'the Forge' Writers' Festival At Gort A Success
galway |
arts and media |
news report 
Monday March 31, 2008 13:25
by Fred Johnston - Director - Western Writers' Centre, Galway
westernwriters at eircom dot net
34 Nuns Island, Galway
091.533594
New Literary festival in Gort, Co Galway
Historic memories and a lecture on a Brazilian poet were among the literary events at Galway's newest literary festival
Sponsored by The Arts Council, Poetry Ireland, Galway County Council, Quinn's Pharmacy, Gort and supported by a great deal of goodwill from the media and individuals, County Galway's newest celebration of literature, 'The Forge - A Writers' Gathering,' took place last Friday and Saturday in the village of Gort, organised by the Western Writers' Centre.
Readings by poets Knute Skinner, Geraldine Mills, Frank Golden, Mark Whelan, a lecture on Brazilian poet Raoul Seixas (in Portuguese), stories from Eddie Lenihan and a re-enacting of the curious events around the Ralahine commune, written by playwrights Margaretta d'Arcy and John Arden, jostled with workshops on poetry and poetry publishing from poet Nessa O'Mahony and Salmon Poetry publisher, Jessie Lendennie. The festival was recorded by Shay Leon of Shay Studios, Loughrea, Co. Galway.
"There was so much local and media goodwill," says Fred Johnston, the Centre's director, who also founded Galway's Cúirt literature festival in 1986. "The old forge is still there, in the main street, and we took Yeats' reference to the forge as a sort of psychic starting-point."
Already plans are under consideration for a second festival next Spring.