New Galway Literary Magazine

Delighted to hear that Skylight poets are going to include my poem "Oil Seed Rape" in their forthcoming new magazine which will be launched in  Galway in January.  I will be looking forward to receiving my copy and I may even go down to the launch which will take place on the 10^th Anniversary Over the Edge launch 24^th January, 2013 in Galway City Library.

Book Launch

Thursday 15th November is the date set for the launch of the Meath Junior Writers Anthology.  The event will take place in  the Navan Library an d as many as 26 young people mostly from the Navan area have contributed their work to the publication.    This is the fifth  collection of work from this group which has been on the go now for thirteen years..    These young people who range inage from 9 to 15 meet every Saturday Morning in the Navan Library where under the direction of poet Tommy Murray they learn how to write poetry, short stories and essays and indeed all aspects of creative writing.   Many of them have won prizes over the years and all a re skilled in  reading their work in  public

New Website Announcement

Our New Website is now up and running with some interesting links to sites that I have been involved with, including  Irish Writers Online,  The Bard of Armagh and Poetry Ireland.  Well worth a visit

Picture shows the band at last night's Scurlogstown celebration where more than 150 People enjoyed a night of music, poetry and song. Spotted there were Paul Kerr from Trim, Ollie and Brigid Doherty , Joe Regan from Rathmoylon, Rosemary Swan from Kilmessan , Noel French ,and all the members of the Olympiad. I got the chance to read two long poems 'On Being Politically Correct' and 'On the Wagon. both of these poems are on the Bard of Armagh DVDs.   All in all a great night

Meath Writers Christms DVD

A meeting of the Meath Writers Circle will take place in The Trim Castle Hotel on Thursday 25th inst for the purpose of completing the Christmas DVD.   The DVD which is actually the second such production from the circle will feature sixteen writers and will be ready well in  time for  Christmas.
Tomorrow night (Saturday )will see a number of the writers reading at the Scurlogstown Celebration in Jack Quinn's pub. 

Package Publishing

With the number of self publishing enterprises growing by the week  a closer look will show that most of them are a complete rip off.  Writers are being charged for services that they could easily do themselves.  Take the copyright law for example where in some cases these print/publishers retain as many as thirteen copies and for  local consumption manuscripts that don't in fact need all these .  Then there is the ISBNs and the Bar codes.  What ever the need for these by virtue of the proposed market the prices are too high. The only answer is to shop around and if your book is just for local consumption  then dispense with a lot of the extras especially the promise to sell copies online

Launch in Fergie's

A huge crowd turned out for the launch of Peggy Murphy's CD in Fergie's pub Kilmessan on Friday night.

Peggy herself read some of her poems and John Byrne told jokes for what was to be a wonderful evening of entertainment.  The music was supplied by Paul Hennessy and tea and sandwiches were put on by the hostess Helen. It was great to see so many members of the Meath Writers Circle there and it was even better to see that Peggy had very few if any copies of her CD left when the night was over.    The picture shows  Peggy with Frank busy at the top table

Counting Headstones

Seems to be that I am destined to count more than just stained Glass Windows. How many times in recent years have I tried to count the headstones in Newtown cemetery without success because of the fact that it was impossible to see most of them what with all the undergrowth and briars and in particularly the elder trees.

The elder tree may be associated with the town of Trim but they sure didn’t look too well out in the cemetery.  Then last Tuesday I decided to pay a visit to the cemetery it was a beautiful evening just what one would expect right in the middle of St. Luke’s summer.   Well I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there had been quite a lot of work going on out there since my last visit.   The beautiful yew trees had been cleaned up and the elder had been cut and checked and it was easy to negotiate a path through the cemetery.  It was a case of ‘A lot done more to do but having said that I have to say huge congratulations to the young Trim man who took on the job all on his own.

All Ireland Poetry Day Navan

Reading in the Navan Library for All Ireland Poetry Day

Awards and Prizes

Awards and Prizes   46 to date  Volume One

1987        Patrick Kavanagh Memorial Award, Dundalk

1990                The Allingham Arts Poetry Competition Ballyshannon

1991                The Hopkins Certificate of Merit. Monastrevin

1993        Syllables Writers Dublin Special Merit Awards

1994        Church and General Short Story Competition. 1^st Prize

                Kells Festival Poetry Competition 3^rd Prize

1995        Syllables Writers Dublin Special Merit Award

                Chapter and Verse Killiney Certificate

    Kells Festival Poetry Competition 2^nd Prize

1996        Syllables Writers Dublin Special Merit Award

1997        Syllables Writers Dublin Special Merit Award

                The Nora Fahy Award Ennis.

1998        Drogheda Mental Health Short Story 1^st Prize

1999        Bookwise Short Story Competition 2^nd Prize 

                Francis Ledwidge Poetry Competition 4t Prize

2000        Francis Ledwidge Certificate of Merit

                Irish Poets World Wide Poem of the Month for April

                Irish Poets Worldwide  Poem of the Month   July

2001        Francis Ledwidge Poetry Competition 2^nd Prize

                Strokestown Shortlist

                Irish poets worldwide Poetry Award  May  J

2002        Strokestown Shortlist

2003        Poet of Fingal Poetry Competition. Certificate

                Boyle Arts Festival  Special Merit Award

2004        The Tom O Shea Competition  1^st Prize

                Bard of Armagh  2n Prize

                Strokestown Shortlist

2005        Poet of Fingal;  1st Prize

                Poet of Fingal Certificate of Merit

                Clogh Writers Special Merit Award

                Francis Ledwidge award for Readers Choice 

2006        Poet of Fingal   1^st Prize

                Bard of Armagh  Runner up

                People in the Community Award Meath Co. Council

                Community IT Project Award, Meath Co. C ouncil

2007        Poet of Fingal   3^rd Prize

                Poet of Fingal   Certificate of Merit

2008        Poet of Fingal    Certificate of Merit

2009        TheToulmin Award from the Elphinston Institute at The University of Aberdeen

2010        Golden Pen Certificate of Merit

                Swift Satire Competition  3^rd Prize

                Battle of the Books  Winning Captain

                Jonathon Swift Highly Commended Award

                Francis Ledwidge Poetry Award

 2011       Dromineer Literary Festival Highly Commended

 2012       Poem of the Month  Lapwing Belfast
                Battle of the Books  Winning Captain

All Ireland Poetry Day

All set for tonight's readings in the Navan Library where members of several writing groups will come together to celebrate  the day that's in ithttp://homepage.eircom.net/~thewriterscircle/index.html

This link will lead directly to the reborn website that is undergoing major changes at the moment

Meath Books Tommy Murray The Website of the Meath Writer's Circle: Meath Books Tommy Murray The Website of the Meath Writer's Circle: Golden Rhymes

Meath Books Tommy Murray The Website of the Meath Writer's Circle: Meath Books Tommy Murray The Website of the Meath Writer's Circle: Golden Rhymes

Meath Books Tommy Murray The Website of the Meath Writer's Circle: Golden Rhymes

 Tommy Murray - Eircom Net
Tommy Murray-Eircom Net

Golden Rhymes

HTTP://HOMEPAGE.EIRCOM./~THEWRITERSCIRCLEGolden Rhymes, which is the title of a collection of poems written by the members of the Meath Junior Writers Group will be going to the printer on Monday next.   The collection contains the work of 26 young poets from Meath but mostly from the Navan area.
Published here is a sample of work by 13 year old Sarah McShane from Navan.  Sarah attends St. Michael's Loreto

I Have Gone

I have gone from your world

But it doesn’t mean I am not here

I will always be close

Close to your heart

My laughter will echo

Around the gloomy corridors

And make even the darkest corner alight

My constant chatter

Will always echo around

Filling the ears of those who await

I will always be there

Even if you do not see me

I will always be there

Even in the darkest times

Even in the times when all is well

I will always be there

I will share your sadness

I will share your laughter

I will share with you my life

Just remember I am always there

You may not see me but I am here

We will se each other soon again

I love you all

And I shall love you

I’m sorry I’ve gone from your world