My festival technically started on Tuesday purchasing guitar strings and various remedies and preventions from the Chemist… But It was a pretty uneventful trip, I didn’t even see any one trying to convince me how I need to vote in the Lisbon Referendum, so I decided nobody needed to hear about this trip, and I therefore I need not blog about it…
Then there was Wednesday, which found myself and my wife, leaving our home in Howth and making the Journey by Dart, Luas, Train, and then another train before we got to Ennis, as well as my wife, I was accompanied with a collection of Stories from the Master, P.G. Wodehouse (See Picture). We got to our B&B in Ennis at around 1900 hrs, but the journey wasn’t eventful enough to Blog about, so I will not. I will mention, that we went in to Ennis for the first time and found a lovely Chinese Restaurant called, The Prince Dragon.
And then, we came to Thursday, and the purpose of this Blog, my first day of the 2009 Children’s Book festival and Poetry Ireland day.
The day started with a lovely Breakfast with Coffee, then Irene, from Clare Libraries, came to pick us up. We then drove to Kildysart Library where I was to begin the festival. A group of over 50 Children entered the Library on time and I started with, ‘The Coat-Hanger’ Song. The group were exceptionally enthusiastic, and the poetry seemed to be enjoyed. The Limerick section went very well, and it was a wonderful way to start the festival. The children had already studied my poem, ‘Football in the Classroom’.
After that event, we then drove to Newmarket-on-Fergus for my second reading. Due to getting stuck behind slower vehicles we were late getting to the Library, but on our arrival, we discovered so were the Children, so I used this to my advantage and got my photo taken with some childhood heroes of mine (See photos below)
When the children arrived, another wonderful performance was had and they were another wonderfully enthusiastic group. A video of me performing my song, ‘Got New Shoes Blues’, at this Library can be seen below. There was some confusion between the City of Limerick and the Limerick poems whilst trying to explain the Limerick section, but I must have achieved it eventually, as again wonderful Limericks were written.
After this Library we were then driven to Shannon Library, which was my final library for the day. Two schools were read to in one session, one was a Gael Scoil. Another wonderful session was had by an exceptionally enthusiastic group. I was told, that I was very good, by a young girl who put her hand up especially to make this statement. When I asked if any of them had heard of the Blues, one Boy answered, ‘it’s music that old people listen too…’ Now, I know that I can officially be called old now, but I’ve been listening to the Blues since I was a teenager, have I always been old?
After this reading we were taken to a restaurant over the road from the Library for a lovely toasted special. And then driven back to the B&B, and that is where I am now, writing this…
As promised here is a video of me performing my old persons music…
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