Coventry Irish Society Presents

Saint Patrick's Celebrations 2011

Wednesday 16th March

Who do you think you are?

CIS offices, 42-44 Hil Street: 2- 4pm

Where are your ancestors from? What does your surname mean? What is your Heritage?

Find out the answers, plus much more, with our step by step guide and instant online access to the Irish military records and ancestry websites, as well as help from our experienced staff.

Free Of Charge

Poetry Session

Inspire, Christchurch Spire, New Union Street: 8pm - late

Join local Heaven Tree Press poer Anthony Owen, along with John Morley, Barry Patterson, Bethany Norris and Malcolm Dewhurst for an evening of poetry.

Followed by an open mic session.

Poet Biographies below.

Free Of Charge

Thursday 17th March

Saint Patrick's Day Mass and Blessing of the Shamrock

Holy Familiy RC Church, Parkgate Road, Radford: 9:15am

A service to celebrate the Irish community in Coventry and recognise the contribution of all communities and cultures to the City. Led by Rev. Fr Des Devenney

Free Of Charge

Saint Patrick's Day Lunch Club Invite!

Day's Hotel (formerly Aston Court), Holyhead Road: 12 - 5:30pm

Join CIS for sherry on arrival, an Irish themed 3 course lunch plus tea and coffee, with entertainment from Shannon Sound and the Gallagher School of Irish Dance.

Tickets: £5 Members / £7 Non Members

TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE AND ARE AVAILABLE FROM CIS OFFICES ON:
Mon 7th - Fri 11th March
Between 11am - 1pm and 2-4pm.

Hands Across The Water

Hillz Radio, 98.6fm: 1-2pm

Irish community radio show hosted by Colum Nugent and Peter Fitzgerald

Friday 18th March

Caidre Coffee Morning

Premier Inn, Belgrade Plaza: 11am - 1pm

Join friends and members at this regular drop in coffee morning to reminisce about home and catch up on recent news and events.

£2 per person, including unlimited tea, coffee and muffins

Comedy and Craic

The Squirrel, Greyfriar's Lane: 8pm - late

Join four top comedians and compere Tom Roche for a night of comedy and craic.

Tickets: £4 in advance from CIS/ £6 on the door

Saturday 19th March

Come into the Parlour: Children's Storytelling and Craft Session

(4 - 12 years, under 8s must be accompanied by an adult)

Coundon Library: 2-3pm

Hear exciting legends and thrilling tales of giants, fairy folk and the famous Irish leprechauns, then craft your own Saint Patrick's creature.

Free Of Charge

Eire In Eden

Bar Eden, Ryley Street: 8pm - Late

Join local Irish duo One For The Road for an evening of live music. Bar snacks available and Saint Patrick's drinks promotions all night.

Free Of Charge

Sunday 20th March

Sunday Session

The Albany Social Club, Earlsdon: 6pm onwards

Live Music from Christy Pepper

Free Of Charge

Saturday 12th - Saturday 19th March

Irish Specials at Conroy's

Conroy's Coffee House, Corporation Street: Monday - Saturday 8.30am - 4.30pm

Visit Conroy's for menu specials throughout the Saint Patrick's Festival, including a delicious Irish breakfast with soda bread.

Monday 14th - Wednesday 16th March

The Journey: Coming to Coventry

CIS offices, 42-44 Hill Street: 2 -4pm

A selection of photographs from the recent exhibition 'The Journey' will be on display, showing life as an Irish person in Coventry from the 1930's right through to the present day.

See if you can spot yourself or family and friends, revisit the dancehalls, pubs, factories...

There will also be a selection of photographs, videos and press cuttings detailing the Coventry Irish Festivals and the Saint Patrick's Celebrations in Coventry.

Free Of Charge

Poetry Sessions

Poet Biographies

Poetry Session

INSPIRE, New Union Street
Wednesday 15th March, 8pm ~ late

Free of Charge

On Wednesday 16th March, a diverse and talented poetry collective will be performing from 8.30pm at venue Inspire, New Union Street, Coventry to celebrate the twin city link between Coventry and Cork.

For the past 4 years a thriving poetry exchange programme has been happening between Coventry and Cork igniting literacy links between the two cities. Poets from either side have performed at major festivals, universities, and ran poetry workshops with schools and aspiring poets.

Inspired from these exchanges many poems have led to publication and contributed culturally to each city and achieved some moving performances with exceptional standards of poetry.

The Coventry Irish Society, Heaventree Press, O'Bheal Cork, Hillz FM, & Coventry Libraries play a pivotal role in keeping this important link sustainable. Support from the community who we seek to serve is special to us as the Irish made a massive contribution to Coventry.

On 16th March a range of published and talented poets from Heaventree Press will offer a diverse collection of performance poetry and would love to see you there to support them.

Poets Biographies

Antony Owen is from Coventry, England. His first collection of poetry My Father's Eyes Were Blue, was published in 2009 by The Heaventree Press to rave reviews from award winning poets.

His published work also features in Avocado Magazine, Damazine, Cannon Poets, Revival Journal, Sherb: An Anthology Of River Poems, and Ava Gardner's Bibliography by Enstasis Press

Owen was a finalist in the Shine Journal 2010 poetry competition and in 2009 & 2010 was selected by Heaventree Press to tour Ireland which included readings at many venues plus a recorded performance at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queens University, Belfast.

Barry Patterson grew up in the North East & has lived in Coventry for 18 years. A self taught poet, he was once a science teacher & is now well known for his Green Man performances at public events. His second collection of poems, Nature Mystic, was published by Heaven Tree press in 2008.

Bethany Norris is studying for an MA in Writing at the University of Warwick, and is currently working on her first collection of poetry. Her work has been featured at the Victoria and Albert museum, alongside Andrew Motion, and has won many competitions. Bethany has a short story coming out soon in the Warwick Anthology, and is also editor of a publication at Monash University, where she will spend some time later in the year at the Melbourne Writers festival. Her aspirations is to one day achieve the impossible- to make a living from her poems!

Malcolm Dewhirst is a Poet, Writer and Film Maker, He is project director for the Polesworth Poets Trail, where he runs the Fizz Poetry evenings. His poems have been published in magazines and anthologies and he is working on his first full collection. He has written and performed on BBC Radio and has plays and film scripts to his credit. His poetry film Yell! was shown at the Poetry Film Festival in Cork.

John Morley: Coventry based poet, writer and film maker