Laois Writers Group celebrate 30 years with the launch of its latest anthology
Members of the Laois Writers Group back (l-r): Brianna O'Sullivan, Mary O'Dea, Sheelagh Coyle, Frank Parker, Mary Carmody and Ann Marie Foley. Front (l-r): Noreen Uí Laighin, Declan Molloy and Hazel Luskin. The group is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a launch of its latest anthology - 'Words UnLaoised' - on Wednesday 6 November in Portlaoise Library at 6.30pm.
TO celebrate its 30th anniversary the Laois Writers Group will launch its latest anthology - ‘Words UnLaoised’ - on Wednesday 6 November in Portlaoise Library at 6.30pm.
The Laois Writers Group is a community of writers based in Laois.
The group provides a supportive and fertile environment for writers of prose and poetry. The current group members are Frank Parker, Mary Carmody, Sheelagh Coyle, Noreen Moore, Ann Marie Foley, Declan Molloy, Hazel Luskin, Mary O’Dea and Brianna O’Sullivan. They hail from Portlaoise, Ballylinan, Mountmellick, Stradbally, Donaghmore and outside Abbeyleix.
The launch of the latest collection of literary pieces by the different authors will be performed by renowned writer John McKenna who has conducted writers workshops with the group and is a regular contributor to RTÉ radio's Sunday Miscellany. His latest book 'Father, Son and Brother Ghost' was published earlier this year.
Chart-topping folk singer Mountmellick woman Emer Dunne will perform at the launch while refreshments will also be served and are sponsored by Occupational Therapist Owen Joyce.
Laois Writers Group carries on a particularly Irish tradition of storytelling and much more and has published several anthologies.
The group is bound together by a love of the written word and a desire to share with each other. Members write poetry, short stories, memoir, novels and everything in between. They write stories of today and yesterday, of happy times and sad times.
Members come from all corners of Ireland. Some have spent time in foreign lands – experienced other cultures, but and all now reside in, or close to Co Laois. Each writer brings a unique perspective that will bring these words to life for the reader and hopefully a smile or two.
Inside 'Words UnLaoised' you can meet the woman who cycles to her sister's home with all the local gossip and harbours a dark secret. The harrowing story of a devoted daughter who tells of her mother’s friend and their youthful exploits as the friend faces the end of her life. You can also read tales of working as a young man in 1970s Dublin and admire the courage of a young woman on a pilgrimage to Station Island in Lough Derg.
Another author writes the sad story of the short life of a beloved child. You can also share in the adventures of the daughter of a Ballacolla blacksmith or relive a silage harvest or the dreamscape created by snow.
