Any Day Now
Yesterday, for instance, I spoke to my daughter from my hospital bed.
It was a happy phone call, we ebbed
and flowed as we have done since she was conceived.
Today, in a coma, assisted at points of ingress and egress,
from me according to my ability, to me according to my need,
a low-tide swirl of slow surrender and shallows struggle,
and still her voice,
in my head.
Any day on which I am alive
is a day on which I must
be alive.
Your inert body, your hidden mind
still compel so much from so many.
You understand for them, in their white coats, as they do for you,
you would not die and they would not let you.
The best you hope for is
from you according to your ability,
to you according to your need.
A symbiosis between the dying and the living.
For these seconds only? Minutes? Hours?
Somebody should tell you why.
Send multi-coloured coats that you may all be doctors,
let the living heal and heed the living!
Any day on which you are alive is a day on which you
must keep and in your turn be kept alive.
They have brought their worried and angry faces
to the silent goodbye, the unaccustomed and restless quiet
as vigorous as any argument over who was loved the best,
who was forgotten or misunderstood
who disappointed whom, or left.
As poignant a pain,
more because it encompasses them all,
this wordless yet eloquent summation of what is or was,
what could have been, what should be, what may yet unfold.
A sudden, revealed simplicity,
we gave so little according to our ability,
took so much that had nothing to do with need.
And now, the unexpected urgency to have, to hold son,
daughter, mother, father, sister,
brother, husband, wife,
stranger and friend.
The crystal moment comes.
And then, will we understand
Any day on which we are alive, is a day on which to live?
Miriam O’Donovan
6th July 2017
8.00pm at the Tanyard Bar. All welcome. Free.
The Speakeasy Sessions are delighted to welcome internationally renowned poet Kevin Higgins, debut contributor and local author Karen Billing, comedian Dakota Mick and spoken word veteran Cormac Lally to The Tanyard for the August event.
There will also be four open mic slots for anyone who would like to have a go on the night. All welcome.
Kevin Higgins
‘Likely the mostly widely read living poet in Ireland’, The Stinging Fly magazine.
‘The sinister fringe’s bard in residence’, Rabble.ie
Kevin Higgins’s first collection of poems The Boy With No Face was published by Salmon Poetry in February 2005. This was short-listed for the 2006 Strong Award for Best First Collection by an Irish Poet.
His second collection of poems, Time Gentlemen, Please, was published in March 2008 by Salmon.
His fourth book, The Ghost In The Lobby, was published by Salmon in 2014. He won the 2003 Cúirt Festival Poetry Grand Slam and was awarded a literature bursary by the Arts Council of Ireland in 2005.
Higgins is primarily a satirical poet.
His latest book is Sex and Death at Merlin Park Hospital.
About Sex and Death at Merlin Park Hospital
“In Sex and Death at Merlin Park Hospital Kevin Higgins uses the blackest humour to throw some occasionally bizarre but mercilessly honest light on the vexed, and often absurd, subject of his chronic illness. In this, his fifth full collection of poetry, he also gives his readers, as they have come to expect, in poems steeped in the influence of Brecht, Swift, and Zbigniew Herbert, his views in undiluted form on everything from homelessness and identity politics to anal sex and comedians who used to be edgy during the 1990s.
The book includes the satire on the marriage of Tony and Cherie Blair which led to his suspension from the British Labour Party in 2016. And in the final section, he presents us with a contemporary Dunciad which lacerates the poetry scene, both in Ireland and internationally, and takes out several journalists along the way. “He is at home in the post-modern world, and moves with ease through his bewildering cast of characters and concerns… Higgins’s poetry engages with this world, making fun of it but with the full intention of making serious points… It is this ability to wring the ridiculous out of the sopping clothes of everyday life that makes Higgins’ work essential reading.”
Poetry Ireland Review
Story Slam 2019- A Skibbeeen Arts Festival Fringe Event
The Judges – clockwise – Pádraig Belton, Cormac Lally & Daphne Babington
TUES 30TH JULY 7.00 PM
!Story Slam!
Twelve Stories – Twelve Storytellers
Skibbereen’s own Spoken Word event, The Speakeasy Sessions, brings you an evening of original 5-7 minute stories in a fun-filled storytelling competition. Hear 12 of Ireland’s finest storytellers face-off in what promises to be an exciting and varied evening.
Laugh, cry – sit back and enjoy while our judges Daphne Babington of Cape Clear’s International Storytelling Festival, internationally renowned journalist Pádraig Belton and the much-loved spoken word veteran Cormac Lally decide which of the storytellers will win our first annual Story Slam prize. A Skibbereen Arts Festival 2019 Fringe event.
Speakeasy June 25th 8.00 pm
June 25th is next Speakeasy Sessions in Skibbereen and the slate this month is as exciting and varied as ever. We reconvene at 8pm at the wonderful Tanyard on Main Street – a beautifully refurbished venue with a specialist whiskey bar and a lovely mini-theatre in at the back. This month we will be joined by a wonderful group of writers and poets including ER Murray, Anton Floyd, Anne Barrett, Moze Jacobs, Rae McKinlay, Nick Smith and the inimitable “Rude Judes”. 8 great performances guaranteed. Take your seats.
E.R. Murray
E R Murray Intro: Elizabeth Rose Murray writes for children, young adults, and adult audiences. Her books include the award-winning Nine Lives Trilogy and Caramel Hearts.
The Book of Learning – Nine Lives Trilogy 1 is currently being made into a film, and is also on the Junior Cycle English reading list. Recent short story and essay publications in anthologies and journals include The Elysian: Creative Responses, Terrain.org, Reading the Future, Autonomy, Popshots and Banshee.
She lives in West Cork, Ireland.
Nick Smith
Nick Smith has been writing short stories, flash-fiction, essays and longer works the best part of his adult life, occasionally dabbling in poetry. He is a voracious reader and loves films and whilst his work tends towards a strong, imaginative content, he has a philosophical outlook and a firm belief in the ‘reality of fiction’. At present Nick is undertaking the final edit of his current novel which, whilst classed as fiction, does possess a semi-autobiographical element.
In 2013, Nick founded The pSoken Wrod, a monthly literary forum for authors, poets and song-writers to share their work and which takes place in de Barra’s Folk Club, Clonakilty. His story, Dead Language, won From The Well Shorty Story Competition in 2014. He is a regular attendee at the Clonakilty County Library Writers’ Group.
Moze M. Jacobs
Moze M. Jacobs plays with words and other wind instruments. Partly to earn a living. Born in Holland of Dutch/German extraction she has lived in Surrey, Liverpool, Belfast, and for long stretches in Amsterdam where she had her children. She moved to the outskirts of Clonakilty 22 years ago. Along the way she has been a journalist, radio maker, TV columnist, sax player, (sound) poet, translator, editor, collage artist, actress. She will soon publish a graphic novel set in the 24th century, “Terra to Titan”, part of an ongoing collaboration with a Dutch illustrator who lives in Berlin.
Moze has co-facilitated the Bespoken Word sessions in Clonakilty for the past 18 months. Sometimes from afar for wherever she plugs in her laptop is her home. Currently a digital nomad of no fixed abode, she has a temporary foothold in Cobh. Her overriding concern right now is the potential demise of the existing natural ecosystems (aka ecocide) on planet Earth.
Anne Barrett
Anne Barrett’s film Spring Cleaning, produced by Channel 4 &RTE in l986, launched her as a scriptwriter and dramatist following a period as a professional actor. Plays were produced by TEAM (theatre in education), Yew Theatre and by RTE and BBC4. Anne taught screenwriting at Ballyfermot Snr. College and worked on script commissions. Her feature Wild Horses received EU Media 11 support and collaboration with Emmy Award Director, Sturla Gunnarsson.
Her interest in design and environmental matters lead to a study of sustainable construction. Since moving to Kenmare, Anne has volunteered and developed projects with environmental groups and collaborated with cultural and environmental professionals. In 2016 she produced and co-wrote Kenmare Main Street, An Architectural Conservation Toolkit, a booklet on the architectural heritage of her adopted town.Her latest project is How Far West Can You Go? is a 75k memoir edited by Gillian Stern.
Anton Floyd
Anton Floyd Anton Floyd was born in Egypt and raised in the Cyprus. Educated in Ireland, he studied at Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork. He has lived and worked in the Eastern Mediterranean variously as a teacher, school principal, artistic director and producer. He is now teaching in Cork City and lives near Inchigeelagh.
Poems are widely published and forthcoming in Ireland and elsewhere. He is a several times prize-winner of the Irish Haiku Society International Competition; runner-up in the Snapshot Press Haiku Calendar Competition and most recently received a highly commended in the Anam Cara competition. His poems were included in the anthology ‘Between the Leaves’ (Arlen House) and the anthology Teachers Who Write (ed. Edward Denniston WTC 2018).
He edited ‘Remembrance Suite’, a chapbook of sonnets by Shirin Sabri (2018) and an international anthology of poems, ‘Point by Point’ (2018). His own debut collection of poems, Falling into Place, was published by Revival Press (2018).
Rae McKinley
Rae McKinlay is a lover of story. She is an advocate of the mythos way of wisdoms and has traveled the Celtic Lands in her quest for story wisdom and inspiration. Though she loves the tales of indigenous peoples, Rae writes her own stories which are often rooted in nature and the old ways of knowing. She has just released her CD “She Who Spins Stories” and is near completion of her debut book “When Crow Was White”.
Maria Gillen
Maria works through the medium of Drama and Story Telling and has designed and delivered workshops on Building Resilience, Exploring Difficult Community Issues and Team Building in several environments including Healthcare, Post Prison Services, Corporate and Community. Through this experience she has developed creative tools that allow clients to view their issues from different paradigms where they often discover they themselves have the answers that are needed.
Maria has been exploring the Medicinal Story through her work as a Dramatherapist and Story Teller with Cork Yarnspinners. She has collected many delightful tales and wisdoms from Cork based Community work. Maria delivered workshops on the ‘medicinal story’ in Olomouc University in the Chez Republic and been a guest lecturer in UCC and NUIM. She co-developed a ‘Resilience Through the Creative Arts’ 12 week program using the exploration of story as a mechanism to contact and grow self resilience. She is very interested in what the enduring myths and legends have to offer the modern world in terms of wisdom. In 2018 Maria featured as an emerging storyteller in the annual Cape Clear Storytelling festival and is due to do so again in 2019. In 2018 she won the The Mick McCarthy All Ireland Storytelling competition in Finugue with a reimagined Irish Tale called Nancy May, she was also a featured teller at the annual Listowel Writers Week. In 2017 she won the Butter Road Storytelling competition in Blarney with an original story about the Butter Roads.
Maria Gillen 086-812 4938 BeanSceal@gmail.com
Rude Judes
Judith Coffey scribbled for years but did nothing with her ditties.
Always one to support her friends and a serial volunteer of the Arts, she went along to the inaugural “Gab – Mixed Tape Night” in Coughlan’s, June 2016. Encouraged and enticed she finally read two ditties that October. Laughter and positive feedback inspired more writing and she is now a regular on their Set List. The Gab will be taking part in Cork’s Harbour Festival this June.
As part of Cork’s Midsummer Festival, Rude Jude will once again act as Host on the Crosstown Drift Bus Tour (nothing like a captive audience).
A resident of Cobh she regularly presents her poems at “Coliemore” The newly established ‘Cobh Readers and Writer’s Festival’ held their first poetry competition April 2019 and Judith was a Judge, also reading her poems at this Festival. Her observations of life are interspersed with humour and witticisms.
8.00PM AT THE TANYARD SKIBBEREEN TUES 30TH APRIL
A fantastic evening of spoken word fun, storytelling, poetry and readings. Superb line-up for April: internationally acclaimed author and poet, William Wall; magical, mystical story-teller Rae McKinley; poet, author and translator Daniele Serafini from Italy; writer, broadcaster and performer Moze Jacobs; story-teller Pat Speight (prepare to laugh and cry); artist Karen Billing makes her spoken word debut – and last by by no means least, award-winning poets Eileen Sheehan & Brendan McCormack. FREE EVENT.
William Wall
William Wall has published six novels, most recently “Grace’s Day” (2018) and “Suzy Suzy” (2019),three collections of short fiction including “Hearing Voices Seeing Things” (2016) and “The Islands” (2017), and four collections of poetry including “Ghost Estate” (2011) and “The Yellow House” (2017). He was the first European to win the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, and he has won numerous other awards including the Virginia Faulkner Prize, The Sean O’Faolain prize and The Patrick Kavanagh award. His 2005 novel “This Is The Country” was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. He holds a PhD in creative writing from UCC. His work has been widely translated and he translates from Italian. Website: www.williamwall.net
“Wall writes prose so charged – at once lyrical and syncopated – that it’s as if Cavafy had decided to write about a violent Irish household”. — The New Yorker
“Wall’s touch with characterisation is light and deft: many illustrate themselves plainly with just a few lines of dialogue.” — The Guardian
“Wall engages not just with current Irish economic and political crises but Ghost Estate is also a book that explores the larger, darker contexts of our contemporary historical climate.” —Southword
‘As the great John McGahern used to say, there’s verse, and there’s prose, and then there’spoetry; William Wall is a poet in both mediums.’ John Banville
‘He is such a writer, lyrical and cruel and bold, and with metaphors to die for’. Kate Atkinson
Eileen Sheehan
Eileen Sheehan lives in Killarney and is originally from Scartaglen, in the Sliabh Luachraarea of County Kerry. She has read at festivals in Ireland and abroad including The Shanghai Literary Festival; the ACIS Conference in Davenport, Iowa and The Cork International Poetry Festival. Anthology publications include “The Watchful Heart: A New Generation of Irish Poets” (editor Joan McBreen/ Salmon Poetry); “Best Loved Poems: Favourite Poems from the South of Ireland” (editor Gabriel Fitzmaurice with photographs by John Reidy/Curragh Press) and “The Deep Heart’s Core: Irish Poets Revisit a Touchstone Poem” (editors Eugene O’Connell; Pat Boran/ Dedalus Press). Her third collection, “The Narrow Way of Souls” (Salmon Poetry) was launched in May 2018. One of the poems from this collection is on the Leaving Certificate English Syllabus 2019 – 2022.
Moze M. Jacobs
Moze M. Jacobs plays with words and other wind instruments. Partly to earn a living. Born in Holland of Dutch/German extraction she has lived in Surrey, Liverpool, Belfast, and for long stretches in Amsterdam where she had her children. She moved to the outskirts of Clonakilty 22 years ago. Along the way she has been a journalist, radio maker, TV columnist, sax player, (sound) poet, translator, editor, collage artist, actress. She will soon publish a graphic novel set in the 24th century, “Terra to Titan”, part of an ongoing collaboration with a Dutch illustrator who lives in Berlin.
Moze has co-facilitated the Bespoken Word sessions in Clonakilty for the past 18 months. Sometimes from afar for wherever she plugs in her laptop is her home. Currently a digital nomad of no fixed abode, she has a temporary foothold in Cobh. Her overriding concern right now is the potential demise of the existing natural ecosystems (aka ecocide) on planet Earth.
Rae McKinley
Rae McKinlay is a lover of story. She is an advocate of the mythos way of wisdoms and has traveled the Celtic Lands in her quest for story wisdom and inspiration. Though she loves the tales of indigenous peoples, Rae writes her own stories which are often rooted in nature and the old ways of knowing. She has just released her CD “She Who Spins Stories” and is near completion of her debut book “When Crow Was White”.
Daniele Serafini
Daniele Serafini is an Italian poet and novelist from Emila-Romagna. He has recently retired as Director of the Museum and Gallery Services in the town of Lugo near Ravenna where he was also Curator of the Francesco Baracca Museum of Aviation. His father was an Italian military aviator between the wars – he’ll be reading some poems on that subject on 30th April.
Daniele has written six collections of poems published by Mobydick, Faenza and L’Arcolaio, Forlì: Paesaggio Celtico; Luce di confine; Eterno chiama il mare, which was shortlisted for the International Eugenio Montale Prize; Dopo l’amore; Quando eravamo re; and his collected poems Tra le radici e l’altrove. He has written one novel, Café Hàwelka.
Daniele has always had an interest in Ireland, having read at the Cúirt Festival in Galway and translated Theo Dorgan, Seán Dunne, Fred Johnston and Gabriel Rosenstock. Former editor of two poetry magazines (“Origini” and “Tratti”), and founding member of the Tratti Literary Collective, his poems have been translated and published in several countries. Since Lugo is twinned with Wexford, and Daniele speaks fluent English, he has been a frequent visitor to the Wexford Opera Festival, accompanying the Mayor of Lugo.
Daniele’s work has been described as symbolist and impressionist. It captures the melancholy of the poet exiled from his roots, and the unending quest for an ‘elsewhere’ outside of time or the self. He is also a marvellous poet of nature.
Pat Speight
Pat specialises in traditional Irish Tales, Folk Tales from the fireplaces of Ireland. Pat has stories to make you laugh to make you cry and to scare and cheer, stories about Animals and Birds, Kings and Warriors, Saints and Sinners, Witches and Magicians, Pickpockets and Ghosts, Fairies and Mermaids and Mythical, Mystical characters that
inspire and captivate the imagination.
Karen Billing
Karen Billing has made Ireland her home since1989She is Co Author of “Neath the Blackthorn an Anecdotal History of Drinagh” a collaboration with Johnny Keohane a local old fella who could spin many a yarn Adventures experienced in making of this book being a tale all of its ownKaren is also the author/illustrator of “I am Lindy Loo” A children’s book about life on the autistic spectrum .
Over the years Karen has written less and painted more and her colourful murals can be seen in OConaills Chocolate Cafe French Church Street Cork and Douglas Village shopping center .About to retire after many years tutoring in adult education Karen as inspired by the spoken Word Event in Skibbereen She now intends to dust off old and hopefully humerous stories and share them with others. The April 2019 event marks her debut in Spoken Word
Brendan McCormack
Brendan McCormack has published two collections of poetry, ‘Selling Heaven’ Burning Apple Press 2013, and ‘Phuckle – Irish auf English’ 2015. He was short-listed for the Bridport Poetry Prize in 2009. His poetry has been published in many online and print journals in Ireland, Europe and the USA. He is on the ‘Save Our Skibbereen’ committee and is a local election candidate in the Skibbereen LE for 2019.
He has taken part in many Art projects and events throughout West Cork since moving here from Dublin in 2015. He ran the Clonakilty Bloomsday event in DeBarra’s from 2015 to 2017 and was part of the pSoken Wrod Open Mic night at the same venue. He will be hosting an upcoming workshop on the environment at the Uilinn West Cork Arts Centre on May 11th, 2019. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Caherbeg, Rosscarbery.
Speakeasy kicked off on March 26th at The Tanyard whisky bar on Main Street, Skibbereen – and what a great night it was. We had puppetry, story-telling, poetry, readings and a Toastmaster talk.
Story-teller extraordinaire, Rae McKinley spun a magical tale of wolves and sorcery; Trace Irwine raised many laughs with her Scottish tale of a generous pig and its ungrateful penny-pinching owner. Organiser and founder of the national spoken word agency, Boundless and Bare, Melissa Ridge joined us from Dublin and recited some of her highly original poetry; Anne Crossey had everyone crying with laughter as she recited some heart-felt and moody poetry by her 15 year-old self. Phoebe Cotton and Josephine Dennehy had everyone spellbound with their highly original puppetry performance of XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.
Travel writer John Devoy read from his acclaimed book “Quondam” – the story of his travels through Africa as a younger man. Alun Rees of West Cork Toastmasters told us the story of how he could never get his mother to tell him how he came by his first name – and why, when he finally found out, he discovered she had good reasons for it! The inimitable Cormac Lally moved us to laughter and tears with his performance poetry.
The Speakeasy Sessions are monthly spoken-word events at The Tanyard specialist whiskey bar on Main Street Skibbereen. A special venue with a wonderful , recently refurbished with a lovely stage and facilities that together create the perfect atmosphere for entertainments of every sort.
Any and all forms of creative spoken word are welcome – poetry, story-telling, readings, performance, puppetry mime – all are welcome.
The Speakeasy aims to provide an opportunity for local, regional and national artists to share their work and talents in as wide a variety of formats as possible.
All welcome.
If you would like to participate please contact us here.
