JAN, 2019
St. Patrick’s Festival 2019 Binds Irish and Scottish Cultural Connections Through Words
Dublin UNESCO City of Literature is delighted to partner with St. Patrick’s Festival on a new poetry project The Words That Bind Us, which will explore the contemporary connections of culture, traditions and heritage between Ireland and Scotland The project brings together poets from Ireland and Scotland to collaborate with a new generation of young writers, exploring the roots between the two countries and topics of belonging and identity, through the prism of spoken word, poetry and performance.
. Karen Walshe, St. Patrick’s Festival Artistic Director, has invited Irish spoken word artist Stephen James Smith and Scottish poet Leyla Josephine to work as ‘poets in residence’ at Axis in Ballymun, collaborating with a group of 20 teenage students from local secondary school Trinity Comprehensive, over a three-month period.
Through a series of participatory workshops and masterclasses with poets including Felispeaks, Dagago Hart, John Cummins and Laureate na nÓg Sarah Crossan, the students will go on to perform their own original spoken word pieces in front of a live audience on the axis Ballymun stage. They will also be performing their works on the Dublin UNESCO City of Literature Poetry Trail as part of the 2019 St. Patrick’s Festival programme.
The Words That Bind Us – Performance Schedule:
Wednesday 13th March
Scottish Event Partners: Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh & Neu! Reekie!
Three Irish and three Scottish poets will connect through the project and take part in youth engagement workshops at axis, Ballymun. The poets pair up and create a new performance which will be presented at an event in Edinburgh, based on the themes of identity, belonging and the exploration of the ties between Scotland and Ireland. All will gather on Wednesday March 13th to perform on stage at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh, in celebration of the launch of St. Patrick’s Festival Dublin, the following day.
Saturday 16th March
The Words That Bind Us – Live at axis, Ballymun, Dublin.
This performance will be the culmination of the work of 20 teens from Trinity Comprehensive Ballymun and their mentors’ Irish poet Stephen James Smith and Scottish poet Leyla Josephine. A beautifully curated presentation of their work will feature special guest appearances from a host of invited poets. It will also feature Creative Sisters, led by Leyla Josephine, where young female minds dive into their personal ‘WOW factor’ (Women Of the World), celebrating their power and potential as young Dublin women, and exploring notions of creativity, identity and belonging. Running concurrently with the live show, will be a new installation of the students work displayed through sound and photography in axis Ballymun.
Monday 18th March
Dublin UNESCO City of Literature Poetry Trail The Words That Bind Us.
We will celebrate the breadth and diversity of the city’s living poets on a curated trail, based on the poets’ own work and the locations that inspired them. Curated by Linda Devlin, the trail will include a mix of Irish and Scottish Poets; confirmed poets for the 2019 Poetry Trail include host John Cummins, Felispeaks, Dagago Hart, Colm Keegan etc. The route includes Gutter Bookshop, The Winding Stair, Books Upstairs, Science Gallery, National Gallery of Ireland and the International Bar.
The Words That Bind Us is a new artistic initiative from St Patrick’s Festival 2019 with the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Ireland and the Department. of Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, Scotland, the British Council and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, in association with axis Ballymun, Neu! Reekie! and Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh.