You are invited to a celebration of the poet John O Leary. Join us for readings by Paula Meehan, Theo Dorgan, Annette Skade, and Paddy O’Conor

Born in Boston, John O’Leary lived in Allihies for thirty five years on a farm which his grandfather had bought. There John bred Irish draught horses and was central to the cultural life of the area. He was a man of varied interests, an avid reader and a ground-breaking poet. He loved the sea and said that his ambition was ‘to write a wave’. He published two books of poetry, Salt in 2003 and Sea in 2004. John also spent time as a visiting Professor at the Wesleyan University of Illinois and Seattle University. A popular figure in Scoil Phobail Bhéara, John gave unstintingly of his time to encourage young writers. John died in a boating accident in 2012 but his legacy lives on.

Paula Meehan was raised in Dublin’s north inner city. Her poetry has garnered widespread acclaim. Her most recent collection The Solace of Artemis (2023) received the Pigott Prize for Poetry. Paula is a member of Aosdána

Born in Cork, Theo Dorgan is an award-winning poet, novelist, documentary screenwriter, translator and editor. His second novel, Camarade, was published this year by Mercier Press. He is a member of Aosdána.

Annette Skade has lived in Beara for many years. Her most recent ecopoetry book, Holdfast, published in 2024, is a poetry sequence celebrating seaweed and the life of Ellen Hutchins, Ireland’s first female botanist.

This event is presented in association with Poetry Ireland.

Winners of the Bere Island Writing Retreats Poetry Competition will read their poems at this event. The poetry competition is sponsored by Creative Place West Cork Islands.