Washing Windows III

Washing Windows III is top of the paperback non-fiction charts.

Well done to 100 women who contributed poems to this collection, co-edited by Alan Hayes and Nuala O’Connor for Arlen House. Míle buíochas libh beirt!

And a huge thanks to Nuala for the kind mention in her introductory essay, wasn’t expecting that!

It is a beautiful book both in content and appearance, dedicated the late Pauline Bewick and the living legend Ailbhe Smyth.

What a gorgeous project and what a thrill to reach #1. Comhghairdeas libh a mhná!

Ar na bacáin!

Neart ag tarlúint sna seachtainí amach romhainn… seo roinnt de na himeachtaí a mbeidh baint agam leo.

Grindr, Saghdar ⁊ Cher ag an IDGTF

Hup scraitheachaí!

Bhí Grindr, Saghdar ⁊ Cher ar siúl ar feadh trí oíche san International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival agus d’éirigh go maith linn!

Buíochas mór le foireann AerachAiteachGaelach as an gcúnamh an léiriú a chur ar siúl gach oíche gan stró, agus buíochas ollmhór do gach éinne a tháinig chun muid a fheiceáil.

Bhíomar sona sásta léirmheas ceithre réalt a fháilt – is féidir é sin a léamh anseo.

Agus nach deas go bhfuaireamar cúpla ainmniúchán ag móroíche na féile freisin. Beidh an seó seo ag dul ar an mbóthar… coinnígi súil amach!

Scríobhamar amhráin!

Bhí ríméad orm bheith sa stiúideo le James Shannon agus Ben Shorten (Woodheart) don chlár An Seisiún.

Táim ag súil le níos mó ceoil a úsáid i mo shaothar agus ba dheis iontach é domsa bheith ag comhoibriu leis an mbeirt cheoltóirí iontacha sin, agus Karl Odlum mar léiritheoir.

Éist anseo: An Seisiún RTÉ RnaG

Buíochas mór chomh maith le Cian Mac Cárthaigh, Lisa McGeough agus Fearghal Saxe.

Sunday Business Post

Míle buíochas le Emmet Ryan a scríobh an t-alt seo. It’s online here.

At the moment I’m spending a lot of my time working on a short film called Claonadh, and I’m delira that it got a mention in the article!

Bhuaigh an scannán an Comórtas – Físín anuraidh. Mise a scríobh agus beidh mé á stiúradh freisin.

This bilingual period film centres around the experiences of a housemaid working in a big house.

If you’re interested in supporting the project you can read more about it on GoFundMe here.

Míle buíochas!

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant | Saint David’s Day

I had the luck to spend St. David’s Day with the Wales Arts International delegation who were in Éirinn.

Ábhar cainte an lae: mionteangacha agus na mionlaigh a labhraíonn iad. Sa chás áirithe seo bhíomar ag díriú isteach ar an bpobal aiteach, agus bhí comhrá den scoth againn.

Ó chlé: Fearghus Ó Conchúir, Dylan Huw, agus Lauren Ní Chasaide.

Diolch a chairde!

WTF le hEoin P. Ó Murchú

Seo thíos eolas breise a ghabhann le What the Focal!? le hEoin P. Ó Murchú, atá ar fáil ar Soundcloud, ar Spotify & gach áit eile!

*

Sea, ciallaíonn ‘deasca’ dríodar agus roinnt ciall eile atá diúltach, mar atá thíos:

deasca1, m. (gs. ~). 1. Dregs, lees; sediment. ~ fíona, an bhairille, dregs of wine, of the barrel. 2. Barm, leaven, yeast. ~ a chur in arán, to leaven, add yeast to, bread. 3. After-effects, (ill-) consequences. Tá a dheasca fós orm, I am still suffering from the effects of it. ~ an tslaghdáin, na bruitíní, after-effects of the cold, of the measles. An ~ a bhaint as duine, to make s.o. suffer the consequences (of his act). Lig sé amach a dheasca orm, he vented his spleen on me. 4. Geol: Drift. 5. De dheasca, in consequence of. Chaill sé a shláinte dá dheasca, he lost his health in consequence of it. Dá dheasca sin, in consequence of that.

Féach #Nuafhocal ar twitter

hapax legomenon – féach @HapaxGaeilge ar twitter

potafocal.com

chomh láidir le derrick – tá liosta samhlacha anseo: https://www3.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaeilge/corpus/samhlacha/

Ní fheicfidh mé go deo (go brách) arís í (faoin am atá le teacht)/ Ní raibh a leithéid ann riamh. (faoin am a caitheadh)

liathróid árasán (liathróid bhog, liathróid a pléascadh)

beoldath – leagan malartach de ‘béaldath’, feicim gurb é sin an teideal atá ar dhán le Liam Ó Muirthile

doirneog = cobblestone (agus púróg = cloichín/cloch bheag)

Is maith liom bia na hIodáile go mór (a lot), béilte a bhfuil pasta iontu go mór mór (particularly)

ribe róibéis – shrimp; prawn.

séacla, m. (gs. ~, pl. ~í).1. Emaciated person. 2. Crust: Shrimp

mise agus tusa agus ruball na muice – an nath in úsáid anseo https://www.gaois.ie/ga/corpora/monolingual/?Query=mise+tusa+agus+ruball&SearchMode=exact&PerPage=50

To remove oneself and all one’s belongings, do chip is do mheanaí a bhailiú leat as áit.

He packed up his traps, chrap sé leis a chip agus a mheanaí.

spite feamainne – https://ga.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spite_feamainne

Cuddle – gráin, láchaín – peataireacht/slíocadh ar mhada, https://www.southwales.ac.uk/story/926/ cwtch na Breatainise

out of the blue – tháinig sé gan choinne, tháinig sé gan cuireadh ná iarraidh, tháinig sé i mbéal na séibe (Casadh orm é i mbéal na séibe, I met him unexpectedly. I mbéal na séibe, suddenly, unexpectedly. Casadh orm i mbéal na ~ é, I ran into him unexpectedly.)

Mary Schmich a scríobh “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young”, nó “Wear Sunscreen” mar is fearr aithne air.

Video – Tuairisc na Mná

This piece was commissioned by Fingal County Council’s Arts Office, in association with The Irish Writers Centre.

Last year, myself and five other writers each created a piece in response to the events of 18th June 1921 when six Coast Guard stations on the North Dublin coast were simultaneously attacked, to secure a landing place for a shipment of arms which were being smuggled from the U.S. The coasts guards and their wives and children were sent out of the houses, before they were destroyed.

In the source materials I worked from, it was repeatedly asserted by Coast Guards and their families that the IRA men were courteous in their dealings. They helped the Coast Guards to remove their furniture and personal items, in one case moving a piano, which the family would not be compensated for by the British Admiralty. The IRA men then doused the station in parrafin and set it alight. It was a complex situation and I hoped to capture some of that in my poem.

In some cases local Irish women would have been married to the coast guard – an enviable set-up in a slate roof house with sturdy furniture. Following the destruction of the stations the families were all sent to live in England. I chose to write as an Irish wife, at the crux of it all.

If you’re interested, there are more details on the Fingal.ie here, agus i nGaeilge anseo.

Tuairisc na Mná 

Is muid inár suan
Tháinig cuairteoirí chugainn
Lenár dteach a dhó,
Is coinne againn leo.

Ghlac m’fhear leis go stuama
Is labhair leis an slua,
Naoi mbuachaillí óga
I mbun an ghnó.

Bhí a nglórtha séimh, múinte
Is iadsan dár ruaigeadh,
Ár dtroscán á thógáil 
Go tearmann an chlóis.

D’iompair siad ualach
Mo phianó le dúthracht,
B’íseal mo ghlór
Ag gabháil buíochais leo.

Bhris an buíon urrúnta 
An díon sclátaí le tuanna
Is steall siad an breosla
Ba gheal le mo shrón.

Scaoil siad trí bhuama
A phléasc i mbrúchtanna
A thacht gach seomra
le lasracha teo.

Is má bhraith mise gruama
An cumha ba chúis leis,
Mo chomhthírigh mo sheoladh 
ar deoraíocht go deo.

Thar muir sa teach nua
Seinnim go fóill
Is aithním a rian
ar nótaí an cheoil.

Video: Yours is the Earth

I was Writer In Residence at DCU during the pandemic. This year they had ‘The June Celebration’ a series of events that took place over 5 days in the Helix, to give all those who graduated in 2020 and Spring 2021 the opportunity to have an in-person graduation ceremony.

I was delighted to be commissioned by DCU to write a poem for the occassion. Is breá liom i gcónaí coimisiúin filíochta a fháilt agus ba mhór an sásamh a thug sé dom an ceann áirithe seo ag scríobh.

It was a welcome chance to create something positive to mark the end of those lock down years. I wrote the poem as winter was melting into spring and as you can see, we recorded the video on a blazing sunny day.

This video of ‘Yours is the Earth’ was shown at the graduation ceremonies and the poem was also printed as a limited edition keepsake and given to each student as they cross the stage when their name was called out.

Míle buíochas le chuile dhuine in DCU!

Ceardlann Scoile le Alexandra College

Bhí mé in Alexandra College inné, ag tabhairt ceardlann filíochta don tríú bliain. Bhíodar go diail ar fad!

Thanks to the teachers for bringing me in, and to the students for their poems, which had some great macaronic rhymes going on and everything!

Is breá liom a bheith ag labhairt le daltaí scoile faoin teanga agus na deiseanna uile a bhaineann léi. If you’re a teacher and would like be to come in to talk to your class, please get in touch! Email is best 🙂