February and March


1st February

Matthew Geden

You can listen to Matthew’s reading here

Matthew Geden was born and brought up in Coventry in the Midlands of England. In 1990 he moved to Kinsale where he now runs Kinsale Bookshop. He has had poems published in numerous journals and anthologies throughout Ireland and abroad. Last year Bradshaw Books brought out Matthew’s first full-length collection Swimming to Albania. Other publications include Autumn: Twenty Poems by Guillaume Apollinaire and versions of Montale and Catullus, amongst others.

 



8th February

Marian O’Rourke

You can listen to Marian’s reading here

Marian O’Rourke is from Limerick. She has lived most of her life in Canada and the USA. Marian has been a flower designer, a piano teacher, an office administrator, a health food store owner, a fashion weaver and a street belly dancer. While her home is once again in Limerick, she divides her year between Ireland and the USA.

Her poems have been published in a variety of journals both in Ireland, England, and Canada. She has read her poetry on WBAI Radio (New York City), and Lyric FM, and has performed at poetry events in Ireland, England, Canada and The United States. Her short stories have been accepted by Sunday Miscellany. Her chapbook,Uprooted was published by Horn Press in 2008. Inhaling the Light, published by Lapwing Press in 2009 is her first full poetry collection. Marian holds an M.A. (Hons.) in Creative Writing from The Waterford Institute of Technology.

Inhaling the Light will be launched this Spring and this is her pre-launch here in Cork.

 



15th February

Ó Bhéal in association with Foras na Gaeilge presents a bi-lingual evening with

Liam Ó Muirthile

You can listen to Liam’s reading here

Poet and writer Liam Ó Muirthile was born and reared in Cork City. His latest publication is a collection of poems, Sanas (Cois Life), which includes a CD of Ó Muirthile reading his poems, some of which are accompanied by music composed by Iarla Ó Lionaird; with Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Steve Cooney.

Other Publications are: Walking Time agus Dánta Eile (2000) Poems; Gaothán (2000) Novel; Fear an Tae (1999) Drama; Liodán na hAbhann (1999) Drama; Ar Bhruach na Laoi (1995) Novel; Dialann Bóthair (1992) Poems; Tine Chnámh (1984) Poems; An Seileitleán (2004) Poems; Ar an bPeann (2005) Prose/Essays; Dánta Déanta (2006) Poems.

Forthcoming in 2010: Sceon na Mara (Cois Life), a novel.

Rugadh agus tógadh Liam Ó Muirthile i gcathair Chorcaí. File agus scríbhneoir, cnuasach filíochta an saothar is déanaí uaidh, Sanas (Cois Life), mar aon le dlúthcheirnín den Mhuirthileach ag léamh dánta nua. Tá ceol cumtha ag an amhránaí Iarla Ó Lionaird do chuid acu, agus tionlacan leo ag Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh agus Steve Cooney.

Foilseacháin eile dá chuid: Walking Time agus Dánta Eile (2000); Gaothán (2000); Fear an Tae (1999); Liodán na hAbhann (1999); Ar Bhruach na Laoi (1995); Dialann Bóthair (1992);Tine Chnámh (1984); An Seileitleán (2004); Ar an bPeann (2005); Dánta Déanta (2006).

Le teacht 2010: Sceon na Mara (Cois Life), úrscéal.

 



22nd February

Teri Murray

Teri Murray was born in Lewisham, Kent and brought up in Dublin where she was involved with Clothesline Community Press in Tallagh. She has lived in Limerick since 1993 where she is currently guest editor of Revival, a journal of contemporary poetry published by the White House Poets.

Teri has had three collections of poetry published by Stonebridge, Coddle and Tripe (1998 – with Liam Mulligan), Poems From The Exclusion Zone (2001) and The Authority Of Winter (2007). She edited Scratches (1994), and has written a play A Time Under Heaven, which was performed at the Belltable Arts Centre in 1996. At present, she is working on a children’s book and a new collection Where the Daghdha Dances, New and Selected Poems, due out this coming Spring.

 



1st March

Nessa O’Mahony

You can listen to Nessa’s reading here

Nessa O’Mahony was born in Dublin and lives in Rathfarnham where she works as a freelance teacher and writer. She won the National Women’s Poetry Competition in 1997 and was shortlisted for the Patrick Kavanagh Prize and Hennessy Literature Awards. She was awarded an Arts Council of Ireland literature bursary in 2004, a Simba Gill Fellowship in 2005 and an artists’ bursary from South Dublin County Council in 2007. She completed a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing from Bangor University in 2007 and teaches creative writing for the Open University, UCD and the Irish Writers Centre, among others.

Nessa has published three books to date: Bar Talk (Italics Press, 1999), Trapping a Ghost (Bluechrome, 2005) and In Sight of Home (Salmon Poetry, 2009).

Nessa will also be holding a workshop entitled What’s the story? from 7.00pm to 8.30pm at Ó Bhéal. For more details click here.

 



8th March

Kate Dempsey

You can listen to Kate’s reading here

Kate Dempsey is originally from Coventry and now lives with her family in Maynooth, Co.Kildare where she teaches creative writing to children and adults (at reasonable fees).

Her poetry and fiction have been widely published in Ireland and the UK including in THE SHOp, Poetry Ireland Review, Stony Thursday, Abridged, and Revival among others. She was selected to read for Poetry Ireland Introductions and Windows Publications Introductions as well as at many festivals as part of the Poetry Divas Collective. She has been nominated for, and won many prizes including The Francis MacManus, Cecil Day Lewis and Hennessy awards for Poetry and for Fiction. Kate loves to blur the wobbly boundaries between page and stage, particularly with the Poetry Diva Collective.

 



15th March

Ó Bhéal in association with Foras na Gaeilge presents a bi-lingual evening with

Bríd Ní Mhóráin

You can listen to Bríd’s reading here

Bríd Ní Mhóráin ag obair mar scríbhneoir cónaitheach i gCorca Dhuibhne ó 2003 i leith. Ceithre leabhar filíochta atá foilsithe aici go dtí seo, an ceann is déanaí agus an chéad leabhar dátheangach uaithi ná An Cosán Bán/The White Path (Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne 2008). Tá an cúigiú cnuasach, Pietas, ag an bhfoilsitheoir, An Sagart, faoi láthair. Bhí sí mar eagarthóir ar Idir Chruach is Chuan – Cúirt Phiarais, saothar nua ó Chorca Dhuibhne (Comhairle Cho. Chiarraí 2007) agus mar eagarthóir Gaeilge ar The Best of Irish Poetry/Scoth na hÉigse 2008 (Munster Literature).

Bhuaigh sí duaiseanna Oireachtais don bhfilíocht 1988 & 1989 agus don bprós, 1992. Fuair sí an tarna duais don dán Gaeilge ag Féile Filíochta na Leabharlanna Dún Laoghaire/Ráth an Dúin, 1996 agus an chéad duais i 2005. Bronnadh sparánachtaí on gComhairle Ealaíon uirthi, 2000, 2005, 2006 agus 2007 agus ceann ó Ealaín na Gaeltachta i 2005.

Bríd Ní Mhórain has been writer in residence in the West Kerry Gaeltacht since 2003. She has published four books of poetry, her latest collection, An Cosán Bán/The White Path (Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne 2008), is also her first bilingual book. Her fifth will be published shortly by An Sagart. She edited Idir Chruach is Chuan – Cúirt Phiarais, new writing from West Kerry in 2007 and was Irish language editor of The Best of Irish Poetry/ Scoth na hÉigse 2008 (Munster Literature).

Bríd won Oireachtas prizes for poetry in 1988 & 1989 and for prose in 1992. She was awarded second prize for a poem in Irish in Féile Filíochta na Leabharlanna, 1996 and first prize in 2005. She received Arts Council bursaries in 2000, 2005, 2006 & 2007 and also a bursary from Ealaín na Gaeltachta in 2005.

 



22nd March

Ó Bhéal in association with Poetry Ireland presents

Paul Grattan

You can listen to Paul’s reading here

Paul Grattan was born in Glasgow in 1971 and has lived in Belfast since graduating from Strathclyde University in 1995. He went on to complete an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University at The Poets’ House, County Antrim, under James Simmons. He is currently undertaking a postgraduate degree in Creative Writing at Magee in Derry focusing on the work of Kenneth White.

Paul’s first collection of poetry, The End of Napoleon’s Nose (2002), was described by the publisher, Edinburgh Review, as a ‘romp through the wilder zones of the Celtic fringe, marking the arrival of an exciting new voice in Scottish/Irish poetry’.

 



29th March

Gerard Hanberry

You can listen to Gerry’s reading here

Gerard Hanberry has published three collections of poetry. Rough Night (2002), Something Like Lovers (2005) and the most recent At Grattan Road was published in May 2009 by Salmon Poetry. It has received very positive reviews including one by Paul Perry in The Irish Times saying the collection ‘is bursting at the seams with fine poems’.

His poetry has been published widely in literary journals and newspapers in Ireland, the UK, the US and Australia. Poetry on the Dart (Dublin’s version of Poems on the Underground) featured his work during the summer of 2007. He has been invited to read or deliver writing workshops at many venues and festivals and his work has been broadcast on Lyric FM, Galway Bay F.M., Cape Cod Radio in US and RTE.

In Summer 2004 Gerard won the Brendan Kennelly/ Sunday Tribune Poetry Award and has been shortlisted for many of Ireland’s top poetry prizes including a Sunday Tribune/Hennessy Award in 2000, Strokestown 2003 and RTE’s Rattlebag Poetry Slam 2003. Most recently, he won the 2009 Galway City/ County National Poetry Day prize worth one thousand euro for his poem on Eyre Square. In 2000 Gerard won the Originals Short Story prize in Listowel Writers Week. His biography of the Wilde family in manuscript form was recently shortlisted for the Kingston University Non-fiction Prize, London.

Gerard holds a First Class Honours MA in Writing from NUI, Galway where he teaches a seminar on creative writing and poetry to BA undergraduates as well as working on the BA Connect and the Evening Degree Course. He also teaches English at Colaiste Einde, Salthill. He is a member of the advisory panel to the Cuirt Festival of Literature, Galway.