In partnership with the festival, British Council Ireland is delighted to bring the replica of Dylan Thomas’ famous writing shed across the Irish Sea to the Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival from 12th-14th September 2014.
The shed will set sail on board the Stena Europe from Fishguard and makes the sea leg of its journey to Ireland courtesy of Stena Line ferries.
The shed - complete with curled pictures on the walls, boiled sweets on the desk and the poet’s jacket still hanging on the back of his chair – is on tour as part of Dylan Thomas 100, the year-long festival commemorating the centenary of the great Welsh writer’s birth.
The original shed sits above the Boathouse in the scenic seaside town of Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, where Thomas lived with his wife Caitlin (whose family hailed from County Clare), and where he penned some of his most famous works including Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night and his play for voices Under Milk Wood.
There will be a number of special events taking place in and around the shed for festival-goers to enjoy:
Friday 12th September
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DYLAN THOMAS CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP FOR TEENAGERS Time: 10.30-12:00 |
Children's Poet Laureate of Wales, Aneirin Karadog and Irish poet Nessa O'Mahoney present a creative writing session focused on Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Find out about Dylan Thomas's best-known poems, visit the replica shed and, in honour of his love for words, experiment with your writing and invent your own word and see it published in a Dictionary for Dylan. Venue: dlr LexIcon Price: € 3 per student Age: Transition Year |
Saturday 13th September
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MENNA ELFYN IN CONVERSATION WITH NESSA O'MAHONY Time: 17:00 |
Menna Elfyn has published 13 collections of poetry, children's novels, libretti for UK and US composers as well as plays for television and radio. Her bilingual volume Murmur was selected by the Poetry Book Society Recommended Translation, the first ever book of Welsh poetry in English to be chosen. Her work has been translated into eighteen languages for which she received an International Foreign Poetry Prize in 2009. A columnist for the Western Mail since 1995, she is also Director of Creative Writing at University of Wales, Trinity St. David. She was made Poet Laureate for the Children of Wales in 2002. Nessa O'Mahony is the author of Bar Talk, Trapping a Ghost and In Sight of Home. She teaches Literature and Creative Writing for the Open University, Oscail and The Irish Writers Centre. She spent 3 years living in Wales while she completed her PhD in Creative and Critical Writing at Bangor University. Venue: Assembly Hall, County Hall Price: € 5 |
Sunday 14th September
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MILK WOOD AND OTHER MAGICAL PLACES - A CHILDREN'S LAUREATE DOUBLE BILL! Time: 12:30-13:30 |
We are delighted to bring together both the Welsh and Irish Children's Laureates for a lively event in the brand new dlr LexIcon. Eoin Colfer is Ireland's third Laureate na nÓg and whose mission is to spread stories to every nook and cranny in the country. Aneirin Karadog, the Children's Poet Laureate of Wales since 2013, is a multi-talented rap artist, poet, television presenter and linguist whose mission is to inspire the next generation of young poets. The event will be curated by Tom Donegan from The Story Museum, Oxford. Venue: dlr LexIcon Price: € 3 Children/ € 5 Adults Age: 8+ |
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POETRY SOAPBOX Time: 15:45-16:30 |
A surprise line-up of readers read aloud their favourite Dylan Thomas pieces! Venue: The Dylan Thomas Writing Shed FREE |
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MY BIRTHDAY BEGAN WITH WATER - THE LEGACY OF DYLAN THOMAS Time: 16:45 |
With Menna Elfyn, Nessa O'Mahoney and Nerys Williams. Chaired by Siobhán Parkinson. A panel of Welsh and Irish writers discuss the man, his poetry and his legacy. Venue: dlr LexIcon Price: € 10/ € 8 Concession |
Also don't miss these ongoing free activities and events at the shed...
| Visit the shed |
Friday 12th – 10.00 - 16.00 Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th – 10.00 - 18.00 Eleri Retallick is the Principal Arts Officer for Carmarthenshire and Curator of the shed and will be 'in residence' to answer your questions. |
| Dictionary for Dylan |
Pick up a postcard in the shed and create a fresh new word. Be playful, be rhythmic, be onomatopoeic, be brave. Invent your perfect word, and see it published in a Dictionary for Dylan. We will tweet the words of the day and we’ll have spot prizes for some of the most interesting and inventive words. |
| Poetry Take-away | Send a tweet giving a few details about yourself and what you like or say what poet(s) you admire. Soon afterwards, you will be tweeted a bespoke haiku from our panel of poets which includes Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Writer in Residence Colm Keegan! 1-3pm Saturday and Sunday. Details at the shed. |
