The 2013 Strokestown Poetry Awards Have Been Announced

On the evening of Saturday May 4th, Jude Nutter was awarded the 2013 Strokestown International Poetry Award for her poem ‘Field Notes: Watching the Crew of Atlantis Renovating the Hubble Telescope.’

In a packed and elated library in Strokestown Park House, Jude was presented with a cheque for €3000 and the traditional Strokestown bardic ash plant staff by competition judge Iggy McGovern.

‘Field Notes’ has proved a hugely popular winner with the Strokestown audience, and the poignancy and beauty of its narration of the poet’s mother’s passing, and of her father’s negotiation of that loss, were enhanced at the awards ceremony by the fact that Jude’s father (a sprightly English gent in his nineties) had made the five hour journey from Dingle in Co. Kerry to attend the festival. Read the winning poem here.

Second and third place in the 2013 Strokestown International Poetry Awards went to Emma Must and Erin Fornoff. Their emotionally charged and praeternaturally well-crafted poems ‘Notes on the Use of the Austrian Scythe’ and ‘Hymn to the Reckless’ also delighted the packed gathering. You can read Emma Must’s poem here. And Erin Fornoff’s poem here.

The three triumphant women attended a reception in the kitchen of Strokestown Park House, where a large gathering feasted on local artisan food (including a cake of Guinness cheese) and fine wine, before returning to the town where the celebrations continued in Beirne’s pub until the small hours. All agreed that the shortlist this year, created by judges Michael Schmidt and Iggy McGovern, was one of the finest of the festival’s fifteen year history.

On Sunday May 5th the winners of the 2013 Duais Cholmcille (the Strokestown Irish language and scots gaelic poetry competition) were announced by this year’s judge Caoimhín Mac Giolla Léith in the library of Strokestown Park House.

Greagoir Ó Dúill was the overall winner of the competition for his exquisite poem ‘Boeing 737.’ He was presented with a cheque for €2000 after a ceremony which included music by Enda Scahill and Martin Howley of We Banjo 3.  

Poet Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin was in attendance and contributed to proceedings by reading poems by shortlisted scots gaelic poems Peter MacKay and Lewis McKinnon by. A selection of English translations were also read by the festival director, poet Martin Dyar.

Second prize was awarded in absentia to the poet Peter MacKay for a beautifully understated narrative entitled ‘An Tubaist.’

And this year a joint third prize was shared between Gabriel Rosenstock for his elemental and playful  ‘Lannaigh faoi Dhroichead Uí Chonaill’ and Maoilios Caimbeul for his metaphysically probing ‘Samhla agus Mothachadh.’ 

On Friday night, Samantha Strachen had won the Percy French Prize for Comic Poetry. Read Samantha’s poem here. Christopher North came second in this competition with his poem ‘Eurthymy Artiste with Toque’, and Mike Absalom was placed third with his poem ‘The Mole.’ The judge of the competition Eleanor Tiernan as expected was a spirited, open-hearted and hilarious MC for the evening, and the large gathering in the Percy French Hotel as ever took the visiting shortlisted poets to their hearts.

We’ve had a wonderful festival experience this year! Our programme of guest poets proved something of an embarrassment of riches. And having the festival the best live band in the country, We Banjo 3, in the best traditional music venue in the country, the kitchen of Strokestown Park House, brought our high-spirited artistic feast to an unforgettably climactic conclusion.

You can view the 2013 programme in pdf form by clicking here. We also strongly recommend the work of graphic designer Conor O’Toole who is a talented and personable young artist based in Dublin. You can view his work here.

Please visit the site again soon for more images, updates, and of course details of the 2014 Strokestown International Poetry Festival.