Exciting news update: Poetry jukeboxes, author interviews, mentoring and upcoming festival appearance

How are you keeping? And how are you enjoying these damp but bright late-Summer weeks as the return to school looms on the horizon? I didn't intend to leave a six-month gap between posts, so I'm mildly shocked to discover my last one was back in February! How the months have flown with many rich and diverse developments in poetry, creative writing and life in general (I had a milestone birthday, my son, Lee made his Confirmation and finished his primary schooling...). Rather than attempting to shape an article that links these disparate events and attempts to find some cohesive thread, I'm going to highlight my literary-related news in pithy bullet points below, which I hope you enjoy reading! • I’m currently working on my fourth collection of poetry. In the meantime, I’m delighted to share that some new poems of mine have featured in a variety of journals between February – August 2023 including: The Honest Ulsterman February 2023, Crannóg 58, Skylight 47 Issue 17, Cyphers 95 and Poetry Ireland Review 140

• I'm excited that my poem, "Bridget's Hope" can now be heard in Galway's Poetry Jukebox as part of the 'Poetry as Commemoration' initiative. The poem, which follows the thoughts of Cumann na mBan activist, 'Bridget', who is based in Athenry as the Truce is declared in July, 1921, was commissioned by Galway Public Libraries as part of their Decade of Centenaries programme. The Poetry Jukebox (see pic below) is a free sound installation, located outside Galway City Museum at the Spanish Arch, that features the work of eleven poets: Nithy Kasa, Attracta Fahy, my colleague at UL, Eoin Devereux, Dominic J Sweeney, Frances Browner, Aodan McArdle, Roisin Leggett Bohan, Michael Farry, Nuala Roche, Diarmuid Cawley and myself. You just choose the poem you wish to hear and crank the handle. Fabulous!

Thank you to Catherine Wilson, Creative Producer of Poetry as Commemoration and to all involved in this unique project. Galway's Poetry Jukebox can be enjoyed for the next twelve weeks, from mid-August onward. To learn more about the Poetry as Commemoration project and its Poetry Jukebox visit www.poetryascommemoration.ie • Next week, I’m delighted to be returning to my home county, 'Lovely Leitrim', to read as part of the 2023 Drumshanbo Written Word festival at 8:00pm on Thursday, 24 August in the Mayflower Ballroom, Drumshanbo. I'll be reading alongside fellow Leitrim poets, Roisin Kelly and Mary Guckian and we'll also be chatting to author and journalist, Ronan McGreevy. Tickets cost €12 and are available from drumshanbowrittenword.ie • It was fun to catch up with multi award-winning UK poet, Roger Robinson over the Summer and to hear all about his most recent poetry projects. My interview with Roger was published in the June 2023 issue of The Honest Ulsterman and you can read it online here

• As part of Glór Art Centre's 'Artist to Artist Mentoring Scheme 2023', I was delighted to be selected to Mentor highly talented, emerging poet, Deirdre Devally. Thank you to Glór Arts Centre in Ennis, Co. Clare for their valuable work in supporting artists. I am holding four mentoring sessions with Deirdre between June and August 2023 and very much enjoying this journey with her. • I also mentored the lovely, gifted poet and artist, Aine Rose O'Connell during January & March 2023 as part of a training initiative by Age & Opportunity to support artists and that was an immensely enjoyable experience. I thoroughly enjoy mentoring other poets and it is always an honour when writers choose to work with me. • Back in April, for Poetry Day Ireland 2023, I hosted a special reading by the MA in Creative Writing students, members of UL Creative Writing team - Donal Ryan & Eoin Devereux -with guest poet, Anton Floyd (pictured below) at 1:00pm - 2:15pm in the Bourn Vincent Gallery, above the University Concert Hall, at the University of Limerick. This was a free event but all donations on the day went to the United Nations Refugee agency Ireland (UNHCR-Ireland).

• To mark the launch of his best-selling Irish novel, My Father's House, I had the great pleasure of interviewing author and Professor of Creative Writing, Joseph O'Connor in a special event at 4:00pm in the Bourn Vincent Gallery, Foundation Building, University of Limerick on Wednesday, 19 April 2023. As everyone knows, Joe is not only a truly inspiring author, but also a thoroughly engaging speaker who is also much loved by all his colleagues and students at UL. We continue to keep Joe and his family in our thoughts at this sad time after the recent tragic loss of his sister, Sinead O’Connor. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam.