Longford student among winners of all island ‘Poetry Aloud’ competition

Mean Scoil Mhuire students Roísín Duke and Madeline Denniston have been recognised in the 2025 Poetry Aloud competition final held at the National Library of Ireland. The annual competition challenges second-level students across the island of Ireland to recite a prescribed poem from memory.  

Organised by the National Library of Ireland (NLI) and Poetry Ireland, in partnership with University College Cork, this year’s competition drew 328 entries from schools across the island. There were 20 finalists in this year’s competition from across 13 counties, from Antrim to Kerry and Longford. 

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This year’s competition saw students recite a previously unpublished poem, Those Winter Evenings, by the late poet Seamus Heaney. The poem is from the recently published collection The Poems of Seamus Heaney. The Nobel Laureate was a supporter of the Poetry Aloud competition, citing the extraordinary way in which it seeks to celebrate the joy of speaking and listening to poetry, as well valuing the North-South dimension to this all island event. 

The competition has three categories: junior, intermediate, and senior. The prescribed poems for this year were The Power of Words by Amanda Gorman (Junior Category), Among Treetops by Alvy Carragher (Intermediate Category), and the previously unpublished poem Those Winter Evenings by Seamus Heaney (Senior Category).  

Roísín Duke from Mean Scoil Mhuire has been named as the winner of the Senior Category, and was presented with a Poetry Aloud certificate by the Director of the NLI, Dr. Audrey Whitty. Madeline Denniston was also a finalist recognised at the competition on the day. All winning students were presented with a cash price and the teacher from each winning school was presented with a book token for €300 to bring back to their school libraries.  

Dr Audrey Whitty, Director of the National Library of Ireland, commented: "Poetry Aloud is a joyful celebration of the beauty to be found in speaking and listening to poetry. The National Library of Ireland's extensive collection holds the work of Ireland’s most celebrated poets. We are privileged to hear students from all over the island recite their poems with such heartfelt expression and thoughtful interpretation. The competition is a highlight in our schools’ engagement calendar each year, and the standard this year has upheld that tradition with real distinction. The importance and legacy of poetry as Ireland’s most loved and renowned of art forms is thriving thanks to this extraordinary competition.”   

Liz Kelly, Director of Poetry Ireland, said: "It has been wonderful to see all of this year's students bring such energy and heart to their performances at Poetry Aloud 2025. Each year, this competition highlights the joy and expressive power of poetry in the hands of young readers. We are always delighted to work with colleagues at the National Library of Ireland, UCC and schools all over Ireland on this incredibly important initiative. Comhghairdeas ollmhór do na buaiteoirí agus míle buíochas do na h-iomaitheoirí ar fad a ghlac pháirt ann." 

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This year’s judging panel included Dr Audrey Whitty, Director of the National Library of Ireland, Liz Kelly, Director of Poetry Ireland, and John Fitzgerald, poet and Adjunct Professor, School of English, University College Cork.