26/09/2003
Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.
Issued on behalf of the Council Document Title: by B.Hickey Head of Corporate Services Author :M.Pierce
Tel: 4149100 Creation Date:25/09/2003
Email:bkickey@sdublincoco.ie
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PRESS RELEASE-PRESS RELEASE-PRESS RELEASE-PRESS RELEASE
Mayor Cllr.Maire Ardagh to launch the opening of "Poetry on The Wall"
7pm Aras Chronain,Clondalkin 25/09/2003
Poetry on the Wall
The Poetry on the Wall competition sets out to promote awareness of contemporary poetry by giving it a public platform. This competition, which is now in its fourth year, is a direct result of South Dublin County Council’s innovative approach to promoting the arts.
In 1998, the then County Librarian asked staff to submit ideas that would promote and nurture artistic endeavour within the community. Many local authorities and library authorities hold competitions of this nature but it was thanks to South Dublin library staff member Kate O’Shea that the unique format of Poetry on the Wall came into being.
The concept underpinning Poetry on the Wall is simple; no cash prize is given but the much more valuable prize of undertaking to display the winning poems for the duration of one year in a prominent and dedicated space throughout the network of public buildings which covers libraries, public and civic buildings and community centres. This guarantees maximum exposure for the artist.
This is borne out by the fact that previous winners, including our first winner Eileen Casey, have subsequently been very successful in their publishing endeavours. Eileen’s first collection, Wall Street, was published in 2000 by Lapwing Press, with a preface by Kate O’Shea. Ann Leahy was our second winner in 2003. Last year it was Maria Wallace’s turn to win the Poetry on the Wall competition. Maria Wallace was shortlisted for the Hennessy Award in 1998. She has numerous commendations from various competitions and won the Moore Literary Competition in 1999. Her work has been published in Irish and English poetry anthologies. We are happy to have readings from all three of these poets who are here tonight.
Thanks go to this year’s judge Michael O'Dea who was born in Roscommon in 1955 and currently resides in Dublin where he teaches in Rathmines College.He plays an active role fostering student poetry and has edited two anthologies as well as judging competitions.Michael has previously been shortlisted for the Hennessy/Sunday Tribune Poetry Award and came third in the annual Patrick Kavanagh Award. His work has been widely published in various poetry magazines. His first collection Sunfire was published in 1997 by Dedalus and they will publish his second later this year.
Geraldine Mills lives in Galway. She writes poems and short stories. Her first collection, Unearthing Your Own, was published by Bradshaw Books, Cork, in 2001. Her second collection is due out early next year.
Geraldine’s poems have been published abroad and have been translated into Italian and Dutch.
2002 was a busy year for her. She won the Ballina Poetry Award, the Peace Prize, the Clogh Poetry Competition and was short listed for the Francis McManus Short Story Award.
In 2000, she was the Millennium winner of the Hennessy Sunday Tribune New Irish Award for her short story, Lick of the Lizard.
Her work has been broadcast on RTE Radio, Lyric FM, Galway Bay FM, and she has read at the Cuirt Literary Festival and at Listowel Writers’ Week.
Geraldine Mills is a founder member of St. Colmcilles Writers’ Workshop in Tallaght. She was recently awarded Tyrone Guthrie Centre Bursary by Galway County Council.
She is the fourth winner of Poetry on the Wall, an annual poetry competition, which is run by South Dublin Libraries. The competition is free to enter and open to all adults.
I would like to thank all of the library staff for their work which has culminated in tonight’s event and a special thank you to Kate O’Shea who has recently begun a three year secondment from Ballyroan Library in order to study Social Science in UCD. Kate originated the idea of Poetry on the Wall and continues to administer and manage it. Kate’s hard work and vision in promoting this event will ensure its continuing success. We wish her well in her studies.