Former Cúirt Grand Slam Champion, poet Stephen Murray had an inspired idea early last year – to find five of Ireland’s top young performance poets and fly them to Atlanta to represent Ireland, for the first time, in one of the world’s biggest international spoken word poetry festivals, Brave New Voices.
The author of two critically acclaimed Salmon titles – ‘House of Bees’ and ‘On Corkscrew Hill’, Murray, also the director of inspIreland, has dedicated the last number of years to hosting creative writing workshops in secondary schools all over Ireland. In this time he has gained the interest and respect of many inspired young students, and has accumulated almost five and a half thousand followers on Facebook.
His mission is to show his students that poetry isn’t just about the conservative, dull pieces that are often associated with the rote learning of our education system, but that it can also be very liberating and enjoyable when we put our modern touch on it. Performance poetry is the art of bringing poems to life. It’s the expression of, not only our words, but our emotions, through body language and intonation. Literally ‘performing’ poems allows the poet to add their own flavor to the poem – it brings an upbeat quality to some, celebrates the slow-moving-rhythms of others. .
After the success of his workshops, Murray decided to make 2014 his year to search for five of the most talented young writers he could find, and offer them the chance to represent Ireland over in the international festival and on America’s HBO TV show, Brave New Voices.
His blog received six thousand entries, which led to many regional finals, and a national final which was aired on the RTÉ Arena radio show. The five members of Team Ireland selected at the final will fly to Atlanta this July. Here they are, each with a few words of their own:
Lucy FitzGerald (Aged 17 from Kerry)
I had never heard of slam poetry before the workshop with Stephen and I was totally blown away by it. I had never written anything outside of English class so it was all a new experience to me. Slam poetry has transformed my opinion of poetry and I believe it deserves a lot more recognition in Ireland. The freedom of slam poetry is what appeals to me most about it. It offers writers an opportunity to express themselves without any restrictions.
Iobhar Stokes (Aged 17 from Limerick)
I was so surprised when I made it to the finals, and would be reciting my poem on the radio. At the final I got to know the other contestants and had a great time! Finally came the time to perform my own poem. I don’t remember ever being so nervous. The results were then announced and I was so shocked to hear my name being called out as one of the winners! (It was only recently that it all sunk in!)
So, now we’re all preparing for the Brave New Voices Poetry Slam competition in Atlanta, Georgia. I can’t wait! It will be the first time Ireland has sent a team. My teammates and I are all going to give it a 100% and hope to bring some good news home with us, as well as enjoy the hot sun and thrills of America!
Neasa Mc Cormack (Aged 17 from Clare)
I’ve always written little things but only started to take it seriously when I was fifteen. I started writing short stories and poems, but never told anyone, until Stephen came to our school and chose me to go forward in the poetry competition. It was the first time anyone else had seen my work. I absolutely love writing and will never give it up. And now, I’m even more confident with my words.
Ryan Mangan (Aged 19 from Galway)
I think anything can happen when the impetus behind you is your heart.
‘Nursing Home’ was the first poem I ever wrote and will probably always carry the most meaning for me. I wrote it about my grandmother’s old age dementia, about how emotions will never be lost, even behind the haze of anonymity. The poem captures how I feel about this trip to America and how I feel about representing Ireland with my words; not everyone knows about the team yet, or the fantastic project we’re lucky enough to be involved in, but that won’t impact on the strong emotions we have towards this country. The Irish Culture and the team’s personal memories here will help us write, perform and make something magical happen over in Atlanta. I know it. My experiences with writing involve having ‘Nursing Home’ published in The Irish Times, performing ‘Suicide Awareness’ on RTÉ Arena and writing articles for the Connacht Tribune. I absolutely love writing and performing and all opportunities that come my way are a blessing. Especially this one.
Mel Kavanagh (Aged 19, from Dublin)
I would never have considered myself a poet before a chance encounter with Stephen whilst I was in Transition Year. It was through one of his workshops that I discovered the revolution of poetry that is Spoken Word. From the first poem, I couldn’t stop. Verses would pop into my head in the middle of maths class; my school bag and room were a constant clutter of scribbles on spare paper. Coming in second place in the All Ireland Schools Slam, my first experience in competition, highlighted for me that this is something not only I enjoy, but that I’m good at.
I’m really excited to represent Ireland in Brave New Voices this summer. We’ve a dedicated team rearing to do our hometowns and country proud. Starting college in DCU in September was a big adventure and now Atlanta will be the next. I can’t wait!
As with many new projects, the team are tied down by the ropes of funding. All team members are relying on small donations from friends, family members and the general public in order to pursue their ambitions to succeed in Atlanta this July. Any support that you can offer would be sincerely appreciated – no donation can be too small!
If you are interested in supporting the team please contact either of the team’s leaders, Ryan or Mel on ryanmangan@live.ie or melissakavanagh95@gmail.com respectively.
(c) Ryan Mangan, Team Ireland
