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July's OMN/ JHISS Sp Guest *Gaynor Kane*
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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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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.
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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!
June's Open Mic celebrates Ukrainian culture
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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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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.
ATG Publishing launch 'IMPACT' in print
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Writers, Tim Hanna, Byddi Lee and Malachi Kelly are welcomed to the Palace Armagh by the new Lord Mayor Sarah Duffy
w
The story of Armagh's Train Disaster is told in the play 'IMPACT' now on sale in selected local outlets and Amazon
Ukrainian folk singer special guest June's OMN
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Dingle - far from Toxic
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First viewing of St Mary's school Hall Dingle
Speeches and sips after the performance
Dingle- Next day un-wine-ding. The 'Moon' yet to appear.
Belfast poet Gerry Dawe's passing leaves us all the poorer
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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.
