Asking for Directions

Michael Farry's debut poetry collection "Asking for Directions" will be launched tonight at 8 pm in The Castle Arch Hotel, Trim, Co. Meath. It will be published by Doghouse.

Arrive early to get a seat. Copies will be available to purchase. Congratulations to Michael who is always a generous, erudite and astute mentor to all in The Boyne Writers. I'm looking forward to reading this book. It looks like a lovely warm May day is ahead and this will end it perfectly.

Michael is a founding member and the secretary of Boyne Writers' Group, and the editor of Boyne Berries Magazine. Recently he has been published in The SHOp and Revival. He won 3rd place in the Prole Laureate Poetry competition. Last year he was selected for Poetry Ireland Introductions Series.
He will also publish a history book, Sligo, 1912-1923 with Four Courts Press later this year.

Boyne Berries 10 Magazine Launched in Trim

The castle, majestic, rises - Cover art by Greg Hastings

Despite missing one of her captains (Paddy Smith) Boyne Berries 10 was launched in Trim on Thursday last into a sea of welcoming crowd.  Peter Fallon performed the launch here and it was so very interesting to hear him speak about his life, the Gallery Press, poems, lines of poetry he had liked from past issues of the magazine.  It was a privilege to be there on the night, a night of glittering stars in the firmament.

Michael Farry acted as master of ceremonies and many of the contributors read their pieces; Susan Connolly, Brian Kirk, James Lawless, Peter Goulding, Honor Duff and of course those from our own group, Boyne Writers.  Peter Fallon read his poem The Fields of Meath to end the night.  And one poet, Carolyne Van Der Meer had travelled from Canada to attend the launch. 

This issue is a special issue, in colour and featuring images.  It is available to purchase for 12 euro in Trim in Antonia’s Bookshop and in Spar, and in Galway in Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop and can be bought by PayPal here:

http://www.boynewriters.com/buy_or_submit.html

Poetry Ireland Introduction Series 2011 - Michael Farry

Poetry Ireland presents the Introductions Series 2011 featuring Ainín Ní Bhroin, Kimberly Campanello, Michael Farry, and Donna Sørensen.


Venue: Irish Writers' Centre, 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1

Time: 6:30pm

http://www.poetryireland.ie/
 

I'm delighted that Michael Farry, a founder member of our writers' group, Boyne Writers, has been selected to participate in this years Introduction Series.  Michael is the editor of Boyne Berries magazine and the secretary of our group. 

 

I'm up very late tonight so it's afforded me the chance to dwell on some of his poems.  I've always liked Grow Up Slowly (For Cian) which can be read in Boyne Berries 3.  Another poem of his that comes to the fore is My Interest in Polish Poetry has been Aroused which was published in The SHOp.  However right now Five am in Perth, Australia from Boyne Berries 2 is poignant.  My sister is living in Perth at the moment.  Michael has a pleasant and strong reading voice. 

 

Five am in Perth, Australia

 

We keep a clock at Perth time here

and as I do my final tidy round

I see it's five am there.  Are you

restless, roused by milk deliveries

and heavy bin collecting trucks

or by the swish of dead leaves

dashed against your window?

 

My mistake, it's spring there now,

dawn chorus, perhaps a discord

of bowerbird, bushlark, thornbill.

Here our sycamore stands stripped,

its rough leaves filthy litter.

 

At verge of sleep I am befuddled.

Are those pert rooks on the roof

or you sleep-walking in the attic?

And you, I hope, confuse the

clamour of your neighbours waking

with my dressing and descent to put

the kettle on, release your terrier.

 

Michael Farry

Boyne Berries 9 Launch

At the launch of Boyne Berries 9 are pictured above left Noel Dempsey and Michael Farry.  The image of the crowd shows C.P. Stewart, Antoinette Rock and Evan Costigan to the fore.  To the immediate left are Anne Crinion and Michael Farry.  Below left is  is a snap shot of Boyne Berries cover artwork through the past issues as designed by Greg Hastings.  Group member Rory O'Sullivan is to the right.  His poem Graveland appears in this issue.  And finally we find Barbara Flood, group treasurer.   Submissions for the next two issues of the magazine will be open from 1 May to 31 July 2011.  It was an exciting night.

Noel King - Boyne Readings & Open Mic, March

Michael Farry

Frank Murphy

Noel King

Tom Dredge

Boyne Writers Group AGM 2011

Trim Castle on the Boyne

The AGM was held on Thursday night last and it was well attended despite driving rain and wind.  The snow and ice of December had prevented it from taking place in 2010.  Group founder, secretary and editor of our magazine, Michael Farry, speaks about the meeting and our group in his blog.  It was interesting how Paddy Smith, returned Chairman for 2011, spoke about our members as individuals and about us not being group people particularly.  I am certainly not a group person but since joining the group I have never looked back and I never feel out of place.  It has been quite a journey since the first issue of Boyne Berries which I had a poem published in in 2007 and I am always learning more.  This autumn the magazine will bring forth its tenth issue!

The road leads ever forward.  I know it is an ambition of the group to regain the upperhand in the Battle of the Books against Meath Writers Circle during the Swift festival in the summer.  The Boyne Readings and Open Mic continue; later in February the Small Impact Writers from Navan will be the featured readers and in March Noel King, creator of Doghouse Press, will be the featured reader.

I have been privileged to meet some great writers through the group and its activities and I have been to wonderful events as part of Boyne Writers.  Being a writer is a vocation that many do not understand which is why a group such as ours is important, offering support and constructive criticsm and acting as a springboard at times into the wider literary world. 

In the end Boyne Writers are lucky to be spearheaded by two very talented and able men.  Indeed the entire Meath region of writers, and beyond, have benefitted from their acumen I believe and from their perhaps indirect aim of  creating a cohesive and competitive element within Meath writing.  It is one of the strengths of the group that while remaining a strong unit we reach out to other groups and other individuals.  Thank you Michael Farry and Paddy Smith.

Barbara Flood, Michael Farry, Orla Fay, Paddy Smith

In the thick wood of course work

Taking a break to write in my blog.  I've spent all morning concentrating on Social and Legal Issues in Childcare.  As part of this module (unit 3 Child Protection) I have to fill in a sample form reporting child abuse which led me to investigating who is the principal social worker in navan and who is the public health nurse in the area where I work.  I found telephone numbers but I will have to call on Monday to find out the names.  I've also been reading about the Employment Equality Act 1998 and the Equal Status Act 2000 which come under the section of equality in childcare (unit 4).  Both acts outlaw discrimination on nine distinct grounds:

1) Gender

2) Family status

3) Marital status

4) Age

5) Disability

6) Sexual orientation

7) Religion

8) Race

9) Membership of the traveller community

Task 2 of my assignment will see me investigating my own work place, evaluating it in relation to child protection and equality.  In Task 3 I have to write an overview of the childcare sector and discuss one aspect of social policy.  I will probably write about the E.C.C.E. scheme which came into operation in January of this year.

Then onto the final module, Supervision.  The deadline for submission of my folder is Friday August 6th. 

I've been printing out a lot of useful templates but I'm finding the use of questionnaires a little bitty in gathering information.  I will of course want to read back over all of my work to correct it and make it the best it can be considering the fact that I've not had as much time as I would have liked to have had to spend on it

It is also difficult to sit down and concentrate, focusing on what each assignment is asking me to answer.  I do seem to find that I need to understand each topic as best I can before answering.  Hmm it's back to reading, sifting and organising I think now. 

Off topic I see that Michael Farry has been commended in the iYeats Poetry Competition, well done Michael! and Kate Dempsey will be the featured reader in the Whitehouse Bar, Limerick this Wednesday!  I read a poem in the Whitehouse last year which I had published in Revival poetry journal.  It's a nice spot.  Kate was a featured reader at the Boyne Readings earlier in the year and I reviewed her Good Sherry Trifle Pamphlet in the past.  It would be interesting to hear her read again.  Michael is working on the next issue of Boyne Berries magazine.  The next Boyne Writers meeting will take place on Thursday 5th August.

The Last Wednesday Series and Open Mike

It was interesting to attend another open mic.  This event took place in Cassidy's on Westmoreland Street and it was divided into four sections with four readers in each section.  The night is run by the Seven Towers Agency.  Oran Ryan and Ross Hattaway who had been featured readers at the Boyne Readings held fort on home turf.  Michael Farry was the featured reader and he read from his collection that won joint third in the Patrick Kavanagh Award 09. 

It was an entertaining night with some hip-hop rap style offerings and one lady sang verses of Ain't no sunshine when she's gone... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXVf2hAWRQM

There were a lot of talented writers to be heard certainly.  I was quite taken with the drapes on the open mic stage.  They were gothic and rich.  Pictured above are Michael Farry and myself.  The Seven Towers Agency seems to be co-ordinated by Sarah Lundberg and they organise events in Chapters on Parnell Street too! Well done to them.