Born in Boston, John O’Leary lived in Allihies for thirty five years on a farm which his grandfather had bought. There John bred Irish draught horses and over many years was central to the cultural life of the area. He was a man of many and varied interests, an avid reader and a ground-breaking poet. John loved the sea and he always said that his ambition was “to write a wave”. He published two books of poetry, “Salt” in 2003 and “Sea” in 2004. John also spent time as a visiting Professor at the Wesleyan University of Illinois and Seattle University.
A very popular figure in Scoil Phobail Bhéara, John gave unstintingly of his time to encourage young writers and, indeed, was an inspiration to many aspiring poets. He is remembered with great affection by teachers and students.
Sadly, John died in a boating accident in 2012 but his legacy lives on and he will never be forgotten by those of us who were lucky enough to know him.
by Paddy O Conor
Paula Meehan was born and raised in Dublin’s north inner city. Her award-winning poetry has garnered widespread popular and critical acclaim. Her poetry has been scored for choirs, for solo voice and made into songs by artists from divers traditions — the folk, including the legendary Christy Moore, and the avant garde. Poems have been made into short films; have been danced; are studied at Leaving Certificate level and at home & abroad in schools, universities and other settings.
Her work has been translated into many languages including most recently Japanese and Dutch. Books are forthcoming in Polish, Spanish, Portuguese and Greek.
She was Ireland Professor of Poetry 2013–2016 and Imaginary Bonnets with Real Bees in Them, her public lectures from the Chair, are published by UCD Press.
Recent publications include As If By Magic: Selected Poems, (2020) and The Solace of Artemis (2023) which received the Pigott Prize for Poetry. They are published by Dedalus Press, Dublin.
Born in Cork, Theo Dorgan has just published his second novel, CAMARADE, with Mercier Press. He is an award-winning poet, novelist, documentary screenwriter, translator, essayist and editor, with ten collections of poetry published; the most recent, ONCE WAS A BOY, received the accolade of One City, One Book 2024 in his native city. Among his translations are three volumes from the French of Syrian poet, Maram al Masri and a translation into Irish of GYPSY BALLADS by Federico García Lorca, BAILÉID GIOFÓGACHA. He devised and co-edited AN LEABHAR MÓR/THE GREAT BOOK OF IRELAND. He scripted and presented the multi-award-winning Alan Gilsenan documentary for TG4, AN BUACHAILL GEALGHÁIREACH/THE LAUGHING BOY. Many of his poems have been set to music, and two of his long poems, SAPPHO'S DAUGHTER and ÉRIU & AMERGIN, have been performed to music by Colm Mac Con Iomaire. Translations of his work in book form have been published in Greek, Italian and French. He is a member of Aosdána.
Annette Skade has lived in Beara for many years and many of her poems respond to the land and seascapes which surround her. Her first collection, Thimblerig, was published in 2013 on foot of her winning the Cork Literary Review Manuscript Competition in 2012. Her most recent eco-poetry book, Holdfast, published in 2024, is a poetry sequence celebrating seaweed and the life of Ellen Hutchins, Ireland’s first female botanist. She has a Doctorate (2021) from Dublin City University for her research on the poetry of Anne Carson. Recent readings include the West Cork Literary Festival 2025 and the Irish Writers Centre Climate Writing Sessions in April of this year. She was IWC/ Florence Writers Poet in Residence in 2017. She also speaks and reads poems in praise of ferries on the ‘Port Places’ app, a collaborative project by UCC, Aberystwyth University and Wexford County Council. She has won and been placed in several competitions including Strokestown’s ‘Past Times Pastimes’ and the Allingham Prize. Her poems appear in poetry magazines, journals and anthologies in Ireland, the US (notably the New England Review), the UK, and Australia.
This event is presented in association with Poetry Ireland.