Hugh Stancliffe seat in The Garden of Europe
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Black and Irish
Rhasidat Adeleke, the greatest living Irish athlete.
One of the great benefits of having a festival like Writers’ Week on our doorstep is that we are exposed first hand to writing that opens our eyes to issues we may have been unaware of before.
For me, last year, one such event was the great event in Listowel Courthouse when Stephen Connolly brought us Bad Bridget, a look into the underbelly of the Irish diaspora, when there were more Irish women than Irish men in prisons in the U.S.
This year Martim Dyar brought us Black and Irish. This is not just a book. In fact the book is the least of it. It is an educational movement that opens our eyes to issues faced by people around us, who, even though they may not look stereotypically Irish, or have names like Siobhán or Seán, are just as entitled to call themselves Irish as I am.
Listen to this about our most promising athlete
Through our work in Black and Irish we’ve had many opportunities to speak to young people about @rhasidat_adeleke
At every school talk and book talk we give, we show her to the audience and discuss the impact she has had on Ireland
Rhasidat is not just a talented athlete, she is an inspiration for all young Irish children who aspire to be the best at what they love. We are privileged to hear the whispered “wow’s” and see the looks of complete awe on children’s faces when we talk about her. We get to answer the many questions we are asked about her. This is the impact that Rhasidat has. She is inspiring the next generation. She is making all kids, regardless of gender, colour or anything else feel proud to be Irish
Rhasidat is at the beginning of a glittering career. She is and will represent Ireland at an incredibly high level and we should all be behind her on this journey!
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A Poem we Learned at School
W.H.Davies
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait tiWll her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.”
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St. Michael’s Cemetery
Martin Moore’s walk during this year’s Writers’ Week brought us to St. Michael’s cemetery.
This place deserves a book. It is full of Listowel’s history.
Owen MacMahon told us about Bill Kearney and his central role in Listowel life.
A family who experience tragedy
Michael Guerin has relatives buried here. He is knowledgeable about them and other fighting men interred here.
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A Defintion from The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce
Acquaintance, n. A person whom we know well enough to borrow from but not well enough to lend to. A degree of friendship called slight when its object is poor or obscure and intimate when he is rich or famous.
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A Fact
Almost 90% of snow is air.
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