Cúirt 2024
This year, I was delighted to be one of the Irish Writers Centre Young Writer Delegates for the Cúirt festival of Literature in Galway. Below are some of my reviews of the events I attended over the course of the week.
Elaine Feeney Launch: All The Good Things You Deserve –
Arriving at the launch of Elaine Feeney’s new poetry collection All Good Things You Deserve the excitement was immediately clear. Not only was the Mick Lally packed to the rafters, it was also abuzz in a way no event had been so far. As soon as Elaine and her moderator, the ever-amazing Susannah Dickey, took to the stage, it was obvious why.
Dressed in a stunning black velvet suit, Elaine opened with the titular poem in her collection. Over 24 expertly crafted cantos, she revealed to us the story of a young girl’s rape at the hands of someone she knew socially. The poem is harrowing, raw, honest and completely compelling, and perfectly set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Given the subject matter, it would be easy to expect the discussion that followed the reading to not be for the faint of heart. And while, yes, Elaine’s discussions of the attack referenced in the poem, as well as another serious physical assault that happened around the same time, were heartbreaking, the genuine warmth and affection between her and Susannah elevated it to so much more. Elaine was wonderfully witty and genuine and her willingness to be vulnerable and more importantly, angry, will stay with me for a long time. The exploration of how the legal systems treat survivors of violence was insightful and deftly handled. Elaine revealed how, to her, poetry is the perfect medium to explore those experiences as it is the only form in which one does not have to “defend the narrative”. As she put it, in poetry you can simply say “I just fucking felt that way.” Truly a mantra for writing and for life.
The evening ended with a more tender poem, a love poem written for Elaine’s husband. Much to his embarrassment, apparently. Overall my favourite event of the festival. Be sure and catch Elaine Feeney in conversation any chance you can.
Katriona O’Sullivan and Kieran Yates: Homeplace –
Every time I told someone I would be going to see Katriona O’Sullivan at the Taidbhearc, they all said the same thing: “Oh God, she’ll be brilliant.” Having done the media rounds O’Sullivan has cemented herself as a powerful speaker with a lot to say, and she did not disappoint. Kieran Yates, a journalist and writer I was unfamiliar with before now, was also a revelation.
Framed as a discussion about the importance of “home” this talk was more a deep dive into the political and sociological failings that leave many excluded from secure accommodation, and therefore many other aspects of “normal” society. Katriona spoke evocatively of her origins, growing up in a disadvantaged home with parents experiencing substance use issues and how that led to her becoming homeless and pregnant as a young teen. Kieran, who also grew up in a disadvantaged area with a single mother, spoke of the experiences young people nowadays have within the housing market, essentially having to perform and sell themselves just for the basic human right of shelter.
Both speakers, through their passion and insight, essentially evoked a call to arms regarding the state of our current housing markets and society at large. As someone who works within the homeless sector, supporting people living with the implications of the issues raised by Katriona and Kieran, it was a timely re-injection of empathy and righteous anger at the state of our world. Both Katriona’s Poor and Kierans’s All the Houses I’ve Ever Lived In are required reading.
Debut Novels: K Patrick and Nicola Dinan –
Having missed the other “debut novels” event with Colin Walsh and Ferdia Lennon, I was very excited to catch this talk regarding K and Nicola’s experience of first-time novel publication. Both writers took very different routes to their first novels. K is an established poet while Nicola, by her own admission, started writing short stories that nobody wanted to publish before jumping into a full length work.
The talk, as a result, focused far more on the process of creating than the business of publishing, and explored topics such as inspiration, perspective and conveying queer and trans experiences on paper. While the conversation itself was incredibly insightful, the easy back-and-forth between K and Nicola made it feel like a chat over coffee with friends as much as a discussion on debut novels. Followed up with very interesting questions on representation within the publishing/book marketing industry that surely a whole festival could be dedicated to answering.
[As featured on the Irish Writers Centre website]
