Just to remind our regular audiences, Fridays Open Mic  has the later start of 9pm

This is to accommodate the John Hewitt bursuary students. Doors open after 8pm.

Sp guest , poet Gaynor Kane- Super raffle on the night - £5 in and BYOB Limited seating! 

The final poetry competition since January at our  Open Mic's resulted in a joint presentation of Highly Commended

certificates for Ellen McKenna and Joe McGinley with the overall winner and cash prise of £30 Jay Rafferty.

Below are their respective entries. See notice of a 'Winner's take All'  competition also.

Winner of June's competition Jay Rafferty's entry. 

In Italy they Serve Beer at McDonald’s

We spent January in an intimate city,

a haunted city, where the old brick

buildings are made of the grave

-stones that once stood in their place,

a city burned and built up more times

than Micky D’s have served Happy Meals,

a city with more antiquities in its river

than in most countries national museums.

So, naturally, we found the nearest Irish bar.

At four AM, we spilled out to the street,

half cut and stumbling and starving.

The pubs poured us last dregs out.

We learned who was with who

by the metronome sync of their legs.

You and I, poor pilgrims in the Holy city,

went to find God or the Golden Arches.

Whichever showed up first.

It was the latter. We ate nuggets and burgers

(no pickles grazie) at the Trevi Fountain, tossed

fries to the hungry pennies in its pools, got some odd stares

from the carabinieri, neither of whom offered to help me back

to my feet once I fell flat on my face. I wonder

if there’s a paving-gravestone with an impression

of my mug yet, like a fresco, a silhouette

in ketchup. Or if there’s stale fries floating still

in the fountain’s tank, too far from

a pigeon’s beak or a tourist’s belly.

 ***************************************

Ellen McKenna's Highly Commended entry.

Life is What You Make It.

Our existence can be so boring.

The same routine, day after day,

Treading the hamster wheel of life.

We start off,

We get up, go to school, sleep, repeat.

We mature,

We get up, go to work, sleep, repeat.

We retire,

We get up, do nothing, sleep, repeat.

Yet we are told that variety is the spice of life,

So that is my remedy for the banality of life.

I try to

Do something different each week,

Plan things to look forward to,

Learn something new, that takes a bit of effort,

Open my mind to fresh ideas.

Life is too short to be curtailed

By petty restrictions of our own making.

So, we should all break out of our boxes,

Add variety to our lives,

Then enjoy them to the full. 

                                                                                   ******************************************************************* 

Joe McGinley's Highly Commended entry. 

The spice of life

It’s said that variety is the spice of life, but me I’m not so certain

Just yesterday I went to buy a coat and came home with a pair of curtains

Why o why is there so much choice, it’s enough to drive you up the wall, the day’s of small, medium & large are gone, & so is one size fits all

The lady behind the counter said I don’t think we have them in stock, I said it’s either me or the moths but I’m down to my last pair of socks.

Her reply was very quick she said when I get home I should check online, see I remember hanging them out & I’m dam sure they’re not all mine

So if you want to make your life more interesting & it’s variety your after,

Get yourself down to the open mic for it’s jam packed with fun & laughter.

 ************************************ 

A big thank you for all who entered our competition over the last months. The quality and variety of writing was a treat to read and at times

difficult for the judges to agree on. It offers those writers a chance to read their poetry, soak up the live reaction from the audience and get some recognition for their efforts. Hopefully this will spur you on to and keep poetry live! 

We are to hold a 'Winner takes All' competition for all those who received Highly Commended cert's or who won outright over the  last months. This will be judged by an invited and well know poet and the winning prize of £100 presented at September's Open Mic. 

Previous winners and HC certificate winners will be notified by email  with all the details to enter. Check your junk in the coming days. Good luck!

A feeling of anticipation and excitement was in the air as dozens of supporters gathered for our mid summer

Open Mic in Abbey Lane Theatre. 

Special guests for the evening were representives of Ukrainian Community in N.Ireland, Inna Shynkevich and

singer Anastasiia Bershadska. Both ladies gave a portrayal of life in Ukrainian through it's culture, song and scenery.

With a short video showing the beautiful vast country not depicted in recent world media and their painful exile from 

their homeland to the welcome they have received since settling in Co.Armagh. Anastasiia sang a traditional song

called 'I'm Free' and a haunting folk song to end their presentation with sustained applause from the audience. 

 Our Open Mic's contributors included new young talent in Daniel McGouran, Aislinn Whyte and Kayleigh McCool, all singer/musicians.

The poets this week were Roisin McVeigh, Ellen McKenna,Joe McGinley, Mark Brownlee and Jay Rafferty. Singing 'Caledonia'  was Sinead Hughes and on guitar singing was Dennis McCloskey and Thomas Healey. From Abbey Lane to Stormont, Dymphna was in fine form with her yarns and her poem she launched in Stormont Buildings . Kayleigh came back on again to wrap up another variety filled evening in Abbey Lane Theatre. Next OMN 26th July in association with John Hewitt International Summer School in Armagh.

Members and friends of Armagh Theatre Group are cordially invited to the launch of this year's 37th John Hewitt International Summer School at Market Place Theatre 12.30 pm tomorrow Wed 19th June. 

Guest for the launch will be the new Lord Mayor Sarah Duffy and the Chair of John Hewitt Society Mr Frank Ferguson.

Apologies are sent  from Paul McAvinchey for the short notice.

Attendence would be gratefully welcomed.

To acknowledge the passing last week of North Belfast poet Gerry Dawe 1952-2024.

The Ulster poetry family have lost another gem.

The Lost by Gerald Dawe

After the denunciation they came piling in,
Even the static of my clothes hurt,
The handle of a door stung like a bee.

I couldn’t walk it off in the skiffs of rain
Along the dreamy sea coast that late spring,
They dogged me, my blunderings,

Like Chinese whispers, twitching curtains,
And the birds in the trees scattered
While those I once knew gave only

A blank stare to my salutations,
Wisps of cloud rose skywards
Through the Velux I’d grown used to

And the empty yards all shadow
And shade. Further afield,
The followers stormed the sacred gate

And all the lost were named.

Gerald Dawe’s most recent collection, The Last Peacock, was published in 2019. 

Seonaid Murrray and David Jackson rocked Abbey Lane Open Mic with some great music followed by wonderful poetry, stories,

singing and yarns from our class contributors all evening.

Tim Hanna's story about 'Mr Gotobed' continued the Open Mic on a high level, Jerome Mallon, poetry; Matthew Toner, fantasy story;

Jay Rafferty, newly launched poetry book; John Henderson, Dementia poetry. After our famous raffle our 30-3-30 poetry competition  with winner of the cash prize  Mary Jbara and Paula Clarke Highly Commended certificate winner.  Rachel Toner and Werewolves abound in her story; Laura Rose McCool gave a beautiful rendition of 'I'm leaving on a jet plane' (John Denver); Kerry Clarke poetry 'Charting the Season' Theo Sinton with several songs in his distinctive baritone voice....class; and finally as always Dymphna with words of advice to the newly wedded couple Sofia and Adam from Switzerland who got hooked at Navan Fort. Advice on how not to keep warm in the marital bed!

Some of the evenings contributors; Kerry Clarke, Laura Rose McCool and Jerome Mallon

L

Big thanks for all who helped on the evening , to our special guests Seonaid and David, to our contributors but most of all to our wonderful audiences who know how hard it can be to get up and perform and always show their appreciation.

Next Open Mic is on 28th June in Abbey Lane. 

ATG are launching 'Impact' book on 12th June in the Palace and we have 2 one act plays for your entertainment on 20 to 22 June in Abbey Lane Theatre , tickets via Ticketsource.

So Armagh Theatre Group still pushing the boundries of our local arts scene in many ways . Thank you for your continuing support.

All performances now sold out for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Thank you all for your support and wishing  you enjoy Byddi Lee's new play and it's very relevant message.

Winner of this month's top prize is Matthew Toner with his poem 'Regret'  (Split Milk) theme.

Matthew was presented with his winnings by ATG secretary Byddi Lee.

Regret, its a word we all know, it can sometimes be big, sometimes small and sometimes it can be about nothing at all. You said the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person, you bought the wrong gift, you were the right person in the wrong situation, 

Life can both help or hinder your view of regret, the longer you live, the less you might fret about the past, or you may start to ponder, wonder and worry that this feeling might never go away, but life is too short to dwell on such things, mistakes they all were at least we hope. It's easy to reflect on the past, but try not to dwell on it too much or you may be doomed to repeat it. Instead look to the present the future the now, all will be ok, we'll be fine, somehow. 

By Matthew Toner. 

Highly Commended certificate for March awarded to Dublin based American Brett Lemick with 'The Lines we Draw'

on our 'Split Milk' theme.

The Lines We Draw   By Brett Lemick. 

Bursts of bubbling slap joy won’t wait, they erupt with or without you.

Friends dance around fires As you read the warmth from a screen.

Revelry echos into empty shot glasses, Smoke waf ting from their matching shirts.

The campfire-crackle fades As you lower the volume from under wrinkled sheets.

A faceless figure roots against you.

Of course, you think — again, you say.

Programming planned to harm, Distance designed to divide.

This isn’t you. You wouldn’t construct a room so small.

You wouldn’t break the tap that showers happy lit tle cells, Born to bounce out of line.

But you did. You do.

APRIL's themes  1) Inner thoughts (Which one's should we listen to)

                              2) Fears and Courage (Experiences)

                              3) My Afterlife (Is there one?)