Latest news with #Aosdána
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Vona Groarke announced as new Ireland Professor of Poetry
One of the most prestigious positions in poetry, the Ireland Professor of Poetry, was today announced by the Ireland Chair of Poetry Trust. Vona Groarke will be the tenth Ireland Professor of Poetry, taking over from the current holder, Professor Paul Muldoon. The position will run from September 2025 to November 2028. Of her appointment, Groarke said "It may seem strange for the newly minted Irish Professor of Poetry to find herself (almost!) at a loss for words to describe the delight and honour of having been selected for a role some of our finest poets have graced and amplified." Born in Mostrim, Co. Longford, Vera Groarke has published fourteen books, including eight collections of poetry with the Gallery Press, amongst them Shale (1994), Other People's Houses (1999), Flight (2002), Juniper Street (2006), Spindrift (2009), X (2014), Double Negative (2019), and Link: Poet and World (2021). She has also published translations of the eighteenth-century Irish poem Lament for Art O'Leary (Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire) and Woman of Winter, a version of the ninth-century Irish poem usually known as The Lament of the Hag of Beare. A member of Aosdána, and a former editor of the Poetry Ireland Review, she is currently Senior Lecturer in Poetry at the Centre for New Writing at Manchester University, as well as Poet in Residence with the Yeats Society in Sligo and Writer in Residence at St John's College, Cambridge. Listen: Vona Groarke presents Writing Yourself Home for The Lyric Feature The Ireland Chair of Poetry Trust was established in 1998 following the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature to Seamus Heaney. The Chair is supported by Queens University Belfast, Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin, as well as by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon. During their tenure, the Ireland Professor of Poetry is associated for one year with each of the three universities and resides for a period of approximately eight weeks at each Vona Groarke added: "I would like my time as Ireland Professor of Poetry to honour all those individuals and organisations, from teachers to libraries, readers to Irish publishers, whose attentions and efforts help to sustain the work of Irish poets. Together, we contribute to a sense that Ireland north and south, is a place where poetry happens and continues to matter. I also look forward to engaging with as many aspiring poets and readers of all ages as possible during my time in the role."
Irish Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
President Higgins mourns death of Mise Eire director George Morrison aged 102
President Michael D Higgins has paid tribute to renowned documentary maker George Morrison in the wake of his death. Mr Morrison, who was best known for Mise Éire, died at the age of 102 years old. President Higgins described him as 'an iconic and foundational figure in Irish filmography.' He said: 'As President of Ireland, may I express my deepest condolences on learning of the death of George Morrison. George Morrison is and will remain an iconic and foundational figure in Irish filmography. 'A filmmaker of immense craft and skill, he will rightly be remembered in particular as a great innovator in the techniques of film, using new and pioneering camera work while realising how film and music could be brought together in a way that is distinctive.' His films Mise Éire (1959), Saoirse (1961) and Rebellion (1963) are considered classics by his peers, according to Aosdána, the affiliation of creative artists in Ireland. Other renowned work include These Stones Remain (1971) and the maritime film Two Thousand Miles of Peril (1972). President Higgins said: 'His seminal works, including Mise Éire and Saoirse as well as his many other films including his early partnership with the Gate Theatre, comprise an outstanding body of work that has made a deep and lasting impact on Irish culture and Irish cultural memory. 'Mise Éire was created following a painstaking process through which George tracked down long lost or forgotten newsreels from the independence period in archives across Europe. This work led to the preservation of 300,000 feet of early 20th century newsreel footage which may have been lost forever without his work.' Mr Morrison was elected a Saoi of Aosdána in 2017 and presented with the symbol of the office of Saoi, the gold torc, by President Higgins at the time. 'I had the honour of bestowing the honour of Saoi of Aosdána on George Morrisson in 2017 and have also had the pleasure of meeting with him on many other occasions over the years, including when we marked his 100th birthday in Áras an Uachtaráin in 2023. 'On behalf of Sabina and myself, may I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and all those who have been so inspired by his work over the decades,' he added. Mr Morrison was born in Tramore, Waterford, in 1922 and his mum was an actress at the Gate Theatre in Dublin while his father worked as an anaesthetist. He enrolled in Trinity College to study medicine before leaving university to pursue his career in the creative arts. The Wexford native started working on documentaries with the Gate Theatre film ventures as an assistant director and editor. He was awarded the Industry Lifetime Contribution Award at the Irish Film and Television Awards in 2009. He was predeceased by his beloved wife Janet Morrison, who died in 2019, and his first wife Theodora Fitzgibbon, who passed in 1991. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Irish filmmaker George Morrison dies aged 102 as President Michael D Higgins lead tributes for ‘iconic figure'
'He will rightly be remembered in particular as a great innovator' IRISH filmmaker George Morrison passed away aged 102 yesterday. The director was best known for his documentary Mise Eire, which was produced by Gael Linn and composed by Sean O Riada. 2 George Morrison has passed away Credit: Aosdána 2 Michael D Higgins has paid tribute to Morrison The film was premiered in 1959 at the Cork Film Festival and it was the first full length feature film ever produced in the Irish language. It dealt with key figures and events in Irish nationalism between Ireland's most turbulent periods, culminating in the 1916 Rising and Sinn Féin's electoral victory in 1918. The title itself was taken from a 1912 poem by Republican revolutionary Patrick Pearse. Morrison was born in Tramore, Waterford, in 1922 and his mum was an actress at the Gate Theatre in Dublin while his father worked as an anaesthetist. He followed in his parents footsteps and enrolled in Trinity College to study medicine before leaving university to pursue his career in the creative arts. The Wexford native started working on documentaries with the Gate Theatre film ventures as an assistant director and editor. Morrison was a member of Aosdana and was awarded the Industry Lifetime Contribution Award at the Irish Film and Television Awards in 2009. He was predeceased by his beloved wife Janet Morrison, who died in 2019, and his first wife Theodora Fitzgibbon, who passed in 1991. Morrison was elected a Saoi of Aosdana in 2017 and was bestowed with the symbol of the office of Saoi, the gold torc, by President Michael D Higgins. Higgins paid tribute to Morrison today after hearing about his death and called him an "iconic and foundational figure in Irish filmography". Shock as beloved RTE star dies aged 63 after brief illness & tributes pour in He said: "A filmmaker of immense craft and skill, he will rightly be remembered in particular as a great innovator in the techniques of film, using new and pioneering camera work while realising how film and music could be brought together in a way that is distinctive. "I had the honour of bestowing the honour of Saoi of Aosdána on George Morrisson in 2017 and have also had the pleasure of meeting with him on many other occasions over the years, including when we marked his 100th birthday in Aras an Uachtarain in 2023. STAR TRIBUTES "On behalf of Sabina and myself, may I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and all those who have been so inspired by his work over the decades." Last year, Sinn Fein TD in Waterford Conor D McGuinness organised an event to honour Morrison. McGuinness also paid tribute to Morrison saying: "It's for Mise Eire and Saoirse he will mostly be remembered, but he produced many great works during his lifetime. "I was happy to nominate him last year for a civil honour from Waterford County and City Council. "Go dtuga Dia solas da mhuintir agus go raibh leaba i measc na naomh aige." After Mise Eire, Morrison made a follow-up documentary called Saoirse which analysed the still-divisive Civil War. He released a documentary on James Joyce's Ulysses in 2007, which was titled Dublin Day. And Morrison was the subject of a documentary called Waiting for the Light in 2008.
Irish Independent
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Badly defaced sculpture in Cork suburb needs to be restored
At a recent meeting of Cork City Council, Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Honore Kamegni tabled a motion calling for the refurbishment and enhancement of the John Burke sculpture which is located behind the grotto in Blackrock village. The motion requests Cork City Council to support the cleaning, repainting, and physical restoration of the sculpture, alongside the installation of a plaque bearing the artist's name and biographical information to honour his legacy. Speaking on the motion, Cllr Kamegni who is a member of the Green Party said: 'It is badly defaced and needs to be cleaned up and repainted and information provided as to its artistic provenance. Our public spaces should be better than this. Instead of art, we have graffiti and vandalism. We can do better and I hope the council will remedy the situation as soon as possible." John Burke who was born in Clonmel in 1946, was a pioneering sculptor and a founding member of Aosdána. Overcoming early challenges including dyslexia, Burke found his voice at the Crawford Municipal School of Art before advancing to the Royal College of Art in London, where he studied under influential British sculptors Anthony Caro and Bryan Kneale. His bold welded steel works were exhibited in major cities including Munich, Brussels, London, and New York. Cllr Kamegni stressed that recognition and preservation of public artworks like Burke's are vital to building cultural awareness and pride across Cork. 'It's about showing that we value artists, that we value our public spaces, and that we value Blackrock as a place where culture and community meet."
Irish Independent
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Ithell Colquhoun's The Crying of the Wind from 1950s Ireland still chimes with modern matters
Non-fiction The Crying of the Wind is an unfortunate title for what turns out to be a marvellous book. I approached it with wincing trepidation: that title made me think of overwrought poetry, mawkish autobiography – the sort of thing you'd imagine being recited by some bloviating Aosdána grandee at a dreary literary festival.I was delighted to be proved wrong.
