Poetry Ireland announces Ireland Is — a spoken word and live music tour
Poetry Ireland has announced details of Ireland Is, a series of five spoken word and live music performances, which will take place in Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Galway and Longford this autumn.
The tour will run from 27 September to 01 October 2023, featuring a wonderful line-up of poets, including Colm Keegan, Felispeaks, Hollie McNish, Danez Smith, and Erin Fornoff, as well as guest performances by musicians JyellowL (Dublin), Strange Boy (Limerick), Olympio (Cork), Síomha (Galway) and SOAK (Longford).
The name of the tour is the title of a poem by Colm Keegan, who said that often a poem can be a great start to a conversation:
“After reading my poem ‘Ireland Is’ in many different settings, including prisons, homeless hubs, primary schools, youth clubs and nursing homes, I’ve found that people always want to add to it. Poems can be powerful catalysts for self-expression and creativity, and I really look forward to sharing the stage with Felispeaks, Hollie, Danez and Erin, and the guest musicians in each location, and to find out what Dublin is, what Limerick is, what Cork is, what Galway is, and what Longford is.”
Through their performances, the artists will explore and question what Ireland is today, engaging with themes of identity and social justice, including issues of race, gender, body image, relationships, feminism, equality, love, resilience, and more.
Commissioned by Poetry Ireland, co-produced with SoFFt Productions, and funded by the Arts Council, the performances will take place in the following venues:
Axis Ballymun, Dublin, Wednesday, 27 September, 8pm.
Lime Tree Theatre, Limerick, Thursday, 28 September, 8pm.
Everyman Theatre, Cork, Friday, 29 September, 8pm.
Black Box Theatre, Galway, Saturday, 30 September, 8pm.
Backstage Theatre, Longford, Sunday, 01 October, 8pm.
Director of Poetry Ireland, Liz Kelly said that the tour will offer audiences a diverse and profound mix of voices and perspectives:
“The performances will present us with an opportunity to reflect on Ireland’s multifaceted and contradictory identity; one which is glorious, beautiful, multicultural, open-minded, welcoming, and – at the same time – the opposite of all these attributes, too.”
Tickets for Ireland Is are priced €18-21 and can be purchased directly from the venues.
