JoyAnne O'Donnell

                                                             
                               

JoyAnne O’Donnell is a poet from Pennsylvania.
She has been writing since age nineteen. 
She is the author of five poetry books. 
JoyAnne writes for peace, love and unity, and about nature and true life events. 

JoyAnne also writes for good causes.
The beauty of nature brings out the joy in her poems. 
Her poem “Dandelions” was read by Jessica Care Moore and featured on NPR in April 2018. 

JoyAnne has had two poems nominated for the Pushcart Prize and holds a high honors certificate from The Art of Poetry
presented to her by Robert Pinsky of Boston University.

Her published works are:
1. "Winds of Time", 
2. Spring & Summers Veil" by Kelsay books, 
3. "Palace of  Enchanted Day and Night", 
4. "Heavens Medal"
5. "Summer in The Breeze"

P E A C E    S H A D E S

The sun colors

the flowers light 

so softly in the 

cool breeze

the rain sparkles

giving the petals breath

when I look for peace

I take a walk 

sit in a meadow

finding grace 

in such a special place

seeing nature's kindness

with such sweet tenderness

Bernard 'Barney' Sheehan

TRIBUTES HAVE BEEN PAID TO 'CULTURE WARRIOR' BARNEY SHEEHAN WHO HAS PASSED AWAY.

Bernard 'Barney' Luttrell O'Callaghan Sheehan, poet, amateur jockey, leather craftsman, founder/MC and long-time driving force behind the popular weekly (Wednesday) poetry revival sessions in Limerick City at the White House bar on O'Connell Street, died on Saturday April 9, 2018. Following his repose at Thompson's Funeral Home, his funeral took place on Wednesday, April 11. Following mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Ennis Road. He was laid to rest in Nenagh at Kenyon Street cemetary watched by an intimate gathering of family and friends. Fittingly, Barney was laid to rest to the sound of friends voices reading poetry (Sheila Sugrue) and Sheila Fitzpatrick-O'Donnell saying 'Goodbye Barney' as she gathered a fist of earth to follow the coffin to its final resting place. Known locally, nationally, internationally and perhaps further, (Barney would have argued 'universally known'), for his promotion of poetry and poetry readings, tributes have been pouring in giving due recognition for his untiring efforts, over many years, promoting poetry and poetry readings in Limerick City and, by example, inspiring it elsewhere.

Photo shows Barney with a celebratory cake designed to mark the claimed 500th week of readings at the White House Bar. Beginning the '501st' evening of the poetry sessions, poet Tom McCarthy took over the roll as MC. The guest poet on this evening was Brian Blaney.

 Barney Sheehan, in classic pose, with a poster and a vision. 

Inset, the book cover of Desmond O'Grady's My Limerick Town  with the portrait painted by Jack Donovan. 

My Limerick Town, edited, and published by Barney Sheehan (White House Press, 2009), (ISBN: 978-0-9550559-1-1),  first appeared in a preparatory soft back draft version prior to the excellently produced hardback copy.

They said:-

With his portrait on the cover, painted by Limerick artist Jack Donovan, whom he had 'known longest in the Arts', Desmond O'Grady signed copies of his book 'My Limerick Town' at its launch on August 28, 2009 ... foremost in the short list of dedications was his school friend Bernard 'Barney' Sheehan who edited, and published, the book and who has done more than most to keep the memory, and work, of poet Dr. Desmond O'Grady foremost in the public mind.

- Brian Blaney

See also:

Desmond O'Grady  Tom McCarthy Brian Blaney

Dr. Bridget Wallace

Dr. Bridget wallace is a regular reader at the White House Poetry Revival sessions.

A native of Limerick city, whe has previously published in Incognito, The Stony Thursday Book and Revival. Holding a PhD from Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, (English Language Dept.), Bridget's special area of interest is Postcolonial theory and modern Middle Eastern literature, with particular focus on poetry. She has been an English Literature tutor with Oscail, the Irish Open University and has facilitated creative writing workshops. Her work can be found in SEXTET, (Revival Press, 2010), an anthology of six poets, and in Revival, the poetry journal. In 2012 she was guest poet at Crawley Wordfest, UK and, in 2015, won the Viva Voce poetry competition at Éigse Michael Hartnett.

February 2016

Sunday, 21st February, saw the launch of Bridget Wallace's much awaited first collection. Entitled Shadow Horses and launched at the Hunt Museum, the introduction by fellow poet Teri Murray ('a wide range of subjects, contexts ... set in various locations'), saw the opening poem Rifleman, (in memory of the poet's uncle, Patrick O Halloran, killed in 1918 while a soldier with the Royal Irish Rifles), set a war theme that ricochets throughout the book. However, in a manner exemplified by the poet's own reading of her work, the ravages and consequences of war are quietly and firmly stated under titles like Sarajevo, A Postcard from the Front, The Irish Brigade, Brothers in Arms and, among the lines of other less obvious titles. For all this seeming restraint, nothing of the poet's intended message is lost - mankind's inhumanity to mankind. There are other journeys too. At first like walks in familiar boreens of the mind, but suddenly lit by news-flash feelings you'd forgotten you had, should have had, envied, or feared you may now experience. You will feel love, tenderness and loss in unexpected places among these lines. Read them all - slowly. You will be awakened.

Shadow Horses, is published by Revival Press with book and cover design by Lotte Bender, features a striking watercolour painting of horses by the poet herself.

JULY 2014

With the aim of promoting creativity among the public, Bridget teemed up with Sheila Fitzpatrick-O'Donnell (see link) to form the 'Reading at Random' project. This saw them enlist the help of a chair (yes... chair) which they bring everywhere with them and encourage the public to sit and tell their stories. They have so far visited Sligo, Tulla and Sixmilebridge and hope to raise funds towards a poetry bus and run a Poetry Tour of Ireland. It's rumoured they're on FaceBook, check it out.

See also:

Louis Mulcahy Joe Healy Evelyn Casey John Pinschmidt

Sheila Fitzpatrick-O'Donnell

Mike Durack

I grew up on a farm near Birdhill, Co. Tipperary and I was educated at Nenagh CBS and U.C.D. I worked as a teacher for 36 years in my old secondary school and am now enjoying a life of retired leisure in Ballina/Killaloe. I was a founder member of Killaloe Writers Group which was a dynamic force in my community for about 15 years after its inception in 1991. My poems have appeared in many literary publications including Limerick Poetry Broadsheet, Flaming Arrows, InCognito, The Burning Bush, The Cafe Review (Portland, Maine), The Stony Thursday Book and Poetry Ireland Review. They have also aired on local and national radio. A chapbook, Nothing to Write Home About, was published in 1988 and A Hairy Tale of Clare, a comic narrative in verse, was issued in 1994.

In recent years I have been collaborating with my brother, Austin, on a programme of poetry and guitar music and we have produced two albums, The Secret Chord (2013) and, Going Gone (2015). We have been performing our programme at arts centres and festivals throughout the Mid-West.

POEMS

1.

SODS

When I was knee-high to Brenda Lee,

I fell hopelessly in love with Farah Diba.

It was love against all the odds,

she being much older and a non-catholic,

not to mention her engagement to the Shah of Persia.

Nothing ever came of it, of course.

Subsequently I lost my heart to others -

Connie Stevens, Sandra, Dee, oh yes, and

Jean Shrimpton, Julie Christie, Tuesday Weld.

Invariably, my love was unrequited.

Then, sensing that I was just a plain, ordinary sod,

I resolved to settle for local goddesses

with names like Maureen, Sheila, Mary, Anne,

from places like Birdhill and Dromineer,

and it was fun. I inclined to shed my dreams

of London, Beverly Hills and Teheran,

took up the guitar, grew a beard, and became

captain of the local rugby club.

Sods make their own importance.

2.

PROTHALAMION

Ceaseless sweep of big muddy water,

carry the soul of Magnolia State,

spirit of forest and cotton field,

soul of Caucasian, Negro, Choctaw;

spirit of Jackson, Natchez, Starkville,

borne by dugout and paddle-steamer

past bluff and levee and delta silt

down to the Gulf of Mexico.

And, spirit of Shannon, wend and surge

by long meadow and royal fort;

glide underneath the white bird's hill,

and carry a tale of Sí and Árd Rí,

of Norse and Norman, of Gael and Gall

with barge and cruiser and sailing skiff

past Diarmuid and Gráinne's silken bed

to the yawning sea by Lovers' Leap.

Beneath white horses of boundless ocean

currents course, eddy and mingle -

waters of Clare and cool Tipperary

caressing the tide of warm Mississippi

ferried by Gulf Stream and Atlantic Drift.

3.

AND THE BEAT GOES ON

My head once filled with clean, electric sounds

from Hank B Marvin's red Fender guitar.

The Beatles poured in raucous harmonies

and far-out, echo-chamber-voice refrains.

Then came the Byrds with Dylan rhymes alighting,

all jangling  twelve-strings, cymbals cascading;

the Beach Boys' sleek West Coast falsettos;

Simon and Garfunkel's cloister-euphonies.

Now it's the subtle, unplugged Muse who plucks

the big bass notes and sets the words at large

to swell and wail and chime and echo,

and images to float on purple waves.

Printed poems strum rhythms in my ear

insistent as the racy Mersey beat.

Teri Murray

NEWS...

Sadly Teri Murray passed away in early 2017 (R.I.P.)

TERI MURRAY's  collection - 'UNDER A LINNET'S WING' (Eliza Press) -  was launched May 14th, (7.30pm) in Gerry Flannery's public house on Catherine Street, Limerick.

Teri Murray was born in Lewisham, in Kent (UK) but grew up in Dublin and her poetry is full of the characters and places she knew as a child. In 1987, she won the Wicklow Community Award for a children's play and lived in Limerick for some years until her passing in early 2017. She has published four collections of poetry, the first, Coddle and Tripe (1998, Stonebridge), was a collaborative work with her partner, the late Liam Mulligan (R.I.P.). This was followed by Poems from the Exclusion Zone (2001, Stonebridge), The Authority of Winter (2007, Stonebridge) and Where The Dagda Dances - New and Selected Poems (2010, Revival Press). From her earliest work, Teri maintained a timeless sense of history and place, as captured in her early poem, Greenhills. A regular reader at the White House Bar poetry readings in Limerick, Ireland until that venue's closure, renovation and re-opening when poetry readings were discontinued.

POEM

(1)

GREENHILLS

The road severs the barren plains of the flocks of Eider,

no marker for the grave of the tribe;

Parhalonians, last of a great race

driven to the perimeters to live and die,

like me.

/...(Stanza one of two)

POEM

(2)

BARS AND LATCHES

I never could gauge the tension

between blocks and spaces

when my mother's fingers

unravelled the yarn

in the long silences

/...(Stanza one of three)

POEM

(3)

THE PARLIAMENT OF CRONES

The mother of God moved to Fatima Mansions

when she was just past child-bearing age

and the plaster skin that had moulded her

started to peel and fade

/...(Stana one of seven)

What they said:-

It is in the recollections from childhood that friendship, loyalty and admiration for companions and times past really shines through...

- Mike Byrne (on The Authority of Winter)

Murray inscribes a much-needed voice for inhabitgants of all exclusion zones, whether they are of personal construction or sociologically determined.

                            - Bridget Wallace (on Poems from the Exclusion Zone)

It is in the recollections from childhood that friendship, loyalty and admiration for companions and times past really shines through...

                              - Mike Byrne (on The Authority of Winter)

... a poet at ease with the blending of mythology and everyday observation, heightening our perceptions... themes of loss, grief and remembering recur... an accomplished seamstress of poetry.

                               - Ciaran O'Driscoll (on Where The Dagda Dances)

Only the most gifted and able of poets can write in a way that conveys a sense of almost unbearable loss and yet somehow manages to ease her own inevitable losses.

                                - Pauline Fayne

See Also:-

Liam Mulligan