The results of the 2025 Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Competition will be revealed this week at a special literary event in the city.
The Limerick Writers’ Centre, in collaboration with Poetry Ireland, is set to host the prestigious Desmond O’Grady Memorial Reading this Wednesday, 16 April, at 7.30pm at The People’s Museum of Limerick, 2 Pery Square. The event is free and open to the public.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from three acclaimed poets—John Liddy, Ron Carey, and Anne Fitzgerald—who will read from their works in tribute to the late Desmond O’Grady, one of Limerick’s most celebrated literary figures. A highlight of the evening will be the official announcement of the winners of the 2025 Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Competition, with competition judge Anne Fitzgerald presenting the results and honouring the outstanding poetic talents of the year.
The Desmond O’Grady Memorial Reading is a cornerstone of Limerick’s literary calendar, dedicated to celebrating the life and legacy of O’Grady, whose contributions to Irish poetry continue to resonate.
Desmond O’Grady (1935–2014) was a poet, professor, Harvard teaching fellow, editor, translator, and member of Aosdána. Born in Limerick, he left Ireland in the 1950s to teach in Paris, Rome, and the United States. Renowned for his seventeen collections of poetry and his linguistic prowess, he was instrumental in founding the European Community of Writers.
Featured Poets
Anne Fitzgerald, a Dublin-based poet and legal scholar from Trinity College, has published five poetry collections, including Swimming Lessons (2001), The Map of Everything (2006), and Not to Scale (2024). She was a writer-in-residence at The Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco in 2007.
John Liddy, originally from Cork but raised in Limerick, now resides in Madrid, where he worked as a teacher and librarian. He has published thirteen poetry collections, children’s stories, and edited historical anthologies. Liddy also translates between English, Irish, and Spanish and serves on the board of The Hong Kong Review.
Ron Carey, a Limerick native now based in Dublin, holds a Master’s in Creative Writing from the University of South Wales. A winner of numerous poetry awards, his debut collection DISTANCE (Revival Press) was shortlisted for the Forward Prize Best First Collection in 2016.
