Poet Luke Morgan
WATERFORD’S SpeakEasy poetry and open mic is returning for 2023, with a strong line-up of featured guests. The first SpeakEasy event will be on Friday, February 10, at 8pm in Phil Grimes Pub, Waterford City, featuring Galway-based poet Luke Morgan.
Luke has published two collections of poetry, “Honest Walls” and “Beast”, and is also an award-winning film maker and theatre director.
The featured musician for the event is Oran Byrne, an upcoming young singer-songwriter who released his debut album, “Moving Forward” in 2022. Oran cites the Arctic Monkeys and the Beatles among his musical influences.
The open mic session is central to the SpeakEasy experience and local writers of all disciplines and levels are welcome to come and read their work.
Further events
Annemarie Ní Chorráin, from the Donegal Gaeltacht, is the featured poet for March 31. She released her first collection of haunting poetry ‘Bloodroot’ in 2017 through Doire Press. In 2019 Annemarie was a recipient of the inaugural Markievicz Award.
On Friday, June 16, former Irish Ambassador to the U.S., Dan Mulhall, author of ‘Ulysses, A Reader’s Odyssey’, returns to his native Waterford as guest speaker for SpeakEasy’s Bloomsday event, which will celebrate all things James Joyce.
Waterford City and County Council is continuing its funding of SpeakEasy events for 2023. “We’re touched by their faith in us,” says Derbhile Graham, one of the event’s co-founders. “Their support means we can keep bringing top quality writing talent to Waterford audiences.”
SpeakEasy is also kindly supported by the Granville Hotel and Phil Grimes Pub. It will run three more events in the autumn and winter, to coincide with Culture Night and the Imagine Arts Festival.
Meanwhile, all are welcome to the Luke Morgan SpeakEasy event on Friday, February 10, in Phil Grimes at 8pm. Entry is €5 on the door, cash only please.
