Fingal Poetry Festival wishes to thank all the poets from around the world who submitted their poems this year. We are delighted with the response! Go raibh míle maith agaibh!
Is iad na buaiteoirí den Comórtas Filíochta i mbliana / The three winners of An Fiach Dubh Comórtas Filíochta: The Irish Language Poetry Competition are:
- Sa chéad áit: Caitríona Ní Laighin, “Bróg an pháiste saonta”
- Sa dara háit: Áine Ní Ghlinn, “Teifeach”
- Sa triú háit: Máire Dinny Wren, “Féileacán Fómhair”
Comhghairdeachas leo! Congratulations! These three poems are below on this page.
And the three winners of the Fingal Poetry Prize are:
- Damen O’Brien, “The Most Wished For”
- Kate Durrant, “The night you died”
- Lizzie Ballagher, “Cave Hill, 1971”
Congratulations! You can read these three English-language prize-winning poems here.
Caitríona Ní Laighin, “Bróg an pháiste saonta”
Sa chéad áit, An Fiach Dubh: Comórtas Filíochta 2024
Tá bosca gloine crochta ar bhalla i ngailearaí beag in Uachtar Ard
ina bhfuil bróg an ghorta ar taispeáint. Bróg bheag déanta as leathar lao,
deich bpoll pollta inti le hiallacha snaidhmthe.
Smaoiním tamaill ar na ladhracha lag a chaith an bhróg seo tráth.
Smaoiním ar an smionagar fud fad na Stráice Gaza inniu,
meas tú cé mhéid corpán le cosa críonna caite a cailleadh ann.
Meas tú an mbeidh a macasamhail de bhróg an ghorta ar taispeáint
i mbosca gloine crochta ar bhalla ghailearaí beag éigin cois cósta
na Palaistíne i gceann céad caoga bliain, bróg an pháiste saonta.
Áine Ní Ghlinn, “Teifeach”
Sa dara háit, An Fiach Dubh: Comórtas Filíochta 2024
Ag faobhar an earraigh,
ag faobhar na foraoise
na clocha clúdaithe le caonach nua,
gile an lae ag glinniúint ar ghríbhín uaine,
‘s spioraid an sionnaigh ann, an fia rua,
na gleoiseacha in airde san aer gleoite.
Sa doire dlúth, sceach gheal ag luascadh
le urnaithe beannaithe, solas ag preabadh
ar thairseach an tséasúir.
‘S filleann an léas, filleann an chroí,
filleann an chailleach, an naomh, an Bandia—
anois, is é do thine a spréachann mé, steallóg
d’fhíoruisce a spreagann mé, ‘s do bhrat lách
leathan mar bharróg bogtha tharam.
Máire Dinny Wren, “Féileacán Fómhair”
Sa triú háit, An Fiach Dubh: Comórtas Filíochta 2024
Ag siúl an chúlbhealaigh domh tráthnóna,
bhí na sméara dubha súmhara ar dhreasa
in imeartas le dathanna flannbhuí an fhómhair –
ag cur cíocrais orm is ag cur uisce le m’fhiacla.
Cha raibh ruball fáinleoige le feiceáil san aer
os cionn ghéaga nochta na gcrann.
Bhí brat donnbhuí ag spréadh thar na cuibhrinn
is an fraoch corcra ag teilgean ar an chaorán.
Leis sin, thuirling buíóg chróch ar an mhínscoth,
lena sciatháin spéiriúla chróchbhuí.
Chuir faiteadh fíneálta an fhéileacáin fhómhair
aoibhneas ar mo chroí agus é ag dul ó sholas.
Nocht gealach na gcoinleach os cionn an chnoic –
ag spréadh a solas niamhrach ar muir is ar tír.
Tharraing mé fallaing shómhar an fhómhair fá mo ghuaillí
is shiúil mé ’na bhaile faoi sholas órbhuí na gealaí.
© Máire Dinny Wren
Moltóir / Judge: Bríd Ní Mhóráin
Is file agus scríbhneoir próis í Bríd Ní Mhóráin. Tá ocht gcnuasach filíochta foilsithe aici agus Flóra na Samhlaíochta an cnuasach is déanaí dá cuid. Bhain an leabhar sin áit amach ar ghearrliosta Dhuaisleabhar na Bliana, 2022. Bhuaigh Bríd an 1ú duais i gComórtas Filíochta Dhún Laoire/Ráth an Dúin do dhán Gaeilge, 2005. Chnuasaigh sí ana chuid duaiseanna filíochta eile chomh maith ag stadanna difriúla, duaiseanna ón Oireachtas san áireamh. Bronnadh dámhachtainí Ealaín na Gaeltachta agus na Comhairle Ealaíon uirthi go rialta, mar scribhneoir, thar na blianta.
An saothar is úire dá cuid próis ná athleaganacha de fiche scéal ó Leabhar Sheáin Í Chonaill, a chruthaigh sí fé scéim de chuid Chomhchoiste Ghaeltacht Uíbh Ráthaigh agus Choláiste Ollscoile Chorcaí, leaganacha oiriúnach do léitheoirí óga. Beidh siad seo foilsithe ag An Gúm i 2025.
Ceapadh Bríd Ní Mhóráin ina scríbhneoir cónaitheach d’Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne i 2003 agus lean sí sa ról sin go dtí 2018.
Bríd Ní Mhóráin, M. Litt., has published eight poetry collections and prose works. Her most recent collection, Flóra na Samhlaíochta was shortlisted for Irish Language Book of the Year 2022. She was awarded the Dún Laoire/Rathdown Irish Language Poetry Prize in 2005. She has won prizes for both her poetry and prose at An tOireachtas (1988, 1989, 1992). She has received multiple Arts Council and Ealaín na Gaeltachta bursaries over the course of her writing career.
Bríd was commisioned by Comhchoiste Ghaeltacht Uíbh Ráthaigh, together with UCC, to create modern versions of of the renowned folklore stories of Seán Í Chonaill for young Irish language readers. These are due to be published in book form by An Gúm in 2025.
She was appointed writer in residence by Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne (co-funded by Ealaín na Gaeltachta) in 2003 and followed on in that role until 2018.
Seo chuid d’Fhéile Filíochta Fhine Gall a bheidh ar siúl 13ú-15ú Meán Fómhair 2024
As Part of the Fingal Poetry Festival: September 13th-15th 2024
Rules
- Open to national and international entrants age 18 or older, poems must be in Irish and not exceed 40 lines, must be the original work of a living writer and must not have been previously published, self-published, broadcast, awarded or have appeared anywhere online.
- Poems must be typed clearly. The name and contact details of entrant must not appear on the poems but must instead be entered on the official entry form for An Fiach Dubh 2024, which will be available here from 1 May 2024, along with the poems’ titles and first lines.
- NB: Your poem(s) must be in PDF or Word format. No other formats will be accepted.
- The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
- Poems will not be returned and no alterations may be made to poems once they are submitted.
- Copyright of the winning poems will remain with the author but Fingal Poetry Festival reserves the right to arrange first publication or broadcast for the purposes of the festival.
- We will acknowledge receipt of your entries. Please make sure to check spam or junk folders. Successful poets will be notified in advance of the festival dates in September.
- We hope to invite the three winning entries to an awards ceremony in Skerries on September 14th, 2024.
FAQs
1: Can I make changes to my poem after it has been submitted?
No. Alterations cannot be made after you have submitted your entry so please check to ensure you are sending the correct version of the poem/s you want considered for the prize. If however, you want to submit an altered or new version, you may only send it as another, separate entry, which will then incur another entry fee. The judge will read and consider both entries.
2: I have inadvertently left identifying details (name etc.) on my poem/s, will my entry be disqualified?
Yes. However, if you find that you have done this in error, please resubmit your amended entry as soon as possible (at the latest by the end of the competition, 30 June 2024).
3: Are simultaneous submissions allowed?
Yes, although we strongly recommend against it. If, however, you do wish to send your poem/s to a journal or another competition, you must contact us immediately in the event of your poem/s being accepted there or shortlisted/placed. Your poem/poems will then have to be withdrawn from our completion and your entry fee cannot be refunded.
4: Can I enter by Post?
No. Entries can only be submitted through our online portal.
Support by Fingal County Council, Poetry Ireland, roadstone and dhl is gratefully acknowledged.
Fingal Poetry Festival 