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Éigse Michael Hartnett
Poetry, Arts & Literary Festival

Newcastle West, Co Limerick

Dates for the 2012 Festival
Thursday April 26th – Saturday April 28th

Éigse 2011

On behalf of Limerick County Council I would like to say a big thank you to all our Éigse 2011 guests, all who attended the various events and performances and the Éigse Michael Hartnett committee for making Éigse 2011 an exciting and successful festival. It was a real pleasure to welcome the extended Hartnett family who flew in from Spain, Australia and the United States to be present at the unveiling of the Michael Hartnett commemorative sculpture. I would also like to express my thanks to the people and businesses of Newcastle West for the warm welcome that was extended to all the Éigse visitors.

It has been really pleasant reading and hearing peoples' responses to Éigse Michael Hartnett 2011. Our capacity audiences for every event seemed to love the mixture of the programme which included Fergus Finlay's challenging key note address on the opening night, followed by Fintan O'Toole with his beguiling argument on the poet as celebrant, David Whyte's poetic Hartnett Memorial Lecture on the Saturday morning, the poetry readings with Peter Sirr (Hartnett Award Winning Poet 2011), Gabriel Fitzmaurice, Jo Slade, Eva Bourke, Theo Dorgan and David Whyte, the wonderful singing of Juliet Turner and Brian Kennedy and the exuberant fun with Size2Shoes as they wove dance and song into a very moving performance of integrated dance in a performance entitled 'Day Dream Believers' choreographed by dance facilitator Mary Hartney. And there was so much more!

Carnation Theatre enthralled our senior citizens with 3 performances in various venues, Hartnett scholar James Lawlor hit the post primary schools and Michael Hartnett's powerful haunting poem Sibelius in Silence was translated into a whole new medium with a spell binding choral interpretation selected by Maire Keary Scanlon, Music Director, and sung by the County Limerick Youth Choir under the direction of Máire. This choral performance was accompanied with a reading of the poem by Fiona Quinn. On the Saturday afternoon Michael Hartnett's friend and fellow poet Paul Durcan unveiled Michael Hartnett's statue with a lovely moving tribute. This was followed by the adorning of the Hartnett Viva Voce Winners with 'necklace of wrens.'

It was a weekend to be savoured, full of lively conversation, spirited debate and the sun shone on all the Éigse events.

Plans for the programme Éigse Michael Hartnett 2012 are now underway and I look forward to bringing these to fruition April 26th – April 28th 2012

Bí linn agus fáilte.

Joan Mac Kernan
County Arts Officer

Festival News

Paul Durcan unveling the commemorative statue of his old friend Michal Hartnett at Éigse 2011

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