They'll be writing a poem to honour and reflect their town and its people.
Two Poet Laureates have been selected for the midlands' newly-designated 'Poetry Towns'.
Mountmellick and Tullamore were given the special status last month, along with 18 others across the country.
It's part of a new initiative, from Poetry Ireland and in conjunction with local authorities, that will see more than 100 free, poetry-related activities take place in the 20 towns between 10th and 18th September.
The appointed poets are either from their respective local area or have strong connections to it and are tasked with writing a poem to honour and reflect the town and its people.
As part of the week-long Poetry Town celebrations next month, each Poet Laureate will reveal and present their poem at a series of flagship online events, one of which will be hosted in each town.
Each event will also feature contributions from other local poets, artists and musicians.
Cormac Lally is the chosen Poet Laureate in Tullamore, while Arthur Broomfield will take on writing duties in Mountmellick.
Cormac Lally
Cormac is known as one of Ireland’s top spoken word artists.
Originally from Tullamore, he moved to Skibbereen in 2015 with his family.
His work has been featured on RTÉ and he is a familiar face at the country’s top festivals.
He has performed with Mick Flannery, Blindboy, Linton Kwesi Jonson, Luca Bloom, Ronan Ó Snodaigh, Liam Ó Maoilaí, and Stephen James Smith.
In 2016, himself and his poetry wife, Julie Goo, wrote a show called Me, Myself and Ireland, a look back at Ireland, her history and culture, and they have toured the country with it.
His work is describe by Poetry Ireland as "a mix of utter lies, hard truths, politics and family life, dropped on the listener with a cutting humour with deep emotional levels, delivered in a flowing rhythm".
Speaking following the announcement, Cormac said; “it is a great honour to represent your hometown in any field or worthy endeavour. Tullamore is the place that shaped me, Ballinamere school the inspiration for my love of the English language and understanding the deep and rich cultural landscape that is Ireland. I dedicate this laureateship to my family, without whom I am nothing.”
Arthur Broomfield
While Dr. Arthur Broomfield is a poet and Beckett scholar from Ballyfin in Laois.
He holds a Ph.D. in English literature from Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick.
Arthur’s poems have been published in Poetry Ireland Review, Cyphers and many other literary journals in Ireland, the UK, USA and India.
He holds poetry workshops, when possible, and mentors poets online. He's also published a study on the works of Samuel Beckett, The Empty Too: Language and Philosophy in the Works of Samuel Beckett (Cambridge Scholars’ Publishing).
Arthur delivers lectures and conference papers on the works of Beckett, online and in person, to a wide global audience.
His current poetry collection is Ireland Calling (Revival Press).
He commented on how; “Mountmellick has so much to inspire the poet; the hands and minds that made it, the history and culture written into its street names, its diversity enshrined in its motto ‘Friendship through partnership’.
“I am truly honoured to have been chosen as Poet Laureate for this very special town. Mountmellick sings a unique song, I hope my work will hum to its chorus.”
Shine a light
Director of Poetry Ireland, Niamh O’Donnell says; “We are delighted we could secure such a strong cohort of Poet Laureates for this exciting new poetry initiative, which is characterised by collaboration and communal experiences.
“The aim of Poetry Town is to celebrate the vitality and strength of our towns and communities, and to shine a light on the wealth of creativity and talent that can be found in them. The diversity of this talent is reflected in the selection of Laureates, which includes both well-known visionary poets and new powerful voices.”
You can find more on poetryireland.ie.
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