Francis Harvey Tribute - FREE event, booking advisable

Reflections and reminiscences about the late Donegal poet and playwright from leading poets Moya Cannon and Theo Dorgan, journalist Gerry Moriarty, and Francis Harvey's daughter Attracta Harvey Kinsella. The evening will include a multimedia presentation “Celebrating Francis Harvey” by photographer Emer O'Shea, inspired by and featuring Harvey’s poem ‘Heron’ which won the 1998 Guardian and World Wildfund Life  Poetry Competition.

  (Please note, there is an error in our printed programme brochure which states that entry to this event is €8. This is an error. Entry is free, but booking is advisable as places are limited.)

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-allingham-festival-2018-tickets-51105589193

Niall Mac Monagle at Allingham 2018

With less than two weeks to go to the festival, it's time to draw attention to one of this year's most active guests: Niall Mac Monagle. Niall will be involved in no less than three events in Allingham 2018.

On Friday afternoon, Niall will deliver a talk on art and literature aimed at senior secondary school students in the Abbey Arts Centre, drawing on their own knowledge of writing, art and poetry.

On Saturday afternoon he will launch Denise Blake's latest collection 'Invocation' and interview the Donegal poet as part of the Literary Lunch in Nirvana.  

Niall's final official appearance will be as a guest reader at the Allingham Concert on Saturday the 10th of November in the Abbey Centre, alongside the Donegal Youth Orchestra, Niamh Currid and Paul McVeigh, although he may  turn up in an unofficial capacity at several other events too!

Niall MacMonagle is an editor, writer, critic and broadcasts frequently on RTE Radio 1. He writes a weekly art column for the Sunday Independent and has edited Real Cool, Outside In, Slow Time, Off the Wall, the Lifelines anthologies, The Open Door Book of Poetry, TEXT - A Transition Year English Reader, the Leaving Certificate textbook Poetry Now and Windharp Poems of Ireland since 1916. In 2017 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by UCD for services to literature.

Poetry and Fiction Shortlists

We had a huge response to this year’s Poetry and Fiction competitions, and the standard was very high in both competitions, making the work of the judges very difficult, but after much deliberation the shortlists have been announced. Well done to all who took part. Winners will be announced in coming weeks, and winning authors will be invited to read their work at the Awards Ceremony during the Literary Lunch in Nirvana Restaurant, Saturday Nov. 10th.

Flash Fiction Shortlist:

Carol Caffery Witherow – ‘Study in Chiaroscuro’

Christina Campbell – ‘The Crossing’

Fenja Hill – ‘An Idea of Heaven’

Grace Kelley Fitzgerald – ‘Luscious’

Ingrid Casey – ‘Once Upon a Time in Holles Street’

Niamh MacCabe – ‘Cistern Seahorses’, ‘Pan on the Lean Branch’, ‘Zika’

Patrick Burke – ‘Fake Appraiser’

Paul Jeffcut – ‘A Curious Tale from the Orkney Islands’

Steve Wade – ‘A Bird for Whom the Skies Were Made’

Poetry Shortlist:

Breda Spaight – ‘Even the Fauna’

David Van-Cauter – ‘Gouranga’

Dierdre Hines – ‘One Female is a Pen’

Eleanor Hooker – ‘My Son Tells Me of His Dream’

Jerm Curtin – ‘The Fat Man’

Ron Carey – ‘The Long Path’, ‘Driving Rain Through Mayo’

Simon Lewis – ‘Tapestry’, ‘Ectopic’

Ingrid Casey – ‘When the Queen Falls in Love’

VIEW THE PROGRAMME

Finalists of Allingham Songwriting Contest Announced!

Over 50 entries were submitted to this year’s Allingham Songwriting competition, covering awide range of styles, from folk to hip-hop. Well done to all who took part.

The 12 finalists in the 2018 Allingham Songwriting Contest are (in no particular order):

AGATA WERCEL - ‘SUMMER’

BEN CULLY - ‘NAIVE’

RONAN GALLAGHER - ‘I WON’T DO THAT’

EDGY V - ‘SUMMER COLOURS’

AVRIL MC GOURTY - ‘MAKE IT STAY’

JOHN MCINTYRE - ‘PICTURES FROM THE PAST’

KARL MC HUGH - ‘ THEIR LOVE’

SEAMUS KENNEDY - ‘THE CAPTAIN’

WITHOUT WILLOW - ‘NOVEMBER FOG’

EMMA LANGFORD - ‘THE SEDUCTION OF EVE’

PETE SIMPSON - ‘SLOW IT DOWN’

OISÍN NEE - ‘THINKING OF YOU’

The finalists will perform in front of three judges at the Live Final in Dicey Reilly's Pub, Ballyshannon, on Friday November 9th from 10pm. This is always a great evening with music and performances of all styles. 

Entry: €5