In The News

Islander Festival Opening Ceremony

In The News , , ,

Yesterday our Vice-chair, John Monaghan wrote about Fermanagh Writers participation in the Islander Festival. Today our Chair, Tony Brady, tells us a bit more about the opening ceremony at the Moat Ring on Friday, 2nd May:

Fermanagh Writers represented by John Monaghan, Jennie Brien, Mary McElroy, John Llewellyn James and Bob Blair contributed to the 2014 inaugural opening of the three day Lisnaskea Islander Festival, whose first event was staged on the historic Moat Ring: ancestral crowning site of the Maguire kings.

A large audience was greeted by a figure dressed as a monk. He read from a parchment scroll and described the ancestral significance of the place in terms of its spiritual and dynastic origins. Then he led a procession across fields of deep grass to the base of the stone mount where the poets, writers and a group of musicians were prepared. Above them large white letters spelled ISLANDER and fiery torches blazed.

Barry Flanaghan – the Festival organiser – described the initiative as being a new opportunity to kindle cultural awareness of the Moat Ring, promote tourist interest and foster local community heritage connections through the media of art, poetry, music and literature linked to the distinct geography of the Lough Erne islands and Lisnaskea town.
Between the various contributions by Fermanagh Writers, including an impromptu reading by well-known islander poet and writer John Reihill, the monk recalled the ancient Maguire dominion – visible from all points of the compass – and concluding the artistic/devotional event, invoked blessings on the gathered multitude. Bob Baird joined the  musician trio from Donegal in a song and instrumental epilogue.

The collective atmosphere promoted a mystical sense of the pagan/christian historic breadth: combining a social, cultural connectiveness that was inspiring, moving and significant while inclusively containing for a group of diverse participants and onlookers.
On dispersing, many people, comprising infants, school age children, young adults, and elders remained to ascend the Mount while others returned across the fields for transport by bus laid on for their convenience back to Lisnaskea.  Much appreciation is extended to John Monaghan who liaised with the festival organisation and co-ordinated the presentation by Fermanagh Writers.

IMG_20140517_0008

Looking Back At Our Year

In The News ,

After Fermanagh Writers’ AGM in March our Chair, Tony Brady, wrote to the Fermanagh newspapers to tell them about the election results, the group’s achievements during the past year and plans for the coming year. In the article he said:

At the recent AGM of Fermanagh Writers, Tony Brady was re-elected unopposed to work a second year  as Chair of the management committee serving a  membership of 31 members. He acknowledged the support of former committee Chair Tony Viney, retiring Vice Chair Ken Ramsey, continuing Secretary Dianne Trimble, Treasurer Peter Byrne and John Llewellyn James. He welcomed the election of new Vice-Chair John Monaghan together with new serving committee members Tammy Swift and Trish Bennett.
Tony recalled past achievements: the two published books by Fermanagh Writers, Tuesdays at Charlies and Tales of The Unexpected, have reached their publishing targets.  The second book raised £2.000 in aid of the charity Bright Eyes Animal Sanctuary. With the funding support of The Northern Ireland Arts Council, a series of  open workshops offering prose, poetry, script writing and approaches to getting published, were led by distinguished and accomplished literary figures last year. Fermanagh Writers participated in All Ireland Poetry Day and the Flive Enniskillen Arts Festival. Further afield, its members joined with Cavan Writers for the Babble Festival and hosted their poets and writers in a visit to The National Trust’s House in Florence Court.
Looking ahead as 2014 unfolds, Tony anticipates Fermanagh Writers will participate in established festivals and events, including FLive Festival, The Ballinamallard Festival and All Ireland Poetry Day. In addition, plans are forming to contribute to new initiatives: Row The Erne, The Islander Festival (Upper Lough Erne) and The Enniskillen World War 1 Centenary/Francis Ledwidge Museum, Slane, ROI, project.
Fermanagh Writers meets on Tuesday evenings, 7.30-9.30pm in the Crowe’s Nest, Enniskillen and is open to new members.
Impartial Reporter, April 2014
Impartial Reporter, April 2014

A Crowded Winners’ Circle

Archives, In The News , , , , ,

November has been a busy month for prizes and awards for Fermanagh Writers members. As well as Seamus Carolan’s induction into the Bard of Armagh Hall of Fame (see previous blog post), Mary McElroy and Angela McCabe have also been in the winner’s circle.

Mary McElroy’s moving poem, Blue, dedicated to her son, David, won the Fermanagh section of Funeral Service NI’s Poetry Contest 2013. She received her award at a ceremony at Stormont on Wednesday, 21st November.

Angela McCabe won 1st prize for Literature – Poetry in the Leitrim Guardian’s contest. The launch and celebratory night was in Standing Stone Hotel Ballinamore on Friday, 22nd November.

Bard of Armagh – and Fermanagh

Archives, In The News , , ,

Congratulations to our member, Seamus Carolan, winner of the Bard of Armagh contest 2000 for his recitation The Pope Returns to Ireland Incognito. This year he has been awarded the Gerry Watters Bard of Armagh Hall of Fame Award and he will be presented with his award at the Bard of Armagh contest in Armagh on 22nd November.

carolan (1)

Launching A Poetry Contest

In The News ,

Enniskillen Rectial Photo
Leslie Holmes, Funeral Service NI with FW committee members and Anna James, winner of last year’s Fermanagh section of the contest.

The Funeral Services NI sponsored Poetry Recital to launch their poetry contest was held in Enniskillen public library  on Tuesday 5th November 2013. Members of Fermanagh Writers as well as other poets who joined us read their poems. Our Chair, Tony Brady introduced the poets. A highlight of the evening was John L. James reading his mother’s poem which won the Competiton in 2012.

The themes were not specifically funereal: some were quite funny and amusing, but all were reflective as required by the Competition, whose closing date is 14th November, 2013. Lesley Holmes from Funeral Services NI and Christine Watson, a marketing professional who organized the launch, praised the standard, range and variety of contributions and thanked everyone who recited. They delivered a series of guidance hints from the competition judges: be reflective, avoid clichés, use standard dictionary vocabulary, hold to the overall theme of Refection/s.  An informal social gathering followed with light refreshment provided. Later the usual Tuesday gathering proceeded at Charlie’s.

 

Impartial Reporter Series Breezes To A Close

In The News , , , , ,

Mags O’Reilly’s poem, The Wind, published in the Impartial Reporter this week, concludes the newspaper’s series featuring FCWG members’ writing. The poem vividly captures this force of nature in all its moods.

Mags, a native of Fermanagh, attended Queen’s University, Belfast and spent her career teaching English and Religion in Enniskillen schools. She worked as a volunteer in a Romanian orphanage after she finished teaching. She has a deep concern for the disadvantaged and improving mental health provision.

Gordon Williams’ Team Tale

In The News , , ,

Gordon Williams’ heartwarming tale, Cut Final, evokes the power of team spirit in this week’s Impartial Reporter.  

Gordon, a native of Manchester, moved to Fermanagh in 1984. He says he began writing 9 years ago and hasn’t stopped yet. His stories deftly convey the complexity of human experience and emotion, capturing both humour and sorrow equally well. He has also recently completed a novel.

Ian Butler Recalls Britain’s Irish Hero

In The News , , , , ,

A Fine Bright Day Today, Ian Butler’s rousing account of events during the Battle Of Britain and Irish pilot, Brendan Finucane’s contribution to the Allied victory is in this week’s Impartial Reporter.

Ian, vice-chairman of Fermanagh Creative Writing Group, arrived in Fermanagh in 2008. Originally from England, he is a former social worker who is recuperating from a stroke. He runs Handibooks, an online bookshop, and he is inspired to write by the beauty and tranquillity of the Fermanagh lakes.

Wayne’s Winter

Archives, In The News , , , , ,

Impartial Reporter readers will forget about summer this week as Wayne Hardman’s piece, Winter In Canada, sweeps them away from green fields and bubbling streams to Canada’s frozen back gardens, rivers and lakes and the joys of winter sport.

Retired ice hockey player Wayne, a native of Canada, is a sports broadcaster and journalist. He is a regular commentator for Belfast Giants, Team Ireland and Irish women’s ice hockey matches. In his spare time, when not helping his wife run Wove In Hove, he writes fiction and enjoys Fermanagh country life.

1 2