Poetry in Brigit’s Garden

Poetry Trail around the Celtic Gardens

At the Poetry Reading on 14th September we launched a new Poetry Trail through the Gardens, featuring the work of eight poets – a unique opportunity to enjoy poems in the context that inspired them. The Trail is available to view with garden admission from 14th September to the end of November.

The Celtic Gardens and their environmental and mythological themes provide many sources of inspiration for the poetic imagination. The project has given each participating poet the opportunity to write work in response to Brigit’s Garden.

You may read more about each poet and see our guide on the location of each poem in our downloadable Poetry Trail Leaflet.

Poetry Reading

We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon on Sunday 14th September at 3pm at a very special event – a free Poetry Reading featuring eight Galway poets reading new work inspired by Brigit’s Garden, followed by tea and coffee.

We heard a wide range of beautiful work from four invited poets, Moya Roddy, Geraldine Mills, Jamie O’Halloran and Pete Mullineaux, and four selected poets, Nicola Geddes, Caitriona Lane, Fiona Hanley and Mia Vance.

Thank you again to all our very talented poets!

Poets from left to right: Mia Vance, Pete Mullineaux, Jamie O’Halloran, Geraldine Mills, Nicola Geddes, Fiona Hanley, Moya Roddy, Caitriona Lane.

Poet Participation

Please note the application deadline has passed – successful applications were announce mid-June.

We were delighted to invite poets living in Co. Galway to apply for Poetry in Brigit’s Garden 2025. Four poets were selected from an open submission by a committee comprising of poets Grace Wells and Art Ó Súilleabháin, with Jenny Beale, Director of Brigit’s Garden.

An additional four poets who already have a relationship with Brigit’s Garden have joined by invitation (Moya Roddy, Geraldine Mills, Jamie O’Halloran and Pete Mullineaux).

The Celtic Gardens and their environmental and mythological themes provide many sources of inspiration for the poetic imagination. The project has given each participating poet the opportunity to write work in response to Brigit’s Garden, to read their poems at the public reading in September and to have them displayed in a Poetry Trail around the Celtic Gardens for the months of September and October.

Selected poets had access to the Gardens from June to mid-August, and each person was invited to write new work in response to any aspect of Brigit’s Garden.

The selection committee has choosen at least one new poem from each poet for display in the Poetry Trail, and at least two poems for the public reading.

We look forward to an exciting and creative project that will bring poetry to a wide local audience, as well as to people visiting the Gardens from Ireland and many other countries.

Funded by Galway County Council Arts Office