A Look Back on the 2024 Events

Poetry Walk at the Harbour 2024 Siúlóid Cois Cuain 

• Venue: Red Island / Skerries Harbour / Skerries Sailing Club, Harbour Road
• Date and time: Saturday / Dé Sathairn 14/09/2024, 11 am to 12.30 pm (approximately). Bilingual, live music, dancing. Free, but ticketed.

Led by poet Enda Coyle-Greene with readings by our special guests, poets Lani O’Hanlon and Gormfhlaith Ní Shíocháin and also featuring Sean Nós dancer Alison O’Grady and concertina player Brenda Castles. An annual Fingal Poetry Festival favourite, with added dancing! The scenic surroundings of Skerries Harbour brought us the freshest of fresh air, fine poetry, great music, and a dance or two on the first of our 2024 poetry walks.

Photographs: Ann Rooney, Skerries Camera Club

Poetry and Art Workshop with Prosper Fingal

Poet Tony Curtis and visual artist Nunce McAuley worked with service users of Prosper Fingal, to create artistic magic.

• Date and time: Saturday / Dé Sathairn 14/09/2024,  11am to 1pm, Closed event for Prosper Fingal service users.

Saturday 14 September 2024
THE BIG POETRY DAY OUT
Dé Sathairn 14ú Meán Fómhair 2024
LÁ MÓR FILÍOCHTA

Poems SignedSealedDelivered 2024 Dánta ó Bhéal & i dTeanga

• Venue: Skerries Sailing Club, Harbour Road, downstairs.
  Date and time: Saturday / Dé Sathairn 14/09/2024, 1.30 – 3 pm. Bilingual, live music.

Unique to Fingal Poetry Festival, this always-popular event showcases some of Ireland’s finest poets reading (in English and Irish). Featuring special guests, poets Tony Curtis and Ceaití Ní Bheildiúin, with music provided by Mark Flynn, join us in the always atmospheric Skerries Mills for an evening of poetry in English and Irish, lively music and, of course, plenty of fun!

Saturday 14 September 2024
THE BIG POETRY DAY OUT
Dé Sathairn 14ú Meán Fómhair 2024
LÁ MÓR FILÍOCHTA

Family Poetry Fest 2024 Féile don gClann

• Venue: St Patrick’s National School, Skerries
  Date and time: Saturday / Dé Sathairn 14/09/2024, 2 to 4 pm
  Bilingual, live music by young local musicians. Free event.

Fun for all the family with featured poet, best-selling children’s author Lucinda Jacob, young local poets and musicians. Creative art activities, games, and an open mic for children and young adults. And the wonderful raven animation created by 1st class students in Skerries!

Photographs: Marie Byrne, Skerries Camera Club

Poetry and Music at the Monument 2024
Filíocht agus Ceol

• Venue: Prosper Fingal’s new Skerries premises, 1 Strand Street.
  Date and time: Saturday / Dé Sathairn 14/09/2024, 3.30 to 5 pm
  Bilingual, live music. Free event.

We were invited into Prosper Fingal’s beautiful new Skerries premises! We met in the heart of Skerries in the shadow of Skerries’ iconic Monument for poetry, song, and a cuppa, as we celebrated poetry with the winners of the Fingal Poetry Prize and An Fiach Dubh. With readings by our special guests, this year’s judges, poets Peter Sirr and Bríd Ní Mhóráin and with music by Lola Rose.

The prizewinning poems of the Irish language competition are available in full on An Fiach Dubh 2024. We have videos of the three prizewinning Fingal Poetry Prize poems on the Fingal Poetry Prize 2024 page.

Poetry & All That Jazz 2024 Filíocht & Snagcheol & After Hours Craic

• Venue: The Little Theatre, Old School, Skerries Community Centre
  Date and time: Saturday / Dé Sathairn 14/09/2024, 7 to 9 pm
  Bilingual. Live music. Craic agus Ceol afterwards.

We brought Saturday to a close with a treat for all poetry and jazz fans with readings by poets Leontia Flynn and Laoighseach Ní Choistealbha, and with music by jazz legends Nigel Mooney and his trio featuring Honor Heffernan.

Nigel Mooney’s organ trio featured Scott Flanigan (regular Van Morrison sideman) on organ and Dominic Mullan (Mary Coughlan) on drums. For this concert they were joined by their old friend, jazz chanteuse Honor Heffernan. Oíche mhór cheiliúrtha d’fhilíocht agus ceol a bhí ann.

Photographs: Donal Greene