Longford Writers' Group looking for more members to bring new ideas

The Longford Writers’ Group has been having a resurgence since the Covid pandemic happened. With a monthly meeting on Saturday mornings, the group have published books with short stories and poetry together, and even had a stand in the Longford Agricultural Show. 

With a passion for a supportive circle of like-minded people, the group have previously had guest speakers such as Paul Perry and Noel Monahan doing workshops with them. They have done various events in the past for artists to display their pieces, such as Poetry Day Ireland, Culture Night, and others throughout the year. 

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“Hayley Fox Roberts started up the group in 1992 and there was a great attendance at that time,” said Sally Martin, who is a member of the group. 

Eileen Moynihan, independent author of multiple children’s books, told about how the group has been continuing. 

“Before Covid, there were huge numbers. About 20 in the library. But we always had people who were kind of members but did not always attend meetings. We met once a week. Covid came and we tried to meet online. People are not used to computers. We met as much as we could. After Covid, we tried to meet, which was difficult. Numbers dropped, then numbers rose. If we hold an event, more people are interested. Meetings are quite small, but attendance is rising.”

Since Covid, ten of the members did a collective novella called ‘Let Them Lie’ (2018) and they also did an anthology called ‘Homemade’. In 2016, they did a special anniversary piece for the 1916 Rising. 

Chairperson, Imelda Kilmurray, said:

“‘Painting Words’ is the new anthology. Last year's Culture Night, we had a visual art event and poetry reading in the Pig Market Lane. The book basically came from that and we did an open call to poets all over, so there was a huge amount of poetry in that. Local artists from Longford were involved in that, with national poetry.” 

Those who have joined have built strong friendships, and built support for each other’s writing endeavours. They have open mic opportunities, but also want new members with new ideas. They said that attention to their group came during the Agricultural Show, as many people did not know of the group’s existence. 

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“We would like members to join in and to get involved and not be afraid to say what they want in the group,” added Imelda. 

The next monthly meeting is on September 6, in the Longford Library, at 11am. They are linking with the Attic House for Culture Night on September 19, in the Longford Library from 6pm to 8pm. 

Further information can be found at https://longfordwriters.wordpress.com/