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SiarScéal Festival 2015 Programme of Events

- entries now being accepted for the Hanna Greally Literary Awards -

Posted 1 Sep 2015, 20:45

SiarScéal 2015 takes place during the first week in November. The Festival commences with a book launch, on the evening of Thurday, 5 November. It continues the following day with a programme of events that includes workshops, recitals and, of course, the presentation of the Hanna Greally Literary Awards, which takes place annually in conjunction with the Festival.

As last year's overall winner of the Hanna Greally Literary Awards, Rose Morris received a publishing package deal from The Manuscript Publisher, to see her book published in print and e-book editions. Her book, The Splendiferous Tale of Ferdinand Fox, is a story told in verse and, while aimed at young people, carries a very important message about the fate of our planet: the place that we all call home. The action takes the protagonists of this story on an adventure that crosses continents but ends up on the shores of Lough Erne, which, of course, was the venue for a recent G8 Summit of world leaders.

The book will be formally launched on Thursday, 5 November at 6pm at Roscommon County Libraries HQ, Abbey Street, Roscommon Town. Festival-goers, members of the public are welcome to attend and entertainment and refreshments will be provided.

The following day, Friday, 6 November at 10am, the Festival will be officially launched by Cathaoirleach of Roscommon County Council, Cllr Paddy Kilduff, accompanied by County Librarian and Festival Patron, Richie Farrell. This will be followed by the presentation of the Hanna Greally Literary Awards, including the Ger Hanily Memorial Cup.

Mary Guckian, Leitrim-born poet and author of three anthologies, as well as winner of numerous prizes for her poetry, will present a Writers Recital and Workshop, beginning 12:30pm.

This will be followed by a Writing for Publishing workshop, presented by Oscar Duggan of The Manuscript Publisher. The workshop will be an informative session, aimed at addressing both the challenges and opportunities that Writing and Publishing in the Information Age presents to those interested in finding a public outlet for their literary work.

Full details about the SiarScéal Festival 2015, including dates, times, venue and programme of events, are available from the SiarScéal website (see Festival page), as well as being available to download in handy brochure form.

Entries are now being accepted for this year's Hanna Greally Literary Awards. The theme or this year's competition is Century in Reflection and there is a cash prize of €200 for the overall winner. Prizes will also be awarded in categories that include best national and international submission for both poetry and prose, together with a special category for schools. The closing dates for entries is 5pm on Friday 23 October, 2015. Full details, including terms and conditions of entry, are available from the SiarScéal website (see Competition page).

All entries received in this year's Hanna Greally Literary Awards (along with submissions from previous year's awards) will be considered for inclusion in the inaugural SiarScéal/Hanna Greally Literary Journal, to be launched at the 2016 SiarScéal Festival, which is being brought forward to April.

For a flavour of what to expect, check out Roscommon in Reflection, an anthology representing the first five years of the Hanna Greally Literary Awards, published in 2012. It is available to buy online in print and e-book editions along with other SiarScéal publications.

Dates for your Diary:

• • Friday, 23 October - Closing Date for entries to the Hanna Greally Literary Awards 2015. Entries must be received before 5pm and can be posted, e-mailed or submitted online. For details on how to enter, please refer to our Competition page.

  • Thurday, 5 November - Book Launch: The Splendiferous Tale of Ferdinand Fox by Rose Morris. The venue is Roscommon County Libraries HQ, Abbey Street, Roscommon Town and commences 6pm.

  • Friday, 6 November - Official Launch of SiarSceal Festival 2015, followed by presentation of Hanna Greally Literary Awards, followed by workshops and open mic. The programme will run from 10am to 5pm.

The full programme of events is available from the SiarScéal website (see Festival page) and also available to download and share in handy PDF brochure form.

SiarScéal Festival is sponsored by Roscommon County Council