Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Maeve Binchy RIP

A sad day when a writer of the standing of Maeve Binchy passes on.  I had the pleasure of meeting the Maeve at a function in St. Andrew's Lane  some years back when she signed this ticket for me
. May she rest in peace

Monday, July 30, 2012

Dromineer Competition

Dromineer Literary Festival Competition Winners 2011

POETRY Competition, judged by Dermot Healy
1st Yoga Class  by Liza Costello,  Dublin 
2nd Meeting Himself Coming Back by James Martyn, Galway
3rd The Grip of the Dead  by Paul McMahon,  Sligo

Highly commended Poems
Invasion by Afric McGlinchey, County Cork                             
The Colony  by Tommy Murray, Co Meath                                                
Church Bell in Codalet, France by Peter Goulding, Dublin               
In the Dog House by Paul McMahon, Sligo
Flatline by Paul McMahon, Sligo   

FLASH SHORT STORY COMPETITION, judged by Vincent McDonnell                
1st  LOST FOR WORDS  by Hedy Gibbons Lynott, Co Galway
2nd COFFEE BREAK by Lucie Kavanagh, Co Mayo
3rd DUST by Elizabeth Power, Galway City


A mistake by the administrators  last year had me placed second but this was reversed and  I got a Highly Commended Award

Monday, July 23, 2012

Westport Arts Festival Poetry Competition 2012 – a call for entries

Calling all scribes, wordsmiths and lyrical-language lovers! For the first time ever, Westport Arts Festival is running a poetry competition


I notice that one of the judges in this contest is Aosdana member Dermot Healy.    I had the privilege  of being presented with a signed copy of Dermot's book,'A Fool's Errand' as a prize in the Dromineer Poetry contest  in 2011

Friday, July 20, 2012

A Rare Find

Being an eternal browser it is only logical that I should come across a rare find once in a while which is just what happened today when I came across this rare limited edition hard back copy of the poems of F R Higgins.  The collection does not include his poem about Laracor which makes the book even more desirable.  When the book was published in 1992 fifty one years after the death of the poet it was prices at nine pounds sterling.  I will now add it to my other rare books which includes Elizabeth Hickeys ' I send my Love Along the Boyne'  and also her 'Legends of Tara '  and the Chatto and Windus 1873 published 'Life and Works of Jonathon Swift

Saturday, July 14, 2012




Title:    
Swimming with Dolphins

ISBN:     9781907276965

Pages:     52


Prices:    10.00  Sterling (Hard Copy)

                    5.00 Sterling (Digital Price in PDF)




Title:     Counting Stainedglass Windows

ISBN:     9781907276156

Pages:     36

Prices:    10.00  Sterling (Hard Copy)

                    5.00 Sterling (Digital Price in PDF

Monday, July 9, 2012

Thinking Swift

Delighted to win The Battle of the Books  and just thinking of things Swift I came across this book which gives not only the life of Jonathan Swift but everything he has ever written.  It is published by Chatto and Windus in 1876 and runs to over a thousand pages.  It might come in handy if it was ever decided to have a museum dedicated to Swift

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Team Announced

The Meath Writer's Circle team for the Battle of the Books has just been announced , it is

Ymmot Yarrum         Leahcim  Sliehs     and       Knarf   Yhprum

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Battle of the Books

The Countdown has begun to this momentus clash, with little information being given on either side.   Some of the curtain raising personalities appearing  before to this contest include  Dara O'Breen and George Hook