Poetry Competition in memory of Séamus Heaney

INTO and Poetry Ireland Poetry Competition in Memory of Séamus Heaney

The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) is proud of its tradition in supporting the Arts and were privileged to share the company of one of our most eminent poets Séamus Heaney at the Consultative Conference on Education in Athlone in 2011.

Heaney was involved in the education of undergraduate teachers as a lecturer of English in Carysfort College of Education, Blackrock, Dublin, in the 1970s and early 1980s. There is a video of Seamus Heaney reading his poem Valedictory Verses at the INTO Consultative Education Conference in 2011 on this page..

In honour of his memory the INTO, in collaboration with Poetry Ireland, is launching a poetry competition for members. All members, North and South, are eligible to submit a poem.

Entries are limited to one poem per member, which can be in Irish or in English. Closing date is 31 March 2014. The decision of the judges is final. The winner will be announced at Congress 2014. The INTO will publish the winning poem in the union's publication InTouch.

All entries must be accompanied by an entry form and posted to Poetry Competition, Áras Vere Foster, 35 Parnell Square, Dublin 1.

Download entry form in PDF format or Word format here.

The INTO and Poetry Ireland will appoint an adjudicator to judge all applications. There will be a prize of €300 for the best poem in English and the best poem in Irish, in addition to an option of spending some time in the Tyrone Guthrie centre in Annaghmakerrig.