Thursday 11 June 2009

The Larkin Hedge School and Immrama Festival of Travel Writing


This says

The Clé Club presents the Larkin Hedge School, a celebration of labour and folk history in song, story, music, dance and poetry. The Hedge School programme includes classes, workshops, poetry, storytelling, concerts and discussion groups involving old favourites from Clé Club sessions as well as some others who are new to the club. Full participation is encouraged as always.


Not quite sure what that's got to do with hedges but hedges are good. There aren't that many of them in Abbey Street. Remember not to cut them before 31st August.

When: from Friday June 12th

Fee: €10 covers all classes as well as sessions, discussions and two evening concerts. Advance booking is essential.

Where: Cois Life Bar, Abbey St, Dublin, D1

It includes a session with Tony Curtis about folk poetry which sounds interesting.

If you're in Lismore, Co Waterford, the same weekend. you should check out the travel writing festival.
Immrama presents a host of events and readings over the weekend including a poetry workshop for primary schools with Áine Uí Fhoglú. Other readings and speakers include Dervla Murphy, Dermot Somers, Kate Adie, Rory Maclean, Manchán Magan and Annie Rogers amongst many others.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

The hedge connection is historic of course, not that there are any hedges on Abbey street, but even historic hedge schools often took place in barns, dry ditches or abandonned buildings.

The principle is that a population with a well-rounded education, including a knowledge of the arts and the classics, will maintain personal freedom in the harshest of conditions.

Hedge masters risked life and limb to instruct children in these important forms of expression at a time when the vast majority of people were barred from obtaining an education by law.

Things aren't quite so bad now, but in time of recession, while we wonder who got us into this particular mess, we feel it appropriate to honour the principle of hedge schools and keep a focus on what's really important!

Colm Keegan said...

I'd like to see a bit more focus regarding content rather than them hedging their bets. Ahem...

Why cant we cut before 31st? I've inherited a hedge in my new house. I like to attack neighbours hedges as a kid but don't really like having one as a pet.

This all has nothing to do with writing altough a hedge would be handy to emerge from Emerging writer.

Emerging Writer said...

Did they used to have hedge schools in cities I wonder or just more rural area?

It's illegal to cut them before then because the wildlife use them for doing wild things.

Totalfeckineejit said...

'Hedge masters risked life and limb to instruct' You're not Joking!With this 'summer' weather you'd probably drown under the hedge or at the very least get fekin pneumonia.

Nóra Nic Oireachtaigh said...

Hedge schools were conducted in cities, towns and rural areas, wherever people lived.

Catholics were forbidden by law to obtain the most basic education in Ireland between 1702 and 1782, and although the penal law was relaxed at that time, many hedge schools persisted well into the 19th Century.

Emerging Writer said...

Thanks Nora, that's fascinating. Who did the teaching? Priests?

We wouldn't want the peasants to be getting any bit of learning...

And on a totally different note, I love really ancient hedges. Have you ever walked by one?