My Children's Book Festival 2010 - Part two

I do love the fact that this festival is in October. The Autumnal atmosphere is a perfect setting as people prepare for Halloween and this festival nicely sets up the Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons for me. Due to this festival, the last three months of the last 6 years have had a wonderful completed feel about them… So October is the perfect month for this… But…

I have been introduced to a minor disadvantage of the festival taking place in October, it coincides with the X-Factor hotting up. Now I do not watch the X-Factor but thanks to wall-to-wall coverage, I do seem to know quite a bit about it, but this year I decided would be different. I will make myself ignorant of the show, anytime I saw an article or it came on another television show I would put my fingers in my ears, close my eyes and go, “Blah Blah Blah” until it had ended…

Now what has this to do with the Children’s Book Festival? I hear you ask with emphasised impatience… I shall tell you…

I arrived in Cork at around 1330hrs on Monday 18th October 2010. Getting a taxi from Kent station to my hotel, the taxi driver seeing my guitar asked if I was there for the Jazz (Something I was asked by all taxi drivers whilst here.) when I replied in the negative and explained why I was in Cork. Then he asked me, ‘I suppose you watch the X-Factor?’ again I replied in the negative and he took this as an indication that I wanted to know all about it. So I now know about Mary, Wagner, feuding judges and all sorts about a show I was hoping to avoid… Oh well.

I was back in Cork though, a place I’ve spoken about my fondness for before, but this time was a bit bittersweet, as my wife was unable to accompany me and Cork without my wife is like Laurel without Hardy, although she’d prefer a more romantic analogy. But I was in Cork and I was determined to make the best of my time here.

My first reading was on the following day at the Grand Parade Library in the Centre of Cork. A place I had visited many times. A class of all boys entered and I went straight into the Coat-hanger song. My first poem produced giggles from some of the boys and this did me the world of good, I’ve been feeling a bit down about my art recently thinking that it was unloved and not wanted, the sound of a child giggling immediately put paid to that idea… and also put me on cloud nine… I was feeling so good as I completed the rest of the performance and hopefully this came across. Limericks were well written and there was a continuation of the giggling throughout the session.

This set up the next session nicely. The setting for this Tory top Library, where the librarian Mary recognised me from a previous reading. The group that entered were an all girl group. This was another successful reading and performance where the children enjoyed themselves and the teacher asked what my book was called and where it can be purchased…

The following day I had two readings again, and the mix was identical the first class was boys and the second were all girls. The first session was at Mayfair Library and was again very successful. Questions were asked, Giggles were heard and there was also a request for more songs… I couldn’t comply due to time issues, but it was a nice request to hear. The second group of the day was to be found in Bishopstown library, which is convenient as this is where the taxi driver took me. The taxi driver for this leg of the journey, had been in Tory Top Library whilst I was in there and he loved my song, New Shoes Blues, this set up my mood nicely for a wonderful last session.

The last group of the day, Cork and the Festival itself, really enjoyed the session. Wonderful Limericks were written, enthusiastic questions were asked and there was clapping accompanying my songs. They had sought me out on the internet and werem familiar with my song, 'Mis-Spelt Football Team Blues'. One question asked was, ‘How long does it take to write a poem?’ and I normally answer this question by reading a poem of mine (From my new collection, Dublin’s lesser spotted creatures) which took me the duration of washing my hands to write, and then go on to explain other poems take weeks to get right, so there is no hard and fast rules. At this answer one young girl put her hand up to tell me that she once wrote a song whilst eating her dinner, but unfortunately by the time she finished the song had been forgotten. I can certainly sympathise with this, this has happened to me on many occasions, so I reiterated the importance of always having a notebook with you, although probably not at the dinner table.

So again, a successful Children’s Book Festival was had by me… Here’s hoping next year will be as good.

My Children's Book Festival 2010 - Part one

Tuesday October 12th

The Spire on O’Connell Street is not popular with the boys from, St Joseph’s School Fairview… They made sure I knew that.

But I jump forward. As a chronicler I need to set the scene, the place and the background and I have done none of these things in that first sentence.

The truth is I am referring to the 2010 Children’s Book Festival, that is in its 20th year and I am in my 6th year of performing for it.

After last years 35 performances, I have managed to get 6 performances this year, but I am not complaining. I understand that these are recessionary/purse-string-tightening times and I’m just happy to have readings… I may complain if I had none, but then I wouldn’t be writing a blog so you will not have to read it…

So the first port of call for this year’s festival is Dublin City Libraries. I have never before performed within this jurisdiction, but this completes my visits to all 4 Dublin-based areas. This year I have the treat of having the company of another performer for the festival. My wife Daria is making her maiden voyage in this year’s festival, reading her wonderful stories regarding Lorcan the Lamb and others, and we were both doing Dublin City on the same day, different Libraries. So we travelled together from our base in Howth, me getting off at Clontarf Road as she went further to Grand Canal Dock.

My first reading was in Marino Library and I was given Coffee and Chocolate as I set up (Always a good start). A group of 25 boys from the above mentioned school entered at ten and I went straight into, ‘The Coat-hanger Song’. It was like I’d never been away. I read poems, asked questions, sang songs and gave the children a Limerick section asking them to write their own Limericks. Following the format of previous years, with one major difference… This year I was able to read some Dublin-Based Verse in a Dublin based Library…

I have recently written a collection of Nonsense/Comic verse that centres on Strange Creatures to-be found in the Dublin area, and I was looking forward to reading them to a Dublin based Children-Audience. I premiered some of them at a reading I gave to Celebrate 10 years of Stewarts Hospital Library and they were well received, so I really wanted to read them as part of this festival. One of the poems details the purpose of the Spire on O’Connell Street and after the reading, many of the questions concerned this and their disapproval of it. Hence the beginning sentence. The word Ugly was used in reference to it more than once…

A successful and enjoyable time was had by me and hopefully by all… Although I was asked if I could sing Paparazzi by Lady Gaga, something that is never going to happen… Ever, I tell you…

After Marino, I made the pain free journey to Raheny Library. I was immediately made to feel welcome again, thanks to friendly faces and the all important offer of Coffee…

Taking my coffee, I started to set up my stuff… This session I was told would be 60 children from two separate Schools… And I wasn’t misled; this was exactly what happened… These classes seemed to have no strong views on the Spire in O’Connell Street, but when I asked if anyone could tell me what purpose it served, one young girl answered that it is big enough to be seen from other areas in town, so if you are lost you can get your bearings from the spire… This had never occurred to me.

Also during the Limerick section a group of young boys approached me and asked if they could sing a song about Ronaldo. I said yes, and the entire audience of teachers, Librarians, Children and I were treated to a song about Ronaldo song to the tune of Dean Martin’s: That’s Amore. Again a wonderful session was had and it feels good to be back doing the CBF again…

I’d like to thank all from Dublin City Libraries involved, The Schools and the teachers who came and most of all, The Children to whom I was allowed to read and to sing to.

I’m back in Cork next week and looking forward to it.