FÁILTE go dtí
Féile Filíochta Fhine Gall 2021
ÓCÁIDÍ le GAEILGE
The full 2021 Fingal Poetry Festival Brochure is available to view and print here.
The programme listing is here.
Our mission
The Fingal Poetry Festival is now in its second year and continuing to grow.
From our base at Skerries Mills, within easy reach of Dublin, we aim to engage with the broader community of Fingal in order to present the very best poetry to the widest possible audience. No poet ever arrives fully formed, and our remit is that poets at every stage of development — from the peer–lead, creative writing groups where so many hone their craft, to the emerging talents and interesting voices out there waiting to be heard, right through to the leading contemporary exponents of the art — should and will be represented at the festival. Our mission is community and cultural engagement, inclusivity, equality, diversity and openness. We endeavour to make poetry accessible to anyone and everyone, and our partner in this will always be music, close cousin to rhyme and metre. We have worked hard within the current restrictions in order to bring you this year’s events and very much hope to see you in Skerries!
Poetry will be ever present in the town in the run-up to the Festival and of course during the Festival weekend: expect poetry in shop windows, on benches along our scenic seaside and on footpaths. We look forward to a colourful illumination and projection of poetry in Floraville, our lovely town centre park beside Skerries Library. All in all we are aiming to create a colourful, lively festival atmosphere in the town. Be prepared to be surprised!
Is cúis áthais dúinn go bhfuil ócáidí as Gaeilge agus ócáidí dátheangacha (Gaeilge/Béarla) againn ar chlár na Féile i mbliana. Mionsonraí anseo. It gives us great pleasure to have Irish language events and bilingual (Irish/English) events on our Festival programme this year. Details here
Many of our events will be free and in unusual places as we want to bring poetry out into the community – keep an eye and an ear out for our colourful Festival-in-a-Van events around the town and environs. Residents, their families, and staff of Loughshinny and Lusk nursing homes will be treated to exclusive live poetry and music Festival in a Van performances over the Festival weekend:
Loughshinny nursing home Festival in a Van: Readings by David Murphy and Barbara Smith, music by Sarah May Rogers
Lusk nursing home Festival in a Van: Readings by Maggie O’Dwyer and Michael J. Whelan, music by Sarah May Rogers
We are also reaching out to the deaf community by having sign language interpretation at some live events. Our pre-recorded video footage will be subtitled.
As part of our series of online workshops Colm Keegan will be engaging with the pupils of Balbriggan Community College. All local schools children in Skerries were invited to write poems, which will be on display around the town during the Festival weekend.
The relevant Government Covid regulations will be strictly observed at all times.
In the event of us being unable to present in-person performances, we will film the readings with the listed poets and musicians and share them on our website.
Click here for our 2021 programme
Click here for a list of our venues (and a map)
Support by the Arts Council, Fingal County Council and Poetry Ireland is gratefully acknowledged.
The Fingal Poetry Prize is sponsored by DHL.
An Fiach Dubh – Irish Poetry Competition is sponsored by Country Crest.
“Dial P for Poet” kindly sponsored by Brian Hurley.
Fingal Poetry Festival 