Fans of strange, dark and comic tales are invited to join award winning storyteller Rab Swannock Fulton in Galway City Museum for a series of readings and performances over four tuesdays in November and December. Renowned locally and internationally as a master of the weird, Rab will be performing old and new folk tales, beginning with Rab's version of 'Cupid and Psyche' an ancient meditereanean tale of love, lust, treachery and bloodshed. Rab will also be reading extracts from his latest novel, a ghostly murder mystery set in the far future entitled 'Marcus Marcus and the Hurting Heart'.
The Weird Tales take place on November 16th, 23rd and 30th, and December 7th.
Time: 8pm.
Price: 8 Euro.
Contact 087 654 5411
For more see www.myspace.com/rabswannockfulton & www.facebook.com/rab.fulton
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Weird Tales in Galway Museum, with Rab Swannock Fulton
Monday, 13 September 2010
Edible Art
Moloch artist Nessa Darcy is planning a trip to Madagascar in April, to work with lemurs and the poor (go figure.) To help fund her trip, she's set up this great website, Cakes for Lemurs. If you live in Dublin, you can commission a cake of any kind from her - and I promise you'll be delighted!
Thursday, 29 July 2010
See you at the Irish Writers' Centre!
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Jack Harte will read at Moloch launch night!
The night kicks off at 7pm and all are welcome. Entry is free, though a donation is encouraged! Hope to see you there.
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Readers confirmed for Moloch launch night
Paul Perry, Jessica Reidy and Katelyn Ferguson will be some of the readers for our Moloch launch night on Friday 30th July.
Paul Perry is the author and editor of a number of critically acclaimed books including The Drowning of the Saints, Goldsmith’s Ghost, 108 Moons and The Orchid Keeper. He teaches creative writing for Kingston University, London, and University College Dublin and is Course Director in Poetry for the Faber Academy in Dublin. His website is www.paulperry.ie
Jessica Reidy is from New Hampshire and at the moment lives in Co. Cork, Ireland. She has a BA in English and Creative Writing from Hollins University. Her poetry and flash fiction has appeared in various journals including Arsenic Lobster, Big Toe Review, and Frogpond, and is forthcoming in the Los Angeles Review.
Katelyn Ferguson writes poems occasionally and her work has appeared in NUI Galway's 'Ropes' journal. She is currently hard at work finishing up her doctoral thesis on the poetry of Brendan Kennelly at Trinity College Dublin.
The night kicks off at 7pm in the Irish Writers' Centre, 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1. Admission is free and all are welcome.
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Celebrate the latest issue of Moloch with us!
Moon by Nessa Darcy
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
The Atlantis Collective Launch Second Short Story Collection
The Atlantis Collective Launch Second Short Story Collection The Atlantis Collective launch 'Faceless Monsters' at The Irish Writers' Centre on Friday May 21st. The short story collection contains new work from the eight members of the group who have been meeting on a weekly basis in the Galway Arts Centre for the past two years. This is the second book by the group. Last year's debut 'Town of Fiction' was described by Des Kenny as ‘an important collection’ containing 'gems of stories'. Though the individual styles of the writers may vary, when it comes to the quality of the work they have plenty in common, according to contributing editor Nuala Ní Chonchúir. ‘Each writer draws from a separate well – there are the humorists and the dark-lovers, the long-short writers and the flash aficionados – but they are all clearly dedicated to achieving excellence in their art.’ The launch of ‘Faceless Monsters’ takes place in The Irish Writers' Centre, Parnell Square, Dublin 1, at 7pm. There will be refreshments and readings. Copies of the book will be available on the night and also through the Atlantis Collective website, www.atlantiscollective.com The Atlantis Collective are Colm Brady, Alan Caden, Dara Ó’ Foghlú, Aideen Henry, Trish Holmes, Paul McMahon, Conor Montague, and Máire T. Robinson. 
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Milk and Cookie Stories VII, Disaster Stories
Milk and Cookie Stories VII featuring a theme – Disaster Stories, and the Milk & Cookies BAKE-OFF!
Doors 6.30pm, Tuesday May 11th, Exchange Dublin
Milk and Cookie Stories is for anyone who has a story to tell, or wants to hear a tale told well, in a relaxed, friendly environment ~ a place with tea, cushions, cookies and friends. The event consists of open mic storytelling, with one or two featured storytellers. Our event is free and everyone is welcome.
The theme this month is Disaster Stories! Hopefully if you're looking for something to tell, this might offer a eruption of inspiration. You don't have to stick to the theme (and the interpretation is wide!), they encourage stories of all kinds; traditional, animation, musical, anything as long as it's a story – the House Rules are available on their website, http://www.milkandcookiestories.com/
The BAKE-OFF! is also returning, bruised and doughy, to strike terror and inspiration into the hearts of the baking community – one cookie will rise above the rest, and the winner shall be carried through the streets, and given prizes. More details are again available at the website.
Monday, 8 March 2010
[ art@work ] Artists’ Residency Programme
Roscommon Arts Office seeks interest from artists who wish to participate in the 2010 [ art@work ] artists’ residency programme As part of art@work, artists from any arts discipline, spend three weeks in a company or service in County Roscommon making work motivated by the environment, staff and working practices of the company Since its inception in 2001, the art@work programme has continued as a unique outlet for contemporary art to be integrated into society – introducing not only art, but also artists, and the processes of making art, to new audiences. Artists are not necessarily expected to make work collaberatively; rather the artist is simply making work for a period of time in a different place of work than usual. Quite naturally however, the work is clearly influenced by the artists’ adopted environment, relating strongly to that particular situation thus providing a greater interest and involvement in the work from staff. To the artist art@work offers the opportunity to explore different methods of working and to produce work in a unique context that allows for greater participation in the creation of the work. To staff at the company, art@work stimulates a pride and recognition of the value and nature of both the artists work and the work of the company. To the company the programme offers a valuable and unique advertising platform in both a local and national context as well as being an innovative project which reflects well on the company from many perspectives. Last Year Create collaborated with Roscommon County Council Arts Office to produce a publication which further investigated the experiences of those involved, providing a rich insight to the motivations, processes and outcomes of each of the residencies. Sarah Tuck, Director of Create said that “the art@work programme provocatively re-inscribes arts practice as work, whilst simultaneously acknowledging the creativity of work itself. In situating the artist in work contexts, both the artists and the staff have an occasion to reappraise what it is that they do as part of the daily routine and ritual of working life.” How the programme works – Initially companies and artists are separately asked to express their interest in becoming involved in the programme. From this a one day group site visit is arranged where artists together visit each of the participating companies. From this the artist can prepare a proposal as to how they would approach the residency at their chosen company or companies. How to get involved – If you are interested in participating in art@work, simply email artsoffice@roscommoncoco.ie or call 090 66 37285 to register your interest before Friday 26th March, after which a day of site visits will be arranged to participating companies. A full list of participating companies will not be available until April but previous participants are listed below. The Proposal – The proposal is not a definite “in stone” document but rather an indication of how the artist would complete the residency if their course did not alter during it. This is essentially an indication of the artist’s methodology and their understanding of the company. We would expect that the residency itself would dictate how the work would progress and that it would, in the end, substantially differ from the original proposal, but in order to decide who participates and how appropriate or feasible an artist’s residency is likely to be, we assess proposals only on the information and CV submitted. An artist can submit as many proposals as they like for as many companies as they like. Schedule – Registration Before Friday 26th March Site Visits Mid April Proposals Mid May Residency June – September Publication October Fees – Residency €500 per week Materials/ Travel Subsidy €500 Accommodation Subsidy €500 Further Information – www.roscommonarts.com or 090 66 37285 Philip Delamere County Arts Officer Roscommon County Council, The Courthouse, Roscommon, Ireland T +353 9066 37285 | F +353 9066 34443 | E mailto:artsoffice@
Saturday, 13 February 2010
Exhibition of Letters from Famous People at the National Library
Exhibition of Letters from Famous People Now Open at the National Library of Ireland Broadcaster and comedian Graham Norton presided over the official opening of the exhibition Discover Lifelines at the National Library of Ireland marking the 25th anniversary of the Lifelines project at Wesley College, Dublin which has raised over €100,000 for Concern and the developing world. Discover Lifelines: letters from famous people about their favourite poems reveals the thoughts and poetic choices of a wide variety of people from government ministers to priests, poets, activists and actors including Margaret Atwood, John Banville, Sebastian Barry, Maeve Binchy, George Hook, Dermot Bolger, Richard Dawkins, Judi Dench, Dermot Desmond, Roddy Doyle, Margaret Drabble, Garret FitzGerald, Roy Foster, Sir John Gielgud, Seamus Heaney, Jeremy Irons, John B Keane, Brendan Kennelly, Marian Keyes, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Graham Norton, Joseph O’Connor, Tom Stoppard, Mother Teresa, William Trevor and many others. The exhibition shows people’s belief in poetry and how in its unique and quiet way, poetry endures and enriches lives. Lifelines began in a classroom in Wesley College in 1985 and first saw the light of day as a little Gestetnered stapled booklet. Three other booklets followed and their sell-out success resulted in the book Lifelines, published in 1992, Lifelines 2 appeared in 1994 and Lifelines 3 in 1997. The Lifelines anthologies include contributions from five Nobel Laureates and the project was much praised: Iris Murdoch described it as ‘such an excellent project and such good reading’, and Graham Norton noted: ‘Finally, a book that puts poetry in the “loved-it” pile, rather than the “must-get-around-to-reading” pile.’ A selection from Lifelines was published by Penguin in 1993, and a further volume, a New and Collected edition, published by Townhouse in 2006. Unusually for a poetry book, Lifelines featured prominently in the Best-Seller lists. All correspondence, photographs and other related archive material relating to Lifelines was donated to the National Library of Ireland by Wesley College and today, replies from over 650 people who responded to the pupils’ appeals are preserved in the Library. Discover Lifelines is available as a travelling exhibition for schools, libraries and other venues nationwide. Discover Lifelines, National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Admission Free. Lifelines New and Collected available from the National Library shop (€12) . See www.nli.ie for further information.
Sunday, 7 February 2010
No Grant for the Irish Writers' Centre
We are very disappointed to hear that the Irish Writers' Centre did not receive any Arts Council funding for 2010. I started volunteering in the IWC six months ago and have been overwhelmed by the passion and commitment the board and staff have for the both the Centre and Irish Literature. Do check out the website, www.writerscentre.ie
No Grant from the Arts Council
The Board’s Response
The Irish Writers’ Centre is extremely disappointed that the Arts Council has rejected its application for a grant for 2010. Until 2009 the IWC received an annual grant to enable it function as an organisation providing a venue and a service to writers and the public, but the grant was withheld last year on the basis of a value-for-money assessment. Over the past year the Centre has addressed all the criticism and misgivings that led to the withholding of the grant. It has renewed itself and reformed entirely. Through the efforts of the Board and a team of voluntary staff we have now established a vibrant and exciting centre, open from morning to night, open Saturdays, with readings, events, workshops, meetings, all progressing non-stop. We have opened up a home-from-home where writers and readers can converge for literary business and literary pleasure. We have ensured that there is one place in Dublin where writers from abroad can come to interact with their Irish colleagues. This supreme effort has been made to demonstrate how effectively the Centre can cater for the needs of writers and readers, but it cannot be maintained indefinitely without funding.
Writing is the national art form of Ireland; more than with anything else, our national identity is associated with writing. But the allocation of resources does not reflect the primacy of literature, quite the contrary, despite the enormous economic contribution that literature makes to the country through cultural tourism. The Writers’ Centre has been given the most enthusiastic support by the whole literary community over the past months. Everyone has shown anxiety for its survival as a venue for showcasing contemporary Irish writing, encouraging new writing, providing writers with one physical location which belongs to them: a writers’ house. Within the literature community there has been a consensus endorsing its case for funding. It is therefore all the more baffling and disappointing that the Arts Council has not responded to that clear wish of the literature community.
Dublin has lodged an application to UNESCO for a special designation as a ‘City of Literature’. If this is granted, Dublin, and Ireland, will be able to exploit this status to enhance its cultural profile and its attraction to cultural tourists. But the designation will be granted and maintained, not in recognition of our glorious tradition, but on the vibrancy of the contemporary writing environment and on the infrastructure that exists to sustain and develop that vibrancy. In view of this, the decision of the Arts Council to jeopardise the Irish Writers’ Centre is myopic in the extreme.
Last autumn when the Arts Council faced the spectre of a catastrophic cut in funding for the arts, they issued a call-to-arms and asked the writers to join the vanguard on the basis that literature was demonstrably our extraordinary performer in the arts arena. Reasonable damage limitation was achieved, but the recent grant allocations to literature do not reflect the enormous esteem for writers and writing the Council espoused just a few months ago.
Sunday, 20 December 2009
London: Pilot Pamphlets
Cover image for A Fictional Dress by Nessa Darcy and Conor FrielCome and celebrate the launch of two new tall-lighthouse pamphlets, A Fictional Dress by Ailbhe Darcy and The Stream by Simon Pomery with readings from the collections.
The double launch kicks off on Tuesday the 5th of January at 7pm, at the Wheatsheaf pub, 25 Rathbone Place (just off Oxford St) in London.
Ailbhe Darcy has published poetry in Ireland, Britain and the US, and is the co-editor of Moloch. A Fictional Dress is her first solo publication and her first full collection is forthcoming from Bloodaxe in 2010.
Simon Pomery was born in Galway, Ireland, and grew up in the Peak District, Derbyshire. He studied English at the University of Leeds and Pembroke College, Cambridge. The Stream is his first pamphlet and is the latest in the tall-lighthouse pilot series, edited by Roddy Lumsden.
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Irish Writers' Centre Culture Night 25-09-09
The Irish Writers' Centre is opening up its doors for culture night (Friday the 25th of September), with readings throughout the night, tours of the building and a chance to see the beautiful collection of paintings on loan from Frank Buckley. To add to the occasion the centre will be selling hundred of its books for a song – prices will start at 2euros. The first readings will begin at 7.30pm and will be hosted by the Thornfield Poets. Among the line up is Catherine Dunne, Susan Connolly, Cecilia McGovern, Maggie O'Dwyer, Helena Nolan, Colette Connor, and Enda Coyle-Greene. Sapphire Writing Group will then host the second wave of readings from 9pm. The line up includes many writers who frequent the Centre, like Phyl Herbert, Sile Agnew, Cathy Sweeney, Richard Stevens, Sheila Purdy, Gerry Moloney, Mary Heneghan and Ross Skelton. There will be lots of staff on hand to show you around, caffeinate you and give you the lowdown on the courses and events that will be taking place in the Irish Writers' Centre in the coming months.
Monday, 21 September 2009
Exchange Words
Exchange Dublin is hosting their first spoken word evening,
'Exchange Words'.
Exchange Words, an evening inspired by the current spoken word
revival, will take place on the 9th of October from 8PM at the
Exchange in Dublin's Temple Bar. With more interest than ever in
storytelling, standup comedy, author readings, live radio theatre and
a burgeoning Irish performance poetry scene, now is the perfect time
to launch a regular spoken word showcase in the heart of Dublin.
Exchange Words will give comedians, writers, actors and storytellers
the chance to collaborate and develop their work for performance in a
welcoming, all ages, alcohol free environment.
The line up for their first event include Shinoxcy, a new all girl
sketch comedy group, including Roxanna Nic Liam, star of hit Absolut
Fringe play 'Rough'; the Crazy Dog Audio theatre- Ireland's number one
live radio theatre company, whose work has appeared on RTE Radio 1,
and on US radio; storytellers from new Dublin group Milk and Cookies;
and fresh from their packed out performances at this years Electric
Picnic, top International spoken word performers Cliff Horseman &
Andrej Kapor.
Tickets for the event are € 5 / € 3 concessions, and will be available
on the night.
About Exchange Dublin -
Exchange Dublin is a new collective arts centre in Temple Bar, Dublin
run entirely by young people and holding discussions, gigs, visual
arts and performance. Most projects originate from the autonomous
“Exchange Groups” that use the space as a hub for their activity.
Representatives from these groups form the general Exchange Dublin
Collective that programmes and coordinates events in the space. All
work is voluntary and no one is paid.
Press materials (including high resolution images) are available at
http://exchangedublin.ie/words, and at the Facebook group -
Anyone interested in performing at future events, or looking for more
information, can contact them at words@exchangedublin.ie, or call on 085
1036 392.
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
A Racket at the University of Notre Dame
Okay, this one might be a bit of a leap for the Dubliners...But if you happen to be in the Midwest in October, you don't want to miss Rackett at Notre Dame.
They'll be doing their thang at 9:30 PM in the legendary Legends bar, on October the 28th.
(See here for what their thang is: http://www.myspace.com/rackett)
Rhythm guitarist Paul Muldoon will also be reading his poetry, at 7pm on the same day, in the McKenna Auditorium.
Both of these events are free, and everyone is welcome!
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Dublin Poetry Workshops with Alan Jude Moore
In September The Irish Writers' Centre will be holding a series of Poetry Workshops hosted by poet Alan Jude Moore. The workshops will take place every Thursday for 10 weeks from the 24th of September. Early booking is advised as workshop places are limited. You can secure your place by paying online at the Irish Writers Centre. Alan read some of his work at the Moloch showcase last year, and appeared in the second issue of the journal. You can read his poems, Alphavile and Drift online.
Alan Jude Moore was born in Dublin. His two collections of poetry, Black State Cars (2004) and Lost Republics (2008), are published by Salmon Poetry. A third collection, Strasbourg, will be published by Salmon in 2010.
His work is widely published in journals and magazines, including Poetry Ireland Review, Cyphers, The Stinging Fly, Poetry Salzburg Review, Iota (UK) and Kestrel (USA). His poetry has also been published in Italian and Russian. He has been short-listed twice for the Hennessy Literary Award for New Irish Writing for his short stories.
He holds a degree in political science from Trinity College Dublin and his first publication was in the TCD literary magazine Icarus. He has since been published across Europe and North America and has given readings in Ireland, Italy, Russia and the USA. In 2007 he was a featured poet at the Riflessidiversi cultural festival in Umbria.
American poet and critic Michael S. Begnal discusses Moore's work in the context of contemporary Irish literature in his essay The Ancients Have Returned Among Us: Polaroid of 21st Century Irish Poetry (Avant-Post, Litteraria Pragensia 2006, ed. Louis Armand). Alan's work has been included in the anthologies Salmon: a Journey in Poetry (Salmon Poetry, 2007) and Jacobs Ladder II (Six Gallery Press, 2003). He lives in Dublin.
"What is necessary is to seek new forms and new language to express new ideas and experience. Moore is doing so, and that is what makes Black State Cars an important and essential collection."
- Michael S. Begnal in Poetry Ireland Review, issue 82.
A political undercurrent is always simmering, and when it is aligned with longing, Moore enacts a kind of magic: “remember to melt down your ring for me; / let all our promises be one last bullet” (Zapad). Paradoxically, it’s not the exoticism of Lost Republics which appeals so much, but its familiarity. An accomplished and intriguing book.
- Paul Perry, The Irish Times, Saturday 28th March 2009
This superb second collection finds Moore’s distinctive voice, established in 2004’s Black State Cars, resonating with a new clarity and confidence. Influenced by the neo-modernist tendency but not necessarily of it, Moore avoids the languid, lyrical tonalities striven for and sometimes reached by the majority of his contemporaries. Yet his work could by no means be described as prosaic. His is a robust, sinewy music that once adjusted to has a strangely entrancing charm.
- Billy Ramsell in The Stinging Fly, Issue 12 / volume two, Spring 2009.
Saturday, 8 August 2009
Wrong way birds, taxidermy, and morally bankrupt leprechauns.
It was my blood and the language
That has been spoken into my blood.
I decided to explore
This wild place.
from Disappeared Language by Duane Locke
A new issue of Moloch is now available to view online: http://www.moloch.ie/html/issue3/cover.html.
For the last few months we have been plagued by constant repetition of the 'R' word on the airwaves, and scandal after scandal surfacing. You can't turn on the radio or take a taxi without hearing about the abuse by the Israelis, the US army, the Iranian government, and the British army, innocent people going to prison, politicians on the take, horrendous murders, about all the bankers who dragged us into a whole lot of mess, about the builders being bailed out and the regular people who have lost their homes. Around the corner there is always another ism to deal with.
Moloch was a mythical figure to whom people sacrificed newborn children in the hope of wealth and success. Nothing could seem more horrifying to most of us today, and yet every radio station and newspaper tells us that the future generations have been sacrificed for transient treasures to a modern-day Moloch. It is an endless wave that can become an obsession and at times make you feel completely and utterly powerless. It is in times like these that language becomes at once threatened and vital.
Moloch is an eclectic journal of the eccentric and the conventional, the politician and the romantic, the psychiatrist and the mentally deranged. It does not adhere to one style or voice but grabs sounds and colours from all walks of life.
This issue of Moloch deals with progress, with all the dirty dealings of modern society, offering a contrast between the natural world of bogs and beaches and that of aeroplanes, televisions, and petty theft. It deals with the beautiful and the lighthearted, with some of the more pleasant things in life. It is true, as the cliché goes, that art holds up a mirror to society; but it's also a wonderful way to flip it off its feet, to stick red potatoes in our ears, dive into pink water, scream and create something a little more interesting, and a little less repetitive.
My tune is a chain saw symphony with crickets, with fish,
with wrong way birds that can’t read music,
all of this is home for me now. Like rain
that doesn’t rain. They make mattresses specially
for rooms at the centers of houses, to protect from
flying glass. From tornados. I sleep on a
mattress like that.
from Crazy by L. Ward Abel
Moloch is an Irish based e-journal of art and writing edited by Ailbhe Darcy and Clodagh Moynan. Tying different art forms together in new and refreshing ways, Moloch aspires to allow artists and writers to find inspiration in each other and, in doing so, add new dimensions to each others’ work.
The current issue contains writing by L. Ward Abel, Claire Askew, Patricia Byrne, Niamh Campbell, William Doreski, Noel Harrington, Alan King, David Kowalczyt, Duane Locke, Geraldine Mitchell, Jackie Morrisey, Kenneth Pobo, Sean Ryan and Peter Schwartz
Artists include Oisín Byrne, Conor Callan, Nessa Darcy, Carol Eakins, Derek Fitzpatrick, Gareth Humphreys, Laura Knowles, Sarah Quigley and Damien O'Reilly.
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
New Issue of Moloch
It was my blood and the language
That has been spoken into my blood.
I decided to explore
This wild place.from Disappeared Language by Duane Locke
The new issue of Moloch has just been launched.
This issue contains writing by L. Ward Abel, Claire Askew, Patricia Byrne, Niamh Campbell, William Doreski, Noel Harrington, Alan King, David Kowalczyt, Duane Locke, Geraldine Mitchell, Jackie Morrisey, Kenneth Pobo, Sean Ryan and Peter Schwartz
Artists include Oisín Byrne, Conor Callan, Nessa Darcy, Carol Eakins, Derek Fitzpatrick, Gareth Humphreys, Laura Knowles, Sarah Quigley and Damien O'Reilly.
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Pinback Magazine
Damien O'Reilly, an artist featured in Moloch, has hurled himself into the publishing world with the creation of a new magazine PiNBACK. PiNBACK is a new 40 page literature and art magazine based in Cardiff. The idea is to create a platform of expression both literary and visually for anybody willing to get their voice out there. The magazine will be available in selected shops around Cardiff, Wales and Dublin, Ireland. Issue One is completed and will be available in shops soon. Currently PiNBACK is looking for literature of all sorts for issue two. Poetry, stories, articles and random thoughts. There is no theme or size limit. All submissions will be considered. They are also looking for artists / designers as part of their Gallery Section. Email submissions (and any questions) to pinback.magazine@yahoo.com Pinback is also available to buy online directly from the publishers at http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=3991377 |
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
Over The Edge with readings by Ailbhe Darcy, John Corless, Tom Lavelle, Anthony Daly & John Liddy
THIS FRIDAY, July 3rd My esteemed partner in crime, Ailbhe Darcy, will be in Galway reading at the Over The Edge Summer Poetry Special at Sheridan’s Wine Bar. Since her relocation to Middle America her readings in Ireland have been few and far between, so do come along and catch it before she disappears again. There is a wonderful lineup that night with John Corless, Tom Lavelle, Anthony Daly & John Liddy all reading. You can find them all from 8pm in Sheridan’s Wine Bar, 14-16 Church Yard Street, Galway. Anthony Daly was born in Galway in 1979. He gained a BA Degree in Classics and History from NUI. Galway. He has been writing poetry for about the past decade and has published several poems in the local press. He has acted with Selkie Theatre in 2008 in their production last summer of Goodwill, as well as in several other productions and shows over the last six years. Anthony has been a many time participant in the Cúirt Poetry Grand Slam, was a Featured Reader at the March 2005 Over The Edge: Open Reading and was shortlisted for the 2007 Cúirt Over The Edge Showcase reading. John Liddy was born in Youghal, Co. Cork, grew up in Limerick and now lives in Spain. His poetry collections include Boundaries (1974), The Angling Cot (1991), Song of the Empty Cage (1997), Wine and Hope (1999), Cast-A-Net (2003) & The Well: New and Selected Poems (2007). La Barca de la Arena (a translation by Francisco Rivero in Spanish of The Angling Cot) & Poisionous Pleasure(a tanslation by John Liddy from Tosigo Ardento by José Maria Álvarez) were published recently. His work has been widely praised by critics such as Desmond O’Grady and Patrick Galvin. He lives in Madrid. There is no entrance fee. All welcome. For further information contact 087-6431748. Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing generous financial support of the Arts Council and Galway City Council. Ailbhe Darcy has published poems in Ireland, Britain and the US, and writes critically for a number of publications including The Stinging Fly and Verbal. She recently appeared as part of the prestigious Poetry Ireland Introductions Series, and has read at the London Irish Centre, Poetry Café, RADA, Dublin’s Liberty Hall and Keats’ House. She has just embarked on a PhD in contemporary poetry at the University of Notre Dame. Her poetry features in the recently published anthology Voice Recognition 21 Poets For The 21st Century(Bloodaxe) and will also feature in the generation defining anthology to be published by Bloodaxe early next year Identity Parade: New British and Irish Poets.
John Corless lives and writes in County Mayo in the Irish Riviera. His poetry is a mix of political, satirical, ecclesiastical and rural and has been described as Paul Durcan meets The Sawdoctors. He has an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University (2008) and is currently researching for a PhD. He writes poetry, fiction and drama. His work has been published in magazines and collections worldwide. Some of his poems have been referred to the Attorney General for approval. His creative writing classes in the Castlebar campus of GMIT are very popular. He hopes to be a full-time writer when he grows up. Thankfully, there's no evidence of that happening yet. His first collection of poems Are You Ready? was published recently by Salmon Poetry.
Tom Lavelle lives in Galway and works as the finance director of a manufacturing company. He is currently a participant in the Advance Poetry Workshop at Galway Arts Centre and as part of that group read his work at last year’s Clifden Arts Week. His poems have appeared in Revival, The Stony Thursday Book, Crannóg, Boyne Berries, West 47 online and The Cuirt Annual. Tom was shortlisted for the Cúirt Over The Edge showcase reading in both 2008 and 2009 and in the 2008 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition. This coming Autumn he will be embarking on an M Phil in Writing at the University of Glamorgan.