Festival Launch, Friday 28th March

at 8 p.m. in Tomáisín’s Bar by

John McGrath

Entertainment by Lisselton Trad

Ballydonoghue Bardic Festival 2025

Original Writing Competitions

Adults

The James Award: Poetry (50 lines max) or Prose (2,500 words max), for writers 75 years young and above.

The Jer Lynch Poetry Award Award: Poetry (50 lines max).
Quiet Man Maurice Walsh Award: Short Story (2,500 words max).
Duais Phádraig Liath Ó Conchubhair: Dán – (50 línte ar a mhéad) no Gearrscéal (2,500 focal ar a mhéad) as Gaeilge.

Children

Poem – (50 lines max) or Short Story (1,000 words max) in English – The Chrissie Nolan Creative Writing Award.
Dán – (50 línte ar a mhéad) no Gearrscéal (1,000 focal ar a mhéad) as Gaeilge.

Entry Fees: Adults, €10 for up to two entries in any combination. Children, €5 for up to two entries. Schools, €25 for block entry. Please pay via PayPal on ballydbardfest.com or by cheque if posting. Phone Karen on 087 630 3308 if you need help.

Prizes: James Award $200; Adults 1^st. €150, 2^nd. €100 and 3^rd. €50 in each category. Children €100, €75 and €50 in the form of Book Tokens.

Email your entries to ballydbardfest@gmail.com or post to Noelle Hegarty, Secretary BBF, Loughanes, Lisselton, Listowel, Co. Kerry

Closing Date for entries, March 9th

BBF’25 Workshops, Saturday, March 29th.

Poetry – Faye Boland
Short Story – Emer Fallon, Writer in Residence Kerry Co Co
Song-writing – Fiachra McKeever
Sean-nós Dance – Kianan Doherty
€20 per person per Workshop
Pay on the day, booking is essential as places are limited.

E-mail ballydbardfest@gmail.com or text Karen on 087 630 3308

Grand Concert on Saturday night, March 29th

featuring the Musical Families of Lisselton/Ballydonoghue CCE

Maidin na mBard

De Domhnaigh,11 a.m. go 12.00.

Caifé & Comhrá,

Filiocht & Craic

in Tomáisín’s Bar

Míc Oscailte – 12.00 go 2 pm.

Ballydonoghue Bardic Festival

The Ballydonoghue Bardic Festival seeks to honour the memory of Pádraig Liath Ó Conchubhair, who was born in Lisselton in 1745 and died around 1820. He was a Hedge Schoolmaster, Poet and renowned Academic who established The Lisselton Bardic Court, known as ‘Cúirt na Súagh’, The Court of the Wise.

A Brief History of the Ballydonoghue Bard

There are lots of famous people from Lisselton, writers, footballers, ambassadors, soldiers, teachers, priests, nuns and many others. In this last group are the poets. It’s not often we hear about the poets from this area but they’re here now, and at one time Lisselton was famed for the standard of its poetry and of the schools of poetry around here. At that time there was great respect for poets and poetry, for alongside of poetry, they were well versed in literature, science and Latin.

Pádraig Liath Ó Conchubhair was born in 1745 and died around 1820. He was married to Eibhlín Ní hArtnain. Pádraig was highly intelligent and well-read, an outstandingly skilled teacher and leader of a group of master teachers of similar skills and disposition. He was also a native Irish speaker.

Pádraig instituted an annual Court for poets in Lisselton. Famous people from far and near attended these assemblies, people like Micheál Óg Ó Longáin. The Court was known as ‘Cúirt na Súagh’, The Court of the Wise. In 1803, the title Príomh-Ghiúistís, Cumann na mBard, (Chief Magistrate, Bardic Association) was bestowed on Pádraig Liath Ó Conchubhair of Cúirt na Súagh in Lisselton. A great honour indeed!

When you think about people like this man and the history Lisselton has in poetry, isn’t it a pity we don’t have a statue in his memory and as an influence on young people today. I use the term ‘influence’ because specialists in this field assure us that Pádraig and the schools he founded had a huge influence on the famous writers that have come out of North Kerry over the years. As I’ve said, Pádraig was a man of learning who used his native language in his poetry and in educating the people.

What then brought that era to an end in Lisselton, you ask? The introduction of The National School System in 1833 is probably one answer. The Great Famine of 1845 to 1849 contributed also.

But courage springs eternal in Kerry and in the years that followed, poets began to write again, in no small way due to the seed that was planted by Pádraig two hundred years ago, the same seed that still flourishes in Lisselton today.