Poetry Aloud Poetry Speaking Competition
Our annual poetry speaking competition for post-primary schools, organised in partnership with the National Library of Ireland.
About
Poetry Aloud is an annual poetry speaking competition open to all post-primary students on the island of Ireland. It is organised by Poetry Ireland and the National Library of Ireland. Since it was launched in 2006, Poetry Aloud has grown from just a few hundred entries to almost 2,000 entries in 2016.
The late Seamus Heaney was a significant supporter of Poetry Aloud. When he won the David Cohen Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Literature, he nominated Poetry Aloud for the accompanying Clarissa Luard Award, and he remarked, “I truly believe Poetry Aloud deserves all the support it can get, because it promotes literature, and , in particular, poetry, widely, intimately and to inestimable effect. But fundamentally, I choose it because it brings poetry into the memory and affections of the young in a way that will make it a lifelong possession and value”. This year the competition also received a donation from the John S Cohen Foundation in memory of Seamus Heaney.
Structure
The competition has three stages: regional heats, which take place in different venues across the country; the semi-finals; and the final, which is held at the National Library of Ireland.
Participant categories
| Junior: | 1st and 2nd year from Republic of Ireland & years 8, 9 and 10 from Northern Ireland. |
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| Intermediate: | 3rd and 4th year from Republic of Ireland & years 11 and 12 from Northern Ireland. |
| Senior: | 5th and 6th year from Republic of Ireland & Upper and Lower 6th forms from Northern Ireland. |
How to Apply for Poetry Aloud 2018
The regional heats for Poetry Aloud 2018 will take place in the autumn, with the semi-final in November and the final in December. Details of the set poems and an application form will be available in August.
Prizes
Each category winner receives €300 and book tokens to the value of €300 for the winner’s school library. An overall winner will be chosen from the three category winners and will receive a further €200, the Seamus Heaney perpetual trophy and a signed book of poetry. The runner up in each category will receive a book token Certificates of participation will be presented to all finalists.
Watch highlights from Poetry Aloud 2017
Watch highlights from Poetry Aloud 2016
Watch finalists from Poetry Aloud 2013
Previous winners
In 2014 Poetry Aloud partnered with The Works, RTÉ Television’s flagship arts show, and RTÉ Radio One’s The John Murray Show on A Poem for Ireland, The Best-Loved Irish Poem of the Last 100 Years. Finalists from the Poetry Aloud competition appeared on The Works reading a selection of Ireland’s best-loved poems.
In April 2014, Niall Ó hAnnagáin, Poetry Aloud’s 2013 winner, joined poets and musicians including Paul Muldoon and Paul Simon on stage at the National Concert Hall in a special tribute to Seamus Heaney. Fifteen-year-old Niall, who was the youngest person on stage, spoke 'Mid-Term Break' to great acclaim.
| 2017 | Brendan Mac Domhnaill, Coláiste Oiriall, Co. Monaghan |
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| 2016 | Nathan Quinn O’Rawe, De La Salle College, Belfast, Co. Antrim |
| 2015 | Kevin Fitzpatrick, St. Macartan's College, Monaghan |
| 2014 | Megan Nar, St Louis Secondary School, Monaghan |
| 2013 | Niall Ó hAnnagáin from Coláiste Ailigh in Letterkenny |
| 2012 | Shauna Hession, St Michael's Holy Faith Secondary School, Finglas |
| 2011 | Corey Duffy, Christian Brothers Grammar School, Omagh |
| 2010 | Aoife Franklyn, St Andrew's College, Dublin |
| 2009 | John King, Belvedere College, Dublin |
| 2008 | Samuel McGovern, St Andrew's College, Dublin |
| 2007 | Niamh Kenneally, Ursuline College, Sligo |
| 2006 | Katherine Wade, Ursuline College, Sligo |
