Our hearty congratulations to Jill Munro, this year’s Five Words International Poetry Competition winner, for her beautiful poem, Ptarmigan. Jill’s poem was published in Five Words Vol XI, launched at our 11th anniversary event on April 16th 2018.
Our warm congratulations also to all of the poets who had shortlisted entries, and for the highly commended entries from Margaret McCarthy and from previous competition winner Derek Sellen. Thanks to everyone who sent in entries, which increased slightly to 293, and our warm thanks to judges Kathy D’Arcy and Rab Urquhart for their hard work in teasing out a very strong shortlist and worthy winner.
| Ptarmigan | by Jill Munro (England) winner | |
| Among Starlings | by Margaret McCarthy (Ireland) highly commended | |
| A Dream of my Dead Grandmother | ||
| in the Modern Art Museum | by Derek Sellen (England) highly commended | |
| Disciplining the Modern Satyr | by Mary-Jane Holmes (England) | |
| Nothing To See | by Giles Constable (England) | |
| How We Are | by Ted O’Regan (Ireland) | |
| Writing for the Ó Bhéal | ||
| Open-Mic | by Jim Crickard (Ireland) | |
| Amber | by Ted O’Regan (Ireland) | |
| Reindeer Moss | by Tamara Miles (U.S.A.) | |
| Every Sunday Ever | by Kirsten Irving (England) | |
| Centenary | by Ted O’Regan (Ireland) | |
| My Mother’s Birthplace | by Tamara Miles (U.S.A.) | |
The shortlisted and winning poems will appear in Five Words Vol XI, to be launched at Ó Bhéal on Monday the 16th of April 2018, along with the award presentation and readings from contributors. The 6th Five Words International Competition will commence at noon on Tuesday the 17th of April, 2018.
The 5th Winter Warmer festival was the biggest yet and found its full stride in its new home, The Village Hall, a fantastic venue overlooking the Lee. With fine audiences and cheer throughout the weekend.
Exemplary readings and performances by guests Edward O’Dwyer, Niamh Prior, Richard Lambert, Frank Golden, Keith Payne, Jen Matthews, Biddy Jenkinson, Brendan Cleary, Ken Marshall, Órfhlaith Foyle, Felicia Olusanya, Stephen James Smith, Inma Moya Pavon, George Harding, Caitríona Ní Chléirchín, James O’Sullivan, Mary Noonan, Daniel Salgado, Rody Gorman, Stephen Watts, Billy Ramsell, Adnan Al-Sayegh, Stephen Sexton, Catherine Ann Cullen and Sophie Mayer, along with poems from the closed mic session by Julie Aldridge, Ali Bracken, Shaunna Lee Lynch, Rishtí Mac Piarais, Jim Crickard, Mel White, Megan Cronin and Grace Piotrowski.
With thanks to the festival sponsors and to the fabulous, ever-expanding team of volunteers. A truly communal effort and brilliant result. With thanks to Shane Vaughan for the excellent videography and editing.
The Long Valley Bar, The Village Hall, The Evening Echo (our media partners), The Arts Council,
Foras na Gaeilge, Farmgate Market Café, Dunnes Stores, Forum Publications, Colmcille,
Arc Publications, Isaacs Hotel, Cork City Council, Poetry Ireland, UCC English Dept,
The Natural Foods Bakery, The Quay Co-op and Paradiso.
From our end-of-year event with Fernando Beltrán, we have all 14 of his poems on video with translations by Niall Binns and Keith Payne. All videography and hours of expertly-set subtitling by Lovisa Cosgrave.
(or via the Ó Bhéal Youtube channel).
with photos and reviews from
Andrea Mbrushimana, Russ Berry, Ciarán MacArtain, Stanley Notte
and Kathy D’Arcy.
2017 marks Ó Bhéal’s first year taking part in two separate twin cities events. Kathy D’Arcy represented Cork in San Francisco for a cornicopia of events arranged by poet/professor Raina J. León from St.Mary’s College, California, whilst on this side of the Atlantic, Adam Steiner from Silhouette Press set up poets Andrea Mbarushimana and Russ Berry to visit Cork in July, with Leesiders Ciarán MacArtain and Stanley Notte reciprocating in Coventry during the Peace Festival in early November. This collective review includes photos taken by the participants, as well as by regular Ó Bhéal poet & photographer, Linda Ibbotson.
Guest Poet and Open-Mic videos
(also on the Ó Bhéal Youtube channel)
Another amazing night of jazz-poetry with Elaine Feeney & Quango Reinhardt, followed by a superb open-mic section for our 10th jazz-poetry night. These 28 videos were filmed by Lovisa Cosgrave and include ten of Elaine’s poems and the complete open-mic.
The complete video playlist is here
15th October 2016
Our hearty congratulations to Canadian filmmaker Kayla Jeanson from Winnipeg, whose superb film Descrambled Eggs is Ó Bhéal’s 5th poetry-film competition winner, announced at the IndieCork Festival awards ceremony. Kayla’s film won amid very tough competition from 30 other shortlisted entries, representing 13 countries, the details of which you can view here. Our special thanks to all the poets and filmmakers who submitted this year. A bumper yield of 186 films arrived from 29 countries.
Poem: Descrambled Eggs by Steve Currie
Synopsis – Poetry, dance, and eggs collide in this short film by Canadian artist Kayla Jeanson. Poet Steve Currie grapples with the origins of his existence and limitations of his corporeality.
Director: Kayla Jeanson (Canada)
Kayla Jeanson is a Winnipeg-based filmmaker who specializes in producing screendance and work on the edge of documentary. A producer/director for her company Parachute Media Lab, she has developed a wide range of work including broadcast and commercial web video. She is also a trained contemporary dancer and choreographer.
“The standard across the board with the poetry films was incredibly high and we had a genuinely tough time making the final selection. There were lots of submissions with amazing visuals, but their respective poems were not crafted, featured tired language or had polemic and a tendency to preach. Others had well-crafted poetry but the film did not work with the poem. There were some very special ones where both poem and film were well crafted, edited, and worked together — and from these it was very hard to choose just one.
Kayla Jeanson’s Descrambled Eggs took both mediums into account and tells a bold, original, engaging and funny story. It’s a really entertaining piece and there are many small touches that demonstrate that the creators really put thought into the visuals and delivery of the poem while they were planning and shooting it. The poetry-film competition is about both mediums working together. With that in mind, the winner has made a huge effort to be a thoroughly cohesive piece with choreography, timing in camera, locations, props, performances etc.”
Our congratulations to John Baylis Post, winner of the 4th Five Words competition, for his poem Identifications. John will read at Ó Bhéal’s 10th anniversary event on April 10th 2017, along with other contributors to Five Words Vol X. Our congratulations also to all of the shortlisted entrants, and for highly commended entries from Siobhan Campbell (who will also attend) and from Five Words Alumna Tamara Miles. A huge thanks to everyone who took part this year, and to judges Afric McGlinchey and John W. Sexton for their selection of excellence.
| Identifications | by John Baylis Post (Ireland) winner |
| Milk | by Siobhan Campbell (Ireland) highly commended |
| The Safety | by Tamara Miles (U.S.A.) highly commended |
| Eve | by Siobhan Campbell (Ireland) |
| LOVELOCKS | by Jane Boxall (U.S.A.) |
| Only Connected | by Margaret McCarthy (Ireland) |
| Perspective | by Ted O’Regan (Ireland) |
| THE ZOMBIE-MAKER | by Derek Sellen (England) |
| Minor Deities | by Tamara Miles (U.S.A.) |
| A fickle god | by Margaret McCarthy (Ireland) |
| STITCHES | by Jane Boxall (U.S.A.) |
| The Buttonhole | by John D. Kelly (Northern Ireland) |
These poems will appear in Five Words Vol X, which will be launched at Ó Bhéal on Monday the 10th of April 2017, along with an award presentation and readings from available contributors. The 5th Five Words International Competition will commence at noon on Tuesday the 11th of April, 2017.
followed by the open-mic
For anyone who missed our phenomenal end-of-year event with Ian Duhig, we have all 11 of his poems on video plus 16 more from the open-mic, with huge thanks to Lovisa Cosgrave! What a night!
And a big thanks to all on the open-mic, Bernadette McCarthy, John Mee, John Nyhan, Mary O’Connell, Seamus Harrington, Ray Hanrahan, Jason Fisher, Patricia Walsh, Michal Weber, Charles Clarke, Pat Cotter, Mary Sutton, Rab Urquhart, Cédric Bikond, Michelle Delea, Janie Sparks, Patrick Loughnane, Teresa Honan and Ciarán MacArtain (with Michal).
(or via the Ó Bhéal Youtube channel).
The 4th Winter Warmer festival at the Kino was an enormous success, with far larger audiences throughout thanks to the space, although perhaps a little chilly for the Winter Warmer, we thought. Nonetheless a special privilege to host the festival in this iconic, soon-to-be-lost cultural space.
A whirlwindy, delightful two days and superb line-up of local and International poets from seven countries, in three continents, featuring Raina J. Leon, Ross Donlon, Michael Augustin, Josep Lluis Aguilo, Jos Smith, Emily Cullen, Catherine Walsh, Billy Mills, John Fitzgerald, Paul McMahon, Roisín Kelly, Martín Veiga, Eibhlís Carçione, John Ennis, Kerrie O’Brien, Elaine Feeney, Seán Dennehy, Tara Bergin, Gerry Hanberry, Paula Cunningham, Jessica Traynor, Annemarie Ní Churreáin and performance artist Francesca Castellano.
We have 30 videos from the festival (in order of appearance), followed by poems from the closed-mic session poets.
Guest Poet and Open-Mic videos
(also on the Ó Bhéal Youtube channel)
A fantastic jazz-poetry event with Sarah Clancy accompanied by The Jazz Messengers, followed by a vibrant open-mic for our 9th jazz-poetry night. This year’s 28 videos were filmed by Lovisa Cosgrave and include eight of Sarah’s poems and the following open-mic.
The complete video playlist is here
