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The Book Launch in words and photos

7/8/2013

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The evening began with me trying push my way into the room the launch of Galway Bay Folk Tales was to take place in. By eight o'clock the room was bursting and more people were queuing up outside the Cottage Bar. When twenty five Canadians joined the queue Fionnuala Gallagher, compere of the event, decided enough was enough. After a quick chat with Liza behind the bar it was decided to move the event out to the beer garden. So off we all went with Marina and I pointing directions.
PictureFionnuala declaims...
The rain and mist that had been hanging around all week cleared up. It was cool but beautiful summer evening. More men, women and children joined us but the beer garden was big enough for us all. Fionnuala Gallagher began the evening by giving a wonderful talk about being a witness to the frantic creation of the book and its illustrations

PictureRab introduces Marina
Having been awoken by my boys at 4 in the morning I was borderline deranged with sleep deprivation by the time it came for me to get up and entertain. But after a quick stimulant (in the form of an apple) up i went and performed a mixture of reading, telling and improvisation. I remembered to introduce Marina to the crowd and managed not to get too distracted by a smoke grey cat that walked along the overhang of the beer garden.


After the show Galway Festival Radio interviewed:
James the director of Colours Fringe Festival, who spoke about my writing; Fionnuala Gallagher who wrote the opening speech for the night; and myself.

PictureRab begins to tell a story
It was a superb evening. Huge thanks to Fionnuala, the staff of the Cottage Bar, Colours Fringe Festival, Galway Festival Radio and to everybody who came along to support me and Marina.

These photos were taken by James Harrold, the Arts Officer of Galway City. If anybody else has pictures or video clips please send me a copy. I'm sure you will all enjoy the book. Remember to post up your reviews and to  tell all your friends

Cheers!

Rab

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Callisto - a poem

7/6/2013

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Picture
This poem was written after looking at Jupiter and her inner moons through the telescope my wife gave me for my 40th birthday.
   As I looked at the moons I found myself thinking of all the friends I had lost, in particular one very close friend Sandie Craigie...
   You can hear me perform the poem on PNN as part of a longer discussion about art, culture and politics. I perform Callisto 16.30 minutes into the show: 
https://newmercurymedia.com/august-authors.html

callisto

imagine Callisto, thi sureness ae her form,
torn by thi velocity ae her dive
oan n oan inty absolute nuhhiness;
thi infinite freezing blankness ae thi Cosmos.

imagine thi thrill, thi joy, thi terror
ae her faw inty loss n discovery,
terrified yit kennin when extremis is met
n vanquished she needs ainly turn
n return tae thi heavens
watchin oour her,

thi math n thi melody n thi gravity
o Jupiter, Europa, Io, Ganymede;
thur bleezing iced spheres,
thur crackling, boomin, hissin atmospheres,
geein guidance, comfort, freedom
thru ilka tock n tick o eternity.

yit, imagine this:

Callisto et thi furthest streech
ae her courage n strength, her form bare seccins fae
being wrencht apairt by forces ayont her,
turns – triumphant! – tae her heavens yince mair
n sees ainly vast weesht blackness.

this yince happened tae me. in a blink
aw ma heavens, thur unco glitter n thur unco love,
thur kisses n bleary, beery nicotine wurds,
wur ripped forever fae mi.
yit thi cruel air kept moving thru ma lungs,
thi grun refused tae swally mi.


(For more of my poetry check out abstraction,
where I am slowly adding twenty five years of poetry)

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    Author

    I enjoy playing with words: making poems, plays, stories, songs, rants, whispers and jokes. All while I'm cooking or looking after my children...

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