Poetry Ireland

BACKGROUND

Poetry Ireland connects people and poetry. We are committed to achieving excellence in the reading, writing and performance of poetry throughout the island of Ireland. Our development education programmes aim to increase awareness and understanding of the rapidly changing, interdependent and unequal world in which we live.

CURRENT PROJECTS

Poetry Ireland works with a number of partners to deliver development education programmes in primary and post-primary schools, helping students explore global issues through a variety of creative writing projects such as Irish Aid's WorldWise Global Schools Programme. In this programme students in post-primary schools throughout Ireland explore global issues in a special development education project coordinated by Poetry Ireland Writers in Schools and funded by Irish Aid’s WorldWise Global Schools.

The programme funds writers to work with schools over a six-week residency, during which time they delivered weekly creative writing workshops. The students are given a chance to engage imaginatively with the issues, and work creatively in a range of genres, including poetry, prose, art, film, song and improvisation. Our hope is that the participants will benefit from an increased knowledge and understanding of global justice issues, becoming engaged and active global citizens. Poetry Ireland also produces Creative Writing lesson plans based on these themes.

Trócaire's annual poetry competition, in association with Poetry Ireland, uses the arts to raise awareness about the leading global justice issues of our time. The annual competition opens for entries in spring each year, with an awards ceremony in the National Library of Ireland in late May. The competition is open to published poets, unpublished poets, spoken word poets and students.

The competition always has a global citizenship theme. In 2018, the theme was "Forced To Flee", in 2019, "Land is Life". The 2020 competition explores the theme "Standing Her Ground", inspired by the extraordinary stories of hardworking women who are holding their families together, battling enormous odds, including threats like violence, intimidation and drought, to provide food for their children and are battling to keep their children, and the earth, safe from harm.

The competition attracts around 2,000 entries from third class pupils up to published poets, competing in six categories. Poetry Ireland has also run a very successful Spoken Word event, Wrapparound, which has also explored development themes.