The Cúirt International Festival of Literature is back, filling venues across Galway with wordsmiths and their works from April 4 to 10.
A celebration of writing in all its forms, the festival is off to a promising start, featuring an eclectic array of literary events for literature lovers of all ages to attend. Tuesday began with a New Writing Showcase in the Mick Lally Theatre, hosted by Irish-American poet Susan Millar DuMars.
It was an intimate event, with both familiar and emerging writers showcasing pieces of their work. These harbourers of literary skill included the likes of Hannah Ward, Sadhbh Goodwin, D’Or Seifer, and Flávia Simas, who gathered to enlighten and inspire the audience with their transportive words. Hannah and Sadhbh are young writers with a mature skill for expression.
It was refreshing to see young people exhibiting their passion for literature on a renowned platform. As young people ourselves, we were offered a sense of comfort to see the trials and tribulations faced by today’s youth so expertly conveyed through writing.
Author and poet in training, Sophie L Clarke, and bilingual poet, Siobhán Ní Dhomhnaill, discussed their poetic paths on Tuesday afternoon. Sophie inspired the audience with tales of her spontaneous method of constructing a poem.
Moreover, Siobhán performed one of her poems which explores the duality that is inherent in being a bilingual writer, expressing the importance of preserving the Irish language through literature.
She also discussed the role that writing has in giving minority languages a sense of permanency. This event was particularly useful for anyone looking to build a career in poetry, with many eager faces in the crowd invigorated by the writers’ words of wisdom.
Yesterday morning started off with a beautiful sentimentality, as the Poems for Patience event in The House Hotel started the day’s celebrations.
This is an annual anthology of poetry by both Irish and international poets, where poems are displayed in waiting areas throughout Galway’s University Hospitals and public hospitals in Ballinasloe, Roscommon, Letterkenny, and Sligo.
This was an enjoyable event that evoked bittersweet sentiments, reminding us of the tumultuous past few years, as well as paying homage to those who suffer with sickness.
While this week’ piece offers a broad overview of Monday to Wednesday’s action, keep an eye out in next week’s edition for a number of spotlight pieces on the festival’s key events.
The weekend promises a continuation of the quality that has been on show so far, with events such as ‘False Gods and Felling Empires’ - presented by scholars Anna Della Subin & Françoise Vergès, ‘The Blossoming of the Evocative Tree’ - a collection of stories told from the memories of Doughiska writers and the Local Heroes drop-in readings going on every morning in Charlie Byrne’s bookshop. Tigh Neachtain is the week’s Festival Headquarters, so make your way down to get a brochure of the goings-on and get involved!
