It has been a manic few days, getting ready for this year’s #PoetryDayIrl

This morning, I was at the DeValera Library in Ennis; giving a poetry workshop to 3rd and 4th class from Ennis Educate Together school. Eighteen young poets turned up with their teachers- and taught me a thing or two about poetry! Thanks to all of the children for their energy and interest. They were really great. And thanks to Samantha at Clare Library Services for the invitation.  We’ll be doing it all again on the 23 May with another group of Ennis schoolchildren.

Yesterday was spent tearing around the Burren: from Carron, to Finavarra, to Bishop’s Quarter; then out the coast road to Fanore, stopping off on the way back at Black Head, Murroohtoohy, Ballyconry, & Sans Souci; more stops at the old pier, the Coast Road, the Cottages, the new pier; to the school, looking back to Cappanawalla; and finally to a nook or two in the village. ALL in aid of Label Lit – the brainchild of the dynamo that is Maria McManus – who already has brought the Poetry Jukebox concept to Ireland.

Label Lit has been going for a few years now, on each Poetry Day Ireland.  Maria organises the whole thing and we poets are sent 20 labels. We write a line of poetry on each one and then sign them on the back, where there are links for the finder to use. This year we also recorded our poems. Finders of the labels – and you – can click into poetrymapp.com here, and listen to the complete poem. This year poets from abroad are also taking place: you’ll find LabelLit in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia. I had my labels prepped since Easter, and a ‘keeper’ sent off to Ursula in the Poetry Collection project at the library in U.C.D. I’ve left labels all around my part of the Burren for you to find. Many of the places mentioned above are mentioned in my poem Super Moon.  At Sea was in response to a reported incident just off Black Head.  If you’re not in Co. Clare at the moment, look at the map: there may be labels where you are!

Go to poetrymapp.com ,  https://soundcloud.com/poetrymapp , or click on the titles to listen to  Super Moon and At Sea