GRECIAN urns of in bloom inspire more than a long-dead ode. The former Jesuit Church, current site such floral inspiration, is host to four days of poetry launches, daily readings, workshops and introductions for the city’s first August weekend festival.
You can pick up a programme of the inaugural Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Celebration at any library, the
Tourist Office and participating hotels and bars around town. Initiated by White Poet’s Barney Sheehan, this welcoming event is dedicated to the Harvard MA (1962) and PhD (1984) scholar and poet from Limerick, Desmond O’Grady.
“The poetry celebration is launched at 7pm this Friday July 31 at the Jesuit’s, and will run for four days,” Sheehan, a former jockey, tells Arts page. “The whole idea is make this bypass the recession and all the pubs and hotels are behind me. There’s a real appreciation that I am developing a strong tourist trail through the city this weekend. Barney says ‘yes’ to everything!”
Interested locals and visitors such as O’Grady’s publisher, University of Salzburg’s Wolfgang Gortschacher, are looking for specifics to support. Following the launch of Sheehan’s edited, illustrated volume of O’Grady’s works on Friday 31, there will begin a bid to make the Guinness Book of Records for the longest open microphone session of live poetry. Expect this all-day, all-nighter to run until Sunday 2.
On Saturday 1, details of Frank McCourt’s personal legacy to foster literature in Limerick through Barney Sheehan will be announced.
“I’m launching a children’s competition for u11s and u12s based on poetry and that will be an annual event. On Sunday, hotels and restaurants around are hosting an ‘open mic’ competition and we’ll have perpetual trophies and cash prizes for all winners.
“Then the bank holiday Monday will be withdrawal time, everybody relaxing together. There are five workshops planned, some in the Jesuit’s and others in other venues”.
Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Celebration is clearly a dynamic work in progress and finally, Treaty City has a hooley of its own to offer for the August weekend.
