{"id":20745,"date":"2024-12-13T18:32:42","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T18:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/?page_id=20745"},"modified":"2024-12-13T18:32:42","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T18:32:42","slug":"twin-cities-2024","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/twin-cities-exchanges\/twin-cities-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Twin Cities 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cork-Coventry Twin Cities Poetry Exchange<\/strong> <\/p>\n

August and November 2024<\/center><\/p>\n

[L-R] Ann Atkins, Amy Rugg, Catherine Ronan and C\u00e9dric Bikond<\/font><\/font><\/center><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/p>\n

with photos and reviews<\/i><\/p>\n

from Coventry:<\/em> Ann Atkins<\/b> and Amy Rugg<\/b><\/p>\n

from Cork:<\/em> Catherine Ronan<\/b> and C\u00e9dric Bikond<\/b><\/center><\/p>\n

In August 2024 \u00d3 Bh\u00e9al welcomed Coventry poets Ann Atkins and Amy Rugg for two readings at \u00d3 Bh\u00e9al and DeBarra’s Spoken Word as part of the twin cities exchange. Catherine Ronan and C\u00e9dric Bikond represented Cork for a reciprocal visit and were hosted for two readings in Coventry during early November, also with a visit to the Lord Mayor, hosted by \u00d3 Bh\u00e9al’s partner Here Comes Everyone<\/a> \/ Fire & Dust<\/a>. Reviews, images and links from each poet follow.<\/font><\/p>\n

\n
\n

Ann Atkins<\/b><\/center><\/p>\n

You can listen to Ann’s \u00d3 Bh\u00e9al reading here<\/a>.<\/center><\/p>\n

Monday 12th August<\/strong><\/font><\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/font>We drove to Stansted the day before we were due to fly and stayed nearby overnight. In spite of this, my partner Tracy and I had a ridiculously early start. We\u2019d had a message the day before we were due to fly requesting we arrive at Stansted three hours before departure, so the alarm had been set for 3:30am! Everything else went smoothly, apart from a slightly bumpy landing – potholes on the runway perhaps? We arrived at Cork airport at 9am and were met by Paul Casey. He drove us to Redclyffe House B&B, where Amy greeted us with hugs as if we hadn’t seen each other in a very long time. We dropped our bags off then it was straight to The Natural Foods Bakery in Fitzgerald Park where Brendan Duffin met us for coffee. Tracy and I enjoyed tasty locally made sausage rolls for second-breakfast as all good Hobbitses do. Paul went through the arrangements for the visit with us before leaving us with Brendan, who took us on a walking tour to see the Ogham Stones in University College Cork, where the ancient gaelic language is carved on stones, and to the Honan Chapel on the campus with its exquisite stained glass windows designed by Harry Clarke and impressive mosaic floor complete with zodiac signs, although both mine and Tracy\u2019s were hidden under pews, not sure that\u2019s a good sign\u2026 not sure about Amy\u2019s, she said her sign is \u201cYou can\u2019t park here.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/font>\"\"<\/font>Afterwards we all walked to Cork City centre, to browse the English Market. We were wowed by the colourful stalls of fresh produce, and paused for photos by the fish stall which had featured in the BBC comedy series Young Offenders that was filmed in the City.<\/font>\"\"<\/font> Brendan showed us more sights including the location of where we would be performing in the evening. We sat outside a charming cafe and Brendan told us more about Cork’s rich history and folklore, accompanied throughout by a nearby busker playing the spoons along to folk music, ideal on such a hot sunny day. Brendan walked us to the bus stop, and the three of us returned to check into our B&B. Our room was in the attic, so we paused for a chat and to rest our lungs outside Amy\u2019s second floor room every time we returned there.<\/p>\n

A short nap and freshen-up later, we were back on the bus to the city centre. A friendly local heard us chatting and asked where we were from and if we were poets: he looked a little surprised and said \u201cI thought only Ireland had poets\u201d. We had a quick look in Dunnes, Brown Thomas and another couple of large shops that were still open, then on to the Long Valley and ordered food. I had the Beamish beef casserole and Tracy the Irish stew – both mouthwatering and hearty. I asked the owner if he knew where I might get sticky notes to bookmark the poems for my set. He didn’t, but very generously gave me a pack.<\/p>\n

Upstairs next, to watch some poetry films from the \u00d3 Bh\u00e9al archives. As people arrived, we were introduced to Catherine and Cedric who will be on the other side of the exchange on 31st of October and 1st November, along with the familiar faces of Rosalin (Sue) Blue and Cathal Holden. The hybrid setup with poets able to take part via zoom added an extra dimension: it was lovely to see Wendy Barzetovic who is a regular at both our Fire & Dust zoom events and at the LTB, and Jeff Cottrill from Toronto who\u2019s a long-standing Zoom regular at both Fire&Dust and \u00d3 Bh\u00e9al, and Raef Boylan our poetry Big Brother keeping an eye on us.<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font>
\n 
\nTracy, Amy and I all took part in the famous \u00d3 Bh\u00e9al 5 word challenge, where everyone had the opportunity to write and perform poems including 5 random words collected from the audience. Our host for the evening, Stan Notte, judged the winner based on audience reaction. The winning poet was attending via zoom with her young child on her lap – I\u2019m not saying he influenced the vote, but he was very cute!<\/p>\n

<\/font>\"\"<\/font> Dan Boyle, Lord Mayor of Cork, welcomed us formally to the city, which we appreciated very much. I ordered a pint of Beamish, one of Cork’s famous stouts, for after my set. I performed poems from my book Not A Robot, to a very appreciative audience, both in the room and on Zoom. People were also watching the livestream, including my eldest brother who was watching me perform for the first time. The pressure was on, so I was pleased at the applause and laughter – at the right moments. Amy\u2019s set contrasted and complemented mine and was similarly well received. During Amy\u2019s last couple of poems, I could see my pint from the corner of my eye, calling me, but as I was sitting next to the Lord Mayor and being respectful to Amy, I could hardly get up or wave to someone to pass it to me. I finally got to enjoy my first taste of Beamish while watching the open mic session. I was impressed by the varied styles and topics – and the flavour of the stout. I’m looking forward to watching the recording back at home as I found it so inspiring, it\u2019s just a pity Beamish isn\u2019t readily available here to recreate the moment.<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font>
\n 
\n After the gig, a bunch – is there a collective noun for poets? – decamped to the Arthur Maynes bar where we chatted about poetry and poetry events into the early hours. We took a taxi back to our accommodation around 2am and settled quickly to a much needed sleep. <\/p>\n

Tuesday 13th August<\/strong><\/font><\/center><\/p>\n

After a hearty full Irish breakfast, though without white pudding that I was hoping to sample, we headed out to City Hall where we were joined by Paul, for a meeting with the Lord Mayor. He chatted with us about Cork’s rich heritage, our stay, twinning, and about Coventry. We were impressed by his knowledge of and appreciation for Coventry, especially the Two-Tone scene. He also described the sculptures, paintings and trophies in the meeting room. We were honoured to sign the distinguished visitors book and have our photos taken with the Lord Mayor.<\/p>\n

<\/font>\"\"<\/font>
\n 
\nCatherine Ronan, Sue Blue, Cathal Holden, Tracy, and Monika and Nikolai from Coventry were waiting for us outside. Catherine drove Cathal, Amy, Tracy and me to Long Strand. She showed us some of the villages and entertained us with stories about the area, including pointing out the school Graham Norton went to and about some of the local characters, including a few infamous murderers. We stopped for a photo op at Henry Ford’s hometown of Ballinascarthy, where we sat in a stainless steel sculpture – a replica of the model T. A very friendly driver of a concrete mixer truck took our photos for us and even climbed onto the top of the mixer to take a photo of a field of sunflowers opposite. Cathal wanted to be dropped off at St Finbarr\u2019s Well. We had a glimpse of the well through the gate but didn’t stay as we were due to join the others for fish and chips.<\/font><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/font>
\n 
\nOutside the Fish Basket we met another poet, Afric McGlinchey. Catherine phoned Paul and discovered that somehow our wires had got a little crossed, as they were waiting for us at Patrick’s Fish and Chips near Rosscarbery Bay. We left the queue and went off to meet them. Paul bought us lunch, and we sat together on picnic benches by the beach to eat the delicious meal. Paul then gave us a demonstration of hurling and invited us to have a go. I don’t think any of us showed much natural talent, but Paul was obviously well practised. <\/font><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/font><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/font>After lunch, we took a walk through the dunes to another small beach where we paddled in the Atlantic. Next stop was Drombeg stone circle for more chat, sightseeing and photos. We stopped off at Scannells Bar in Clonakilty before continuing the journey on foot to De Barra’s. I was pleasantly surprised to see Liz Jolly, one of our Coventry Fire & Dust poets from Warwick, who was visiting her daughter about five miles from Clonakilty. Amy and I did our poetry sets to a warm and enthusiastic audience and listened to more quality open mic poets, hosted by the awesome Moze Jacobs. Afterwards I tried the Murphy\u2019s. Which of Cork\u2019s famous stouts did I prefer? – I\u2019m not going to risk a diplomatic incident by fessing up to that one! After the gig the charismatic Stan Notte drove us, accompanied by Cathal, back to our accommodation, entertaining us with more engaging chat about Cork, poetry and life in general as if we\u2019d known each other forever.<\/font><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/font>
\n 
\nWednesday 14th August<\/strong><\/font><\/center><\/p>\n

After a leisurely breakfast it was time to check out. Now the formal part of the visit was over, we had a free day to explore – we wandered into the city centre and walked along the river Lee then had a coffee at Fellini’s, the oldest cafe in Cork. Tracy also had an ice cream waffle which was lovely – she let me sample it. Catherine had very kindly offered to take us out for the afternoon and drive us back to the airport. We collected our bags from Redclyffe house and met her outside for a road trip to Kinsale, a quaint seaside town with colourful buildings and a picturesque marina. We bought sandwiches and ate them on benches in a pedestrianised area whilst listening to a busker playing the fiddle. Catherine also took us to Bolands gift shop where they sell the earrings she designs and makes, and to Prim’s Bookshop: Bibliotherapy, with a huge selection of titles and its own waterfall just outside the back door. We walked back to the car via the library and another cosy cafe, which unfortunately was closing, but kindly allowed us to use their facilities.<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font>\"\"<\/font>
\n 
\nWe said see you in October to our new \u2018poetry sister\u2019 at the airport and made our way through to departures. After a smooth flight, we were soon back in Stansted. We drove Amy home, chatting about our trip, arriving home at midnight. The friendships and memories made will last much longer than the tiredness from our busy, fun packed schedule. I would recommend Cork and its surrounding areas to anyone who loves culture, \u00d3 Bh\u00e9al and De Barra’s poetry nights, music which seemed to be coming from everywhere, street art and folklore. We\u2019re extremely grateful for having had the opportunity to sample a flavour of it, and intend to return at very least to try the white pudding. I found conversations with writers inspiring, especially when they were talking about prioritising writing, creating time and opportunities for themselves. I\u2019m sure this enthusiasm will rub off on me creatively and the links and friendships made will be productive in future. I\u2019m extremely grateful to Cork City Council, CAIF & Coventry City Council who make it possible and to Raef Boylan for recommending me.<\/font><\/p>\n

\"\"
\n <\/p>\n

\n

You can watch a video of the event here<\/font><\/b>
\n