Winning poet has Tuam roots
Series of poems at Galway hospitals
A POET with roots in Tuam has won the annual Poems for Patience poetry competition run by Saolta Arts.
The winning poem ‘Supermarket Days’ has been written by Eileen Casey, originally from Co Offaly with roots in Tuam through her mother Eileen Tierney.
The poem is part of the 22nd series of Poems for Patience launched on Thursday, April 23 as part of Galway's Cúirt International Festival of Literature.
The new series was co-curated by Jessie Lendennie, founder of Salmon Poetry and Dani Gill. It features 21 poems by Salmon poets, including Rita Ann Higgins, Gabriel Fitzmaurice and Moya Roddy.
Poems for Patience brings poetry into hospital spaces across Galway University Hospitals and hospitals in the West and North West.
The new collection will be on display in the Arts Corridor at University Hospital Galway until June 30, before being disseminated to waiting rooms in University Hospital Galway, Merlin Park University Hospital and other hospital settings.
“Poems for Patience is my favourite project of the year,” said Margaret Flannery, Arts Director at Saolta Arts.
“It brings poetry directly to patients, visitors and staff, and gives people a chance to pause, reflect and experience something beautiful in the hospital setting.
“Salmon’s collection is a diverse and inspiring mix of poems, and I am delighted to see several previous winners from our poetry competition included in this year’s series,” she added.
As part of the project, Saolta Arts also runs an annual Poems for Patience poetry competition.
The competition was judged since 2013 by the late Kevin Higgins, writer in residence at Galway University Hospitals from 2006 to 2023. It is now judged by his wife, poet Susan Millar DuMars, in his memory.
“This was an extremely difficult choice to make. I was drawn to the poems that depicted small glints of light in the face of unimaginable fear and loss,” noted Ms Millar DuMars.
Patients described the project as a welcome moment of stillness during hospital visits.
“It is great to be able to stop for a minute and forget everything and share in a silent way with the world,” said one of the patients.