Laureate na nÓg

Seo agallamh a rinne Laureate nua na nÓg Áine Ní Ghlinn don chlár Aon Scéal ar Phoenix FM i mBÁC,  mí Bealtaine 2020.

Bainigí sult as!

Katie Anna Porter is a transition year student at Portumna Community School. She took part in a #WeAreThePoets intergenerational project during the Shorelines Arts Festival 2019.  Katie Anna participated in a poetry workshop led by poet Colm Keegan and arts facilitator Bernadette Larkin. You can watch highlights of #WeAreThePoets Portumna here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylpP5mVtX9E

Janet is a student at Merlin College in Galway, she took part in #WeAreThePoets workshops with poet Luke Morgan as part of Galway 2020. She also performed her work at a live poetry showcase that was featured on Nuacht TG4 in February 2020. Young people from across Galway participated in Sarah Crossan's Laureate project as a result of our partnership with the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board, Poetry Ireland and Galway 2020. 

As part of Sarah Crossan's #WeAreThePoets project, children from the Curragh Family Resource Centre after-school club  participated in a nature walk on Pollardstown Fen in Co Kildare. This was followed by a series of workshops with Poet Nell Regan and illustrator Gráinne Bath Enright. The children wrote a beautiful nature poem celebrating the unique landscape, and they curated a pop-up nature exhibition to coincide with a public performance of The Song of Pollardstown Fen at Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge.  Laureate na nÓg thanks Riverbank for coming up with idea, and the staff, children and parents of the Curragh Family Resource Centre for their participation in this very special project.  Finally, well done to Niamh for reading the poem so beautifully!

Fifteen year-old Julie Hoodswain is a poet from Galway who took part in a series of workshops with poet Elaine Feeney in a #WEARETHEPOETS collaboration between Laureate na nÓg and the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB). The Robot came about because Julie 'wanted to write something about space.'

Ellen has been writing poetry for around two years and is a member of Kilkenny's Rhyme Rag Ensemble. She took part in #WEARETHEPOETS at Kilkenny Arts Festival 2019 in a collaboration between Kilkenny Arts Office and Laureate na nÓg that included a performance masterclass with performance poet John Cummins and a live poetry showcase at Kilkenny Castle. Ellen says she finds poetry "interesting, relaxing, and cathartic".

Shíofra took part in an intergenerational We Are The Poets project during the Shorelines Arts Festival 2019. She is a transition year student at Portumna Community  School. Priceless Pearls was written during a workshop with poet Colm Keegan. Watch a video of the project in under a minute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylpP5mVtX9E

Aaron O'Dea is a 17 year-old poet from Kilkenny, and a member of the Rhyme Rag Ensemble. He participated in a masterclass with performance poet John Cummins in preparation for the We Are The Poets showcase at Kilkenny Arts Festival 2019, which took place at Kilkenny Castle in a collaboration between Laureate na nÓg and Kilkenny Arts Office. In April 2020, Aaron received one-to-one mentoring with poet Colm Keegan as part of WE ARE THE POETS ONLINE in response to social distancing protocols during the Covid-19 crisis.

Sadhbh is a young poet from Craughwell in Galway. She writes in Irish and English. Her poem "Oidhreacht" is about the vital role the Irish language plays in preserving our stories and culture. Sadhbh attended a WE ARE THE POETS workshop with Irish language poet Jackie Mac Donncha in a partnership between Laureate na nÓg, the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board, and Poetry Ireland as part of Galway 2020. In April 2020, she received one-to-one mentoring with writer Sarah Maria Griffin as part of WE ARE THE POETS ONLINE in response to social distancing protocols during the Covid-19 crisis.

Emilie Gallagher is 16 years-old. She participated in a series of WE ARE THE POETS workshops with poet Elaine Feeney during a collaboration between Laureate na nÓg and the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board as part of Galway 2020.

18 year-old Emily O'Neill is from Waterford and is a member of The Lit Young Writers Festival Committee. In July 2019, Emily participated in a WE ARE THE POETS masterclass with John Cummins that was hosted by the Rhyme Rag Ensemble in Kilkenny. This collaboration between young poets in neighbouring counties saw young writers from Kilkenny participate in The Lit Festival in Waterford in November 2019.  You can watch highlights of We Are The Poets at The Lit here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axtuwht-arc

Orla is a young poet from County Kilkenny, who has been writing poetry for as long as she can remember. She is a member of the Rhyme Rag Ensemble.  In 2019,  Sarah Crossan's We Are The Poets project collaborated with Rhyme Rag and Kilkenny Arts Office in developing a showcase event of young poets who performed live as part of Kilkenny Arts Festival in the tower of Kilkenny Castle.  These young poets worked with We Are The Poets facilitator and performance poet John Cummins in a masterclass that prepared them for the event.

Evie Rutherford is 14 years-old and comes from Newtownards. Evie is a student at Strathearn School in Belfast. She participated in a #WEARETHEPOETS workshop facilitated by writer Myra Zepf that used sound as inspiration. Speaking about ‘Granda Raimie’, Evie says: ‘My poem is about my dad losing his dad and being able to let him go peacefully surrounded by family’.

Aoife Coyle is 11 years-old and comes from Ballybofey in County Donegal. Aoife participated in a #WEARETHEPOETS workshop with local writer Denise Blake.  In partnership with Read DL 2020, Laureate na nÓg provided creative writing workshops to primary school children across the county.  The young poets were due to perform their work at a special live event at Balor Arts Centre in March 2020. Sadly, that event had to be cancelled because of COVID19. We are delighted to have Aoife on the Poetry Jukebox representing Donegal and its wealth of young poets. 

Joe Reidy is a teenage poet from County Mayo.  He participated in a series of #WEARETHEPOETS workshops with poet Alice Kinsella last year. He read this poem at a live event featuring Sarah Crossan and Colm Keegan at the Linenhall Arts Centre in November 2019.  Joe has also been featured reading his poetry on Midwest Radio. Watch a highlights video of the #WEARETHEPOETS project at Linenhall here: https://youtu.be/HvD6XgeNuAU

Ruairí is a student at Coláiste Ghobnait on Inis Oírr, one of the Aran Islands.  Earlier this year he participated in  #WEARETHEPOETS workshops facilitated by local poet Jackie MacDonncha. Cá bhfuil muid ag dul? is one in a series of poems Ruairí composed during the workshops. 

Paola Di Stallo is a 17 year-old poet who is originally from Italy. Her poem Beast was written during #WEARETHEPOETS workshops facilitated by poet Alice Kinsella in partnership with the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar, Co Mayo.  Paola describes her poem as  'a brief insight of the worse aspect of the human nature, and it aims to leave the reader the space and the time for free interpretation.'

Patrick Ó Dómhnaill is a young poet from the Aran Islands in Co. Galway.  He is a pupil at Coláiste Ghobnait on Inis Oírr. His poem An tOileán was written during #WEARETHEPOETS workshops facilitated by local writer Jackie MacDonnncha.

Joshua Cullen is a 16 year-old poet from Callan, Co. Kilkenny. He is a member of Kilkenny's Rhyme Rag Ensemble of young poets.  Joshua completed a #WEARETHEPOETS masterclass with performance poet John Cummins, and appeared at #WEARETHEPOETS live at Kilkenny Castle as part of Kilkenny Arts Festival 2019.