Click HERE for info on The Ardmore Project new
Poetry Crafting Course 2015...
Previous Ardmore Projects:
The Ardmore Project Continues in 2014!
Once again Waterford County Council Arts Office have generously supported my Ardmore Project, so I'll be running a free workshop series for adults as well as school workshops and a walking workshop in and around Ardmore this summer:
Adult Workshops:
Everyone is welcome to these, which will take place in Ardmore tourist office from 6-8pm on Wednesday evenings from May 28 to June 25 inclusive. Work produced will be included in a collection to be launched in Ardmore during Pattern Weekend, with readings and merriment!
School Workshops:
The collection will also include work produced by primary school children from Ardmore and Grange National Schools, which appeared in a separate collection last year. My aim with this project has always been to increase story-sharing between generations in the community (something that I feel has been lost to a great extent with the advent of modern entertainment media), so this development should lead to a moving, hilarious and very important reading event at the book launch.
Walking Workshop:
This year the walking workshop takes place on Saturday July 26th: participants will meet at The Round Tower Hotel at 2pm and will return there for 5pm. Booking is essential as places are limited.
CURRENTLY THE WORKSHOP IS BOOKED OUT, BUT THERE IS A CANCELLATION LIST SO PLEASE GET IN TOUCH IF YOU WANT TO BE ON IT!
What you need:
The workshop will involve over an hour of walking (broken into section) on uneven and possibly muddy ground, so dress appropriately! Bring a notebook, pens, water, and something waterproof to sit on. And your imagination!
Adult Workshops:
Everyone is welcome to these, which will take place in Ardmore tourist office from 6-8pm on Wednesday evenings from May 28 to June 25 inclusive. Work produced will be included in a collection to be launched in Ardmore during Pattern Weekend, with readings and merriment!
School Workshops:
The collection will also include work produced by primary school children from Ardmore and Grange National Schools, which appeared in a separate collection last year. My aim with this project has always been to increase story-sharing between generations in the community (something that I feel has been lost to a great extent with the advent of modern entertainment media), so this development should lead to a moving, hilarious and very important reading event at the book launch.
Walking Workshop:
This year the walking workshop takes place on Saturday July 26th: participants will meet at The Round Tower Hotel at 2pm and will return there for 5pm. Booking is essential as places are limited.
CURRENTLY THE WORKSHOP IS BOOKED OUT, BUT THERE IS A CANCELLATION LIST SO PLEASE GET IN TOUCH IF YOU WANT TO BE ON IT!
What you need:
The workshop will involve over an hour of walking (broken into section) on uneven and possibly muddy ground, so dress appropriately! Bring a notebook, pens, water, and something waterproof to sit on. And your imagination!
The Ardmore Project 2013
In 2012 I was awarded a Literature Bursary from the Arts Council to enable me to work on my third collection - a long piece concerning ancient ways. To do this I moved to Ardmore, Co. Waterford, where the start of the Saint Declan's Way is located. As part of my work here I've been engaging with the local community and working on the idea of 'journey' - whether myth, fantasy or actual, or a mixture of all three. During the annual Ardmore Pattern Festival this July, the culmination of my part of my work will take the form of two events:
Book Launch: New Ardmore Legends
The primary school children of Ardmore and Grange National Schools have worked with me to create a whole book of new Ardmore legends based on the journeys of their lives into the future. Their work is beautiful, unexpected and inspiring, and the book will be launched on the first day of the Pattern Festival, Monday July 22nd, at 6pm in the function room of An Tobar bar, Main Street, Ardmore - all welcome! Sales of the book will go towards funding future Pattern Festivals.
Writing along the Saint Declan's Way: a new kind of workshop
A 'Ginko' is a walk taken by Japanese Haiku writers specifically to gain inspiration, and this workshop is like that: since my current work comes from the inspiration I've gained from walking ancient ways, I hope to share that wealth with a group of interested writers on the Saturday of the Pattern Festival, July 27th from 10am-12pm. We'll combine meditative interest in our surroundings, mindful walking and writing exercises designed to stimulate imagination, and finish with a reading in one of the most beautiful locations on the Saint Declan's Way, or Rian Bo Phadraig (its older name). See the website of the Ardmore Pattern Festival for more details, and book early because places are limited. To book a place, contact me through the contact form on this website (click the words to access).