Ballydonoghue Bardic Festival 2022

Writing Competitions NOW CLOSED

Adults

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

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

Children

1. Poem – (50 lines max) or Short Story (1,000 words max) in English – The Chrissie Nolan Creative Writing Award.

2. 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 John on 087 625 7705 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

Children’s Writing As Gaeilge

1st AN EACHTRAOÍCHT MHÓR le TOMÁS O CATHÁIN Gaelscoil Lios Tuathail

2nd AN SCAMALL DRAÍOCHTA le REBECCA NÍ SPRÉACHA Gaelscoil Lios Tuathail

3rd AN MHAMAÍ EAGLACH le AOIBHINN NÍ MHAOILMHICIL Gaelscoil Lios Tuathail

4th MO MHADRA le SORCHA NÍ MHACHÁIN Coolard National School

The James Award (For Writers 75 years old and Over)

RITES OF PASSAGE by MIKE GALLAGHER

Adult Poetry English (The Jer Lynch Poetry Award)

1st CURLEWS OF CLOGHANE by Susan Hitching

2nd THE SILK JUMPER by Art Ó Súilleabháin

3rd AFTER THE PANDEMIC by Dr Nathanael O’Reilly

Adult Poetry Irish (Dúais Phadraig Liath Ó Conchubhair)

AN SEANBHÓTHAR le Art ÓSúilleabháin

Gearrsceal Sinsear

FÍS SA BPORTACH le Dáithí Ó Cíosáin

The Quiet Man Short Story Award

1st CHOSEN byHelen O’Leary

2nd GOING OVER by Joe Healy

3rd BATTLE LINES by Margaret Cahill

Extra Workshop!!!

Book in advance at ballydbardfest@gmail.com

Pay on arrival!

Stand and Deliver! Back by Popular Request!

Seanchaí Writers’ Centre, Saturday, April 23rd, 11 a.m. to 12.30.

Voice Coaching with Priscilla Donovan (€15)

Priscilla Donovan has been a performing artist for 50 years in the worlds of opera, musicals and plays. She hales from Cleveland Ohio USA where she studied performance at The Cleveland Institute of Music. She has studied drama with Rhoda Levine and (Shakespeare) with Stephen Rudnicki in New York City. She has lived in Ireland since 1999 teaching singing, elocution, drama and has performed extensively in Kerry. She is also the author of a beautiful collection of short stories, Simple Gifts, published by Moybella Press.

Some Pics from BBF 2022 Workshops, Saturday March 26th

Poetry with Máire Holmes, Kerry Writer in Residence

Spring into Writing! Writing for all ages, abilities and experience, with Kim Arnold

Sean-Nós Dancing Learn to do The Brush Dance with Miriam Costello

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Some Pics From the Festival Launch, Friday, March 25th…

 

…and From the Free Concert on Saturday

in Tomáisín’s Function Room

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Maidin na mBard

De Domhnaigh,11 a.m. go 12.00.

Caifé & Comhrá,

Filiocht & Craic

 i dTí an Tuí (The Thatch Bar!)

Míc Oscailte – 12.00 go 2 pm.

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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.

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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.