Positive Carrickfergus is working in partnership with Carrickfergus Museum; The Louis MacNeice Society; Carrickfergus-based author, historian and playwright Philip Orr, and Jo Zebedee, author and co-owner of award winning book store The Secret Bookshelf to stage the event, which will run from October 18-20, 2024. Born in Belfast , Louis MacNeice grew up the son of an Anglican clergyman in Carrick. He later wrote about his childhood in the town in the poem ‘Carrickfergus’.
Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you. Widely considered one of finest poets of the twentieth century, he was also a pioneering broadcaster and worked for the BBC’s features department for over twenty years. A plaque commemorating the poet can be seen at the Macneice Fold on North Road in the town, an area where he lived as a child.
Commenting on the upcoming event, Positive Carrickfergus said: “Thanks to the funding received from the National Lottery People and Communities Fund to work with our community to create an arts strategy for Carrickfergus, we were able to engage with residents and hear how passionate they are about the town’s famous son. An additional grant from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Community Festivals Fund is allowing us to bring you a range of literary events that celebrate MacNeice, our local talent and our town. “We aim to facilitate a variety of events that will delight fans of MacNeice, those wishing to know a bit more and the poets among us who will have a chance to share their work.
These will include an open mic poetry event, a panel discussion with writers and experts, historical talks and tours and a children’s creative writing event.” Advertisement Advertisement To find out more about the upcoming events, sign up for the Positive Carrickfergus newsletter via www.positivecarrickfergus.
org Fionnbharr Rodgers of the Louis MacNeice Society said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on an often-ignored Irish poet and his connection with Carrickfergus and bring his work to a wider audience.” Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you..
