Special guest poet Raquel McKee - plus local band The Garage

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Created: 07 August 2024

 Armagh Theatre Group are delighted to welcome back internationally acclaimed artist/poet Raquel McKee to Abbey Lane as our special guest  for August 30th Open Mic 

Raquel has been resident in N. Ireland for over 18 years.  She is a performing artist who is recognised in N.I. for her role as Asha the asylum seeker in the play  Lives in Translation, which toured N. Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  She is also known for her storytelling; for being one of the Pivot ladies who hosted their own podcast UnMute Now (Check it out on You Tube) and for her Jamaican Dub Poetry performances and poetry readings, for which some in Armagh might remember her. (Check out Raquel McKeeChannel on You Tube).  She is an active member of the John Hewitt Society committee, where this year she hosted the panel discussion on Crossing Thresholds: The Migrant’s Narrative.  

The Garage Band originated as a six-piece band during the lockdown in Armagh.

The current lineup consists of Ryan Beagan on Bass, Aidan McGillion on drums and percussion, Sárán Ó Machail on electric guitar, and recently Adrian Kissane on guitars and vocals filled in for Eoin Kelly and Eamon Trainor. 

They have since performed at various community events throughout the county and have recently played at the 7 Hills Blues Festival.

See the band perform  their wide variety of musical talents at Open Mic in Abbey Lane Theatre, 30th August doors open 7.45pm £5 in.

Five minute slots availble for performers on the night- Poets, singers, storytellers,writers yarnspinners etc - Super half time raffle 

See you there and remember ---Limited seating. Co Armagh's premier Open Mic for the last 10 years!

Scenes of drama and joy in Abbey Lane

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Created: 30 July 2024

Armagh play to a full house as their stars embrace the spotlights and recieve their Oscars. 

Abbey Lane celebrate  with a standing ovation and hugs all round.

Big screen viewing of All Ireland final

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Created: 27 July 2024

We are screening the All Ireland Final  on the big screen in Abbey Lane  for all our members and friends who wish to see it.

Starting 2.30pm doors open with live coverage from 3pm. 

Free viewing-  Bring your own tipple- Nibbles-   guess the half time and end of match scores £2 line.

Wear your colours and cheer on your county for this historic match.

LIMITED SEATING 

This Friday's JHISS/ ATG Open Mic later start

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Created: 24 July 2024

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! 

Dementia awareness course in Abbey Lane Theatre

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Created: 05 July 2024

July's OMN/ JHISS Sp Guest *Gaynor Kane*

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Created: 05 July 2024

ATG are delighted to announce  our John Hewitt International Summer School/ Open Mic special guest is Gaynor Kane.

Gaynor Kane is a  poet from Belfast who came to writing late and is trying to make up for time.

She has two poetry pamphlets, and a full collection, from Hedgehog Poetry Press, they are Circling the Sun, Memory Forest, and Venus in Pink Marble (2018, 2019 and 2022 respectively).

She is co-author, along with Karen Mooney, of a pamphlet of pandemic poetry entitled Penned In (2020). Gaynor has performed at several literary events including Mount Stewart Conversations, The Belfast Book Festival, Open House Festival, Stendhal Music Festival, Gloucester Poetry Festival and Cheltenham Poetry Festival.

Recently, she has been guest sub-editor for the inaugural issue of The Storms: A journal of prose, poetry and visual art. Her latest chapbook, Eight Types of Love, was released in July, 2022.

Diary date Friday 26th July 8 *Note later start of 9pm.*Prebook your 5 min slot to perform by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before

Monday 22nd midnight. Indicate your subject please (Poetry/Song/Music/Stories etc)

June's 30-3-30 poetry comp winners

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Created: 02 July 2024

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.

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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.

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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!

Vote with your feet and drop in for an hour

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Created: 01 July 2024

June's Open Mic celebrates Ukrainian culture

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Created: 30 June 2024

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.

Launch of JHISS tomorrow Market Place Theatre

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Created: 18 June 2024

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.