Winners of Poetry and Fiction Competitions

The winners of the Allingham 2018 Poetry and Flash Fiction competitions are…

Flash Fiction

First Place  -- ‘Pan on the Lean Branch’, by Niamh MacCabe

Second Place -- ‘The Crossing’, by Christina Campbell

Third Place -- ‘Once Upon a Time in Holles Street’, by Ingrid Casey

Poetry

First Place -- ‘The Long Path’, by Ron Carey

Second Place -- ‘Ectopic’, by Simon Lewis

Third Place -- ‘The Fat Man’, by Jerm Curtin

Congratulations to the winners, and we look forward to seeing you all at the awards ceremony next Saturday as part of the Literary Lunch (Nirvana Restaurant, The Mall, Ballyshannon, 12pm - open to the general public). Well done to everyone who took part. We had a record number of entries in both categories this year, and all of our judges were suitably impressed by the quality of the work. Thanks also to our judges Jessica Traynor, Paul Mc Veigh, Una Mannion and Theo Dorgan for all their hard work in selecting the winners.

Writing, Poetry and Creativity at Allingham 2018

We have a fantastic range of events celebrating, encouraging and supporting new and established writers next week at the Allingham Festival. With writing workshops for secondary school students, a Creativity Workshop with Olive Travers, poetry readings with Jessica Traynor, Niall MacMonagle’s exploration of art and creativity, book launches and interviews with Denise Blake, Paula Gilvarry and Marc McMenamin, writing awards at the Literary Lunch, poetry and writings of the Allingham Family, and our commemoration of WWI, there is something for everyone!

Classical, Traditional, Bluegrass & Poetry at the Allingham Concert

We have a fantastic night of music for you next Saturday night at the Allingham Concert! 
The show will open with a performance by the highly acclaimed Donegal Youth Orchestra, led by conductor Vincent Kennedy. The programme for the evening will include classical and traditional pieces, and feature original compositions by Mr. Kennedy. 
Following that, we have the wonderfully talented Niamh Currid, who needs no introduction to local audiences. Niamh will perform three original pieces for piano, 'The Waning Moon', 'Sadhbh’s Lament' and 'The Crashing Waves'. Niamh will then be joined by Rory Corbett on banjo, James Mc Namee on fiddle and Henry Pierce on mandolin for a mixture of folk, bluegrass, southern soul and some Irish pieces for good measure. 
We are also delighted that Niall MacMonagle will be able to join us on the Abbey stage with a short reading to contribute to the magic of the evening. Niall is an editor, writer, critic and broadcasts frequently on RTE Radio 1. 
This promises to be a highly entertaining evening with music of the highest calibre, so book your tickets now!

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.