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Hello Everyone,

Just to give you all a very brief update, we are currently arranging the first Committee meeting of the year. Once we have figured out what we can possibly hope to achieve for the year, we will let you, our amazing supporters, know what our plan looks like.

These are such challenging times, and our hearts ache for those who have experienced illness, and most especially for those who have suffered the loss of family or friends.

This group and festival mean a great deal to all of us, so rest assured we’ll work hard to achieve any positive events and projects, when and where we can. That is what our beautiful town deserves. Whatever we take on, we’ll strive to ensure that our fantastic community can be proud of it.

We know that if we stick together, take care of each other, and support our community then we can make it through just about anything.

2020 Festival Update

Uncategorized

Dear Festival Supporters,

I hope you are all doing ok in these strange and challenging times.

We would like to express our deepest sympathy and sincere condolences to all those who are ill and to all those families whose loved ones have sadly passed away.

We’ll also take the opportunity to express our great thanks and huge respect for all those on the frontlines of our health system, our first responders, our emergency services, our Gardaí & Defence Forces fighting for us all, and also to all those others who are support the country in every way possible, from the factory worker to the shop assistant, and everyone in between.

Given the current situation, it has become most regretfully necessary to postpone our Festival, which was to occur on 23-26 April 2020.

We earnestly hope that we will be able to host the festival later in the year, possible in Autumn.
We will strive to deliver a festival worthy of our beautiful town, and it will hopefully be a celebration of the strength of our community when we come through this time together.

I would like to thank all our Festival sponsors & supporters, contributing creatives, artists, writers, musicians, and poets for their kind participation and generous support.

Finally, I would like to thank all of the committee most sincerely for all their efforts, time and passion that they have given to this project in the last few months.

Cobh Readers and Writers will continue promoting all the creative arts in our wonderful community, and we will participate in the many events, national and international as they occur over year, so please make sure you stick with us.

Mind yourselves, and I’ll leave you with a Haiku.

Let our humanness,
Be our immunity and,
Let this go viral

Cheers,

John Smith
Chairman,
Cobh Readers and Writers

Cobh R&W Daily Word Prompts Entries ~ Day 6, 19/02/20

Daily Writing Prompts

Even more cracking entries to our daily prompts, make sure you tell these super folks if you like their work.

Damien Donnelly

Damien Donnelly, is a 43-year-old Irishman born and reared in Dublin until the age of 22 when he took off to Paris with a degree in Fashion design but without a word of French.

He instantly fell in love with the city and it was home for two years and then moved to London where he rested for 6 years until Amsterdam and The Netherlands tempted him with work for 10 years, until he finally decided to return to Paris at the age of 40. He has just returned home to Dublin.

You can find him on Twitter @deuxiemepeau and his website below:

https://deuxiemepeaupoetry.com

FRIENDS, ye know I care about ye , Don t be silly , she can be hot ,friendly , but a believe me , I know my sister well, good looking, SKINNY as she never visited Supermac’s and CLUMSY as an ox, ye better off without her she s a BOX full of WAR …ask her ex BFs!!

by Stiofán Sopelza

Stiofán is a ‘retired sailor, mariner, fisherman, rescue swimmer, first responder, father, husband and tour guide. You can find him on Twitter @sopelza

Robin McNamara

Robin is a published poet, former sports writer, a Green Party member, and he will have a poetry book coming out in 2020. You can find him on Twitter @thewindingroad1

Eileen Carney Hulme

Eilleen is a Poet in Scotland, she has had three books published.
Stroking The Air (2005), The Space Between Rain (2010), and The Stone Messenger (2015).

We are honoured to have here contribute to our daily prompt. What company to be keeping.

Find her on Twitter @strokingtheair or on her website below:

eileencarneyhulme.org.uk

Ruairí de Barra is from Co. Mayo and now resides in Co. Cork.

He is a sailor, an award-winning military journalist, and a poet. He is the Public Relations Officer for Cobh Readers and Writers.

His creative work has featured with Tinteán, A New Ulster, Live Encounters, Bangor Literary Journal, The Ranthology Anthology, Black Bough Poetry, The Boston Globe, Boston Accent, and all his work can be read on www.paperneverefusedink.com

Cobh R&W Daily Word Prompts Entries ~ Day 5, 18/03/20

Daily Writing Prompts

Below please find the efforts of some wonderful writers, if you like their work, let them know!

Robin McNamara
Robin is a published poet, former sports writer, a Green Party member, and he will have a poetry book coming out in 2020. You can find him on Twitter @thewindingroad1

Damien Donnelly
Damien Donnelly, is a 43-year-old Irishman born and reared in Dublin until the age of 22 when he took off to Paris with a degree in Fashion design but without a word of French.
He instantly fell in love with the city and it was home for two years and then moved to London where he rested for 6 years until Amsterdam and The Netherlands tempted him with work for 10 years, until he finally decided to return to Paris at the age of 40. He has just returned home to Dublin.
You can find him on Twitter @deuxiemepeau and his website below:
https://deuxiemepeaupoetry.com

Eileen Carney Hulme
Eileen is a Poet in Scotland, she has had three books published.
Stroking The Air (2005), The Space Between Rain (2010), and The Stone Messenger (2015).
We are honoured to have here contribute to our daily prompt. What company to be keeping.
Find her on Twitter @strokingtheair or on her website below:

eileencarneyhulme.org.uk

Ruairí de Barra is from Co. Mayo and now resides in Co. Cork.
He is a sailor, an award-winning military journalist, and a poet. He is the Public Relations Officer for Cobh Readers and Writers.
His creative work has featured with Tinteán, A New Ulster, Live Encounters, Bangor Literary Journal, The Ranthology Anthology, Black Bough Poetry, The Boston Globe, Boston Accent, and all his work can be read on www.paperneverefusedink.com

Cobh R&W Daily Word Prompts Entries ~ Day 4, 17/03/20

Daily Writing Prompts

Another fantastic days of prompts. Here are the results of the amazingly creative people who have joined in on our daily escapade!

Short Story.
‘From my prone position in the bed I could see the clock, the hands turning agonisingly slowly towards eleven o clock. The clock was just above the door, which was convenient, as I had no ability to turn my head.

Like clockwork the door opened exactly at eleven and he glided into the room, his easy smile instantly lighting up the room. He was energetic and oozed reassurance and confidence.

“Ready for our daily workout?”, he inquired.

The human body can be an amazing and yet devastating place for a 27 year old suffering an injury. The brain can retain all function and awareness even when the body has ceased to function. I attempted a smile and politely agreed, but I could hear only my guttural response, which he seemed to presume was consent.

20 minutes later, having watched him carefully flex and extend these useless joints, he arranged my body on the bed, inclined the bed slightly and placed a water sponge against my lips to ease the dryness.

And just like that, the most interesting part of my day departed with a “plan” to return tomorrow at the same time. He flashed a smile at me, as the hospital door closed slowly behind him. I looked up at the clock. Only another 23 hours and 30 minutes until he returned with his charming smile. ‘

by Elaine Hogan.

Elaine Hogan.
Elaine Hogan is Chartered Physiotherapist, and a Mum. An extremely experienced musculoskeletal physiotherapist she has worked with the Irish Defence Forces and Irish Naval Services, as well as with numerous sports teams. She was a runner-up in the Cobh R&W Short Story Competition of 2019.

Eileen Carney Hulme

Eilleen is a Poet in Scotland, she has had three books published.
Stroking The Air (2005), The Space Between Rain (2010), and The Stone Messenger (2015).

We are honoured to have here contribute to our daily prompt. What company to be keeping.

Find her on Twitter @strokingtheair or on her website below:

eileencarneyhulme.org.uk

Robin McNamara
Robin is a published poet, former sports writer, a Green Party member, and he will have a poetry book coming out in 2020. You can find him on Twitter @thewindingroad1

***The Desert where We Drowned the Dance***

Cobh R&W Daily Word Prompts Entries ~ Day 3, 16/03/20

Daily Writing Prompts

Day 3:

The results of the third daily writing prompt are in. We are delighted that people sent in more brilliant poetry and micro-short stories!

These works stand for themselves. Read, enjoy, and thank you so much for creating and sharing!

False Hope.
With payment overdue for words you’d promised would explain your absence from any care of finding our lost happiness – although it wasn’t set in stone, I still drank from the cup of your lies as the rain of promises hurled down false hope.

by Robin McNamara

Robin McNamara

Robin is a published poet, former sports writer, a Green Party member, and he will have a poetry book coming out in 2020. You can find him on Twitter @thewindingroad1

Eileen Carney Hulme

Eilleen is a Poet in Scotland, she has had three books published.
Stroking The Air (2005), The Space Between Rain (2010), and The Stone Messenger (2015).

We are honoured to have here contribute to our daily prompt. What company to be keeping.

Find her on Twitter @strokingtheair or on her website below:

eileencarneyhulme.org.uk

Stiofán Sopelza

“Hey Paddy ” , Aisling, his wife shouted from the kitchen whilst getting him breakfast , “don’t CARE about the STONE wall work today ” , “please go ahead with the PAYMENT for the HURL or our son won t bring any Liam McCarthy CUP back to Galway this year!”

by Stiofán Sopelza

Stiofán is a ‘retired sailor, mariner, fisherman, rescue swimmer, first responder, father, husband and tour guide. You can find him on Twitter @sopelza

Damien Donnelly

Damien Donnelly, is a 43-year-old Irishman born and reared in Dublin until the age of 22 when he took off to Paris with a degree in Fashion design but without a word of French.

You can find him on Twitter @deuxiemepeau and his website below:

https://deuxiemepeaupoetry.com

***The Forty Foot ~ Sandycove, Co. Dublin***

Attack

All along the ditch bordering,
Georgie Clarke’s furze field,
you hurl stone after stone,
at nests of blackbird and wren,
no care for fledglings,
or warming speckled eggs.

Short piercing whistle,
amid fluttering caws,
wired haired terrier,
targets multi-coloured shoe,
grabbing payment,
for disruption,
of nature’s gifting cup.

by Marie Studer.

Clochafarmore

Clochafarmore is the name of the stone against which Cuchulainn exhaled his last.

In those last agonising moments, as the glossy raven eyed him hungrily,

did he recall that hurl of the ball against the dark, red throat of the hound?

Though to the end he fought a brave and frenzied fight,

did he curse himself for flailing Ferdia, the one with whom he always shared a cup?

Under the care of ever watchful Scathach, two boys together intertwined grew strong.

Now, standing upright, weapons clutched with rattling breath and oozing scarlet tears,

does the valiant hero battle now against regret and feel a payment made?

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a heart for a heart?

by Bernie Carney

Bernie Carney is a Mother of four and Grandmother to three. She works as Company Director at commercial archaeology firm, Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd and was born and has lived all of her life in Cobh.
Bernie’s interests are photography, the natural world, history, reading, gym and an occasional bit of sketching/painting.
While writing and poetry have always been perimeter interests, Bernie has recently felt drawn to express herself more via written word and hopes to explore this new territory as often as spare time allows.
Bernie is the inaugural winner of the 1st Annual Cobh Readers and Writers Poetry Competition 2019.

Ruairí de Barra is from Co. Mayo and now resides in Co. Cork.

He is a sailor, an award-winning military journalist, and a poet. He is the Public Relations Officer for Cobh Readers and Writers.

Cobh R&W Daily Word Prompts Entries ~ Day 2, 15/03/20

Daily Writing Prompts

Day 2:

The results of the second daily writing prompt efforts are in. We are delighted that people took the time to engage and be creative. More brilliant poetry and micro-short stories!

6 entries, and with some heavy hitters coming onboard, we cannot wait to see what the future has in store for the coming days of writing prompts!

Closer to the rules today we must admit, fair play to everyone and thank you so much for creating and sharing!

Anne McMaster

Poet living on beloved old farm in NI.
Manages #ThisNorthernVoice.
Her collected work ‘Walking off the Land’ from @HedgehogPoetry Press will be out in Autumn 2020.
Loves Nature and Cats.

https://www.instagram.com/rosehillfarmergirl

Robin McNamara

Robin is a published poet, former sports writer, a Green Party member, and he will have a poetry book coming out in 2020. You can find him on Twitter @thewindingroad1

Damien Donnelly

Damien Donnelly, is a 43-year-old Irishman born and reared in Dublin until the age of 22 when he took off to Paris with a degree in Fashion design but without a word of French. He instantly fell in love with the city and it was home for two years and then moved to London where he rested for 6 years until Amsterdam and The Netherlands tempted him with work for 10 years, until he finally decided to return to Paris at the age of 40. He has just returned home to Dublin.

He set the bar very high with his poem and painting on Day 1, yet he decided to come back again with another cracker!

You can find him on Twitter @deuxiemepeau and his website below:

https://deuxiemepeaupoetry.com

Stiofán Sopelza

The KINDHEARTED GUARD called “Doug the QUACK” pondered to top his mobile phone CREDIT but had to call his wife to know if ye was EIR , VODAFONE, TESCO or 3.

by Stiofán Sopelza

Stiofán is a ‘retired sailor, mariner, fisherman, rescue swimmer, first responder, father, husband and tour guide. You can find him on Twitter @sopelza

Eileen Carney Hulme

Eilleen is a Poet in Scotland, she has had three books published.
Stroking The Air (2005), The Space Between Rain (2010), and The Stone Messenger (2015).

We are honoured to have here contribute to our daily prompt. What company to be keeping.

Find her on Twitter @strokingtheair or on her website below:

eileencarneyhulme.org.uk

***My Kindhearted Mother ~ Eileen Carney Hulme***

Our PRO submit this one!

It was greeted with favorable reviews!

Cobh R&W Daily Word Prompts Entries ~ Day 1, 14/03/20

Daily Writing Prompts

Day 1:

The results of the first daily writing prompt efforts are in. We are delighted that people took the time to engage and be creative. We suspect that by the time this troubling period is through, we will have quite the collection of poems, micropoems, short story and microshorts!

No not all these followed the rules exactly, so…we are going to go with over enthusiasm and included them all anyway!

Damien Donnelly.

He set the bar very high with this poem and painting on Day 1. Exceptional work.

You can find him on Twitter @deuxiemepeau and his website below:

https://deuxiemepeaupoetry.com

***Parties & Politics ~ Damien Donnelly***

***The Politics of Shamrocks ~ Damien Donnelly***

The Chocolate Cake

You – a delicious temptation
moulding that smoldering
look of a devilish smirk,
like a heartbreaker cake
that caramelizes my feelings
leaving crumbs of desire
so tantalizingly close.
you tease with a subtle touch
upon my subconscious desire,
I write – you inspire – I admire
you –
devilish tease

by Robin McNamara

Robin is a published poet, former sports writer, a Green Party member, and he will have a poetry book coming out in 2020. You can find him on Twitter @thewindingroad1

Stan Notte

‘As I gazed at the small crop of carrots
crowded on a shelf I could not reach,
I knew their memory would be evanescent that,
in moments,
I would forget how they tasted on my eyes,
that the close up image
of them inhabiting
a side portion
of a plate dominated
by a glistening breast
a wing of which
clutched a neighboring roast potato
in a manner akin to a mother
holding a infant
would remain unwritten.’

Stan Notte
#Writer. #Designer. #Poetry . #Creative. #Artist #Poet

Stanley Notte is one of Ireland’s most talented writers, speakers and spoken word artists. His work has been published in numerous publications including:The Writer’s Magazine, The Galway Review, Stanza’s Chapbook’s, O’Bheal Anthologies, The Evening Echo, Lagans Online and Poetry Day Ireland Mix. He has been invited as a guest speaker on radio and events including:Ray D’arcy show Today FM, RED FM, Soho Radio London, and Numerous festivals and venues including Live At Saint Lukes, Body and Soul, Independence, Bare In The Woods and It Takes A Village. His combination of poetry, music and story -telling has received wide industry and TV recognition.

Painted Harbour.
Gaze across the painted harbour,
Far away from crying crowded piers,
Where the evanescent liner,
Breaks the sky then disappears,
Unwritten heartaches by the hundreds,
The empty tenders roll returning,
With their well polished rails,
Such tasty work,
Nourished with linseed oil and tears.

by Ruairí de Barra

Ruairí de Barra is the Public Relations Officer for Cobh Readers and Writers. He started this Daily Prompt effort, so he’d better keep it going!

Cobh Readers & Writers Daily Word Prompts ~ Day 1, 14/03/20

Daily Writing Prompts

Seeing as how we are all going to be spending lots of exact time indoors over next few weeks, in particular with all these creative children, who may run out of things to do!

We are going to run a daily writing prompt post!

Just write a Story, Poem, Limerick, Ode or Epic or maybe even some Calligraphy!

If you like, just use the words to inspire a sketch or a painting.

Using the words below, from the online random word generator:

Unwritten
Evanescent
Gaze
Crowded
Tasty

Send them in here to us, post them in the comments, just take a photo to encourage handwriting practise (we all need it these days!), or email to readersandwritersfestivalcobh@gmail.com

We’ll add them to our website as well each day! Its nearly ready to go, and many of its pages are now live.

Note:
More kiddos than normal MAY be reading here, with their Mums & Dads, so please please please do not send in anything too heavy or inappropriate!

Damien Donnelly

Robin McNamara

Eileen Carney Hulme

Robin McNamaraRobin is a published poet, former sports writer, a Green Party member, and he will have a poetry book coming out in 2020. You can find him on Twitter @thewindingroad1

Eileen Carney Hulme

Robin McNamaraRobin is a published poet, former sports writer, a Green Party member, and he will have a poetry book coming out in 2020. You can find him on Twitter @thewindingroad1

Day 3:

Robin McNamara

Eileen Carney Hulme

Stiofán Sopelza

Damien Donnelly

Attack

Clochafarmore

Day 2:

Anne McMaster

Robin McNamara

Damien Donnelly

Stiofán Sopelza

Eileen Carney Hulme

Day 1:

The Chocolate Cake

Stan Notte

Stan Notte#Writer. #Designer. #Poetry . #Creative. #Artist#Poet

Robin McNamara
Robin is a published poet, former sports writer, a Green Party member, and he will have a poetry book coming out in 2020. You can find him on Twitter @thewindingroad1

Robin McNamara
Robin is a published poet, former sports writer, a Green Party member, and he will have a poetry book coming out in 2020. You can find him on Twitter @thewindingroad1

Stan Notte
#Writer. #Designer. #Poetry . #Creative. #Artist #Poet