A staged celebration of poetry will be held in Drogheda on Thursday 1 November
to mark the 600 th Anniversary of the unification in 1412 of the twin
towns of Tredagh and Drogheda on opposite sides of the River Boyne to form the Drogheda we know today.
It starts with Amergin,
bard and poet of the mythical Milesians, the first known poet on Irish soil, reputed to be buried under
Millmount mound in the southern half of Drogheda. Other bards
performing their words to music are modern bard S.J.McArdle, with his
lyrics that have all the perception of poems, and an example the wit of
satirical balladeer John Shiel from the eighteenth century, again from
the south side.
Other names of note from the past are Fenian rebel John Boyle O’Reilly from Dowth, deportee to Australia, escapee to America and influential editor and journalist; Francis Ledwige, farm boy, poet, road worker and soldier, who wrote football reports for the Drogheda Independent and was killed in the First World War; and Angela Greene, housewife and poet, who died of cancer in 1997.
Other names of note from the past are Fenian rebel John Boyle O’Reilly from Dowth, deportee to Australia, escapee to America and influential editor and journalist; Francis Ledwige, farm boy, poet, road worker and soldier, who wrote football reports for the Drogheda Independent and was killed in the First World War; and Angela Greene, housewife and poet, who died of cancer in 1997.
Living poets will include established figures John F. Deane, Anne Le Marquand
Hartigan and Susan Connolly as well as well-known and upcoming local
poets Leo de Freyne, Terry McHugh, Marie MacSweeney, John ‘Dixie’
Nugent, John O’Rourke, Leeanne Quinn, Barbara Smith, and Tomas De
Faoite. Appearing in Drogheda-based performance poetry groups Word
Jungle and Hudson ‘n Fitch will be Nuala Leonard, Brian Quinn, Roger
Hudson and the magical sounds of ambiencellist Claire Fitch.
The evening’s performance will be introduced by the Mayor and archaeologist Geraldine Stout, who will fill in the historical background, and presented by Alison Comyn. The programme has been conceived and assembled by Roger Hudson and Michael Holohan as part of the town’s 600 celebrations. Staging is by Brian Quinn with technical assistance by Penny Smith.
Venue: Droichead Arts Centre Theatre, Stockwell Street, Drogheda.
Time: Thursday at 8.00pm. Admission: Free, booking advisable.
e-mail: info@droichead.ie
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