from the Golden Pen and winning the Poet of Fingal in Swords for the third time was followed by publication in the Stony Thursday Book, being through to the Finals of the Bard of Armagh and the latest being shortlisted in the Saggart Arts Competition.

Of course there were several other lesser moments such as the publication of my twelfth book 'With the Boyne Through Trim' and the launch of the Children's Anthology.
The highlights for me were publication in The Meath Anthology, The Stony Thursday Book while winning the Poet of Fingal and being invited to be guest reader at the White House were memorable. All in all a great year so far.

Saggart Heritage And Arts Centre

Delighted with the news this morning that I am in the final of the Saggart Literary Competition
Even more delighted to know that I don't have to attend and my prize or Certificate or what ever will be sent on to me. The final takes place on Saturday 30th October at 8pm. My poem will be read by a designated reader

Paper Trails

At the Launch of Paper Trails

Launch of Paper Trails

You are invited to come along to the Navan Library on Thursday 21st at 7.30 for the launch of Paper Trails, a collection of work by the writers of the future. And yes there will be refreshments
and maybe a chance listen to some future literary star. In the twelve years that this class has been going as many as 216 young writers from the Navan area have been involved. Currently there is a waiting list. All of the 26 children in This years class will be featured in the book and all will read their poems on the night. It is expected that with parents, teachers and friends it should be a full house

The Stony Thursday Book and The Bard of Armagh

Absolutely delighted that my poem Cliff-Hangers is to be published in this year's Stony Thursday Book, Just received word from Limerick City Arts Officer Sheila Deegan. The launch will take place at the Daghgha in St, John's Square at 7 pm on Thursday 14th October. The launch , which will be performed by poet and editor Mark Whelan is part of the Cuisle festival
Having a poem in a publication such as 'The Stony Thursday Book is something of a milestone as it is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland.
The Stony Thursday book will be on sale from this week cost 10 euro

The Bard of Armagh
November looks like being a busy month because I am just after receiving word from John Makem that I am in the final of the Bard of Armagh contest. That takes place in the Armagh City Hotel on Friday 19th November. Maybe it will be third time lucky because I have been runner up on two previous occasions.
Then there is that reading in Drogheda on the 24th.
Having narrowly missed out in 2004 and 2005 the possibility of holding the Poet of Fingal and Bard of Armagh trophies at the same time is on again this year. The first leg of this illusive double is already up and there are only seven other poets between myself and it. Anyway looking forward to meeting John Makem , Frank Galligan. It's always a great occasion

Cliff-hangers

Tipi couldn’t have known

What she was letting herself in for

The clans, the cliques the coteries

The outrageous behaviour

Assassins all, I say

Serial killers

And who’s for murder, she might have asked

Or matricide

Even thuggery

Thievery too

As for promiscuity

And polygamy

And adult homosexual couplings

These too

And the last thing

She would have thought was gang rape

Oh yes, it was all out there

Just a cliff away

In a Hitchcockian swirl

Of screaming gulls and guillemots

Messages of congratulation still coming in----

susanna Dunne – Yesterday, 10:51 AM

Hi TommyMurry

Congratulations!

to you on your Brilliant" news.

Also would like to wish you every success and the best off luck.

Aine – Yesterday, 11:54 AM

Excellent news. Well done!

Aine
x

Helen46 – Yesterday, 3:45 PM

Well done Tommy,

Helen

James F Linnane – 7:19 PM

Well done Tommy,you're definitely on a roll these days,fair play to you,James.

Paper Trails

Looking forward to the launch of the children's anthology;'Paper Trails' on Thursday 21st .
The collection, which contains the work of 26 young people from the Navan and Kells area will be launched by the Meath Arts Officer Geradette Baily and it is expected that a large crowd of parents, teachers and friends will be there, This will be the fourth collection of work by the members of the Meath Junior Writer's Group, the previous ones being 'Gemstones' Building Blocks' and 'Rough Diamonds'.
The organisers would like to thank the Meath Arts Office the CEO and staff of the The Meath Library Service and all who have done so much to keep the flag of poetry flying in County Meath

This Wednesday, Oct 13th, I will be giving a reading at 1p.m. in the Captain's Room of the Hunt Museum as part of this year's Cuisle Limerick City International Poetry Festival. If you are at all free to attend - attendance is only three euros - please do come along, I'd appreciate all the support I can get. If not, please send colourful and interesting excuses to this address.

This is the opening event in a packed four days of poetry events though and, not being into shameless self-promotion exclusively, I'd encourage you to attend and give your support to the other invited guests too, or as many as you can, among them Alan Peterson, Catherine Phil MacCarthy, Rita Ann Higgins, Vincent Woods, Kerry Hardie... Ed.\O Dwyer

Al Ireland Poetry Day Readings

Congratulations to Sean Kane, Paul Martin Frank Murphy Paddy Pryle and Willie Hodgins all of whom won prizes at the recent All Ireland Poetry Day readings in the Navan Library. The event which was well attended was a most enjoyable experience

Reading in the Navan Library right and in the Trim Church Left
Picture courtesy of Mick Sheils

All Ireland Poetry Day readings

All set now for the All Ireland Poetry day readings in the Navan library on Thursday 7th at 7.15pm
A large number of readers have announced their intention of attending including Poet Peter Fallon and also LM/FM may turn up fior what promises to be a great event. Just received word on facebook that Paddy Pryle will be reading

Once on Tara's Plain The Porchfields

A stroll across the Porchfields on Sunday Morning

Michael Hartnett

It was in the imperial Hotel in Dundalk that I first met Michael Hartnett. He was presenting me with my prize in the Patrick Kavanagh Memorial competition and after wards he singled me out to talk about my poem. "You counted syllables boy," he said in his unimitable Limerick accent.
" I did ," I said wondering how he had been so quick to spot the form of the poem.
There were four stanzas in that poem and there were the exact number of syllables in each stanza and a few extra in the last one. This was quite acceptable according to the late poet and I had stumbled on it by accident. It is something that I never forgot and now when ever I write a poem I take particular note of this, unless of course it is free verse and even then one must deploy a regular rhythm
There is no substitute for the experience that one may pick up along the way and since then whenever I met a poet that I admire i always tried to get some little gem of information. There is no shortage of advice on such pecularities as punctuation and spelling but when it comes to things like Scancion advice is not as prolific. What poets like Kavanagh who sat by the canal and wrote verses for half a crown a time or McGill who picked potatoes for a living or indeed Ledwidge who worked on the raod from Navan to Slane knew about these considerations I am not sure but it worked for them.