Cormac Mac Gearailt

Given the weather we decided to finally release this video of the poem It Rains written by me and made by the main man Garreth Joyce. We shot and edited it about two years ago. Kept meaning to go back to fine tune it but realistically that’s never gonna happen so here it is! The end of the world is likely to come with a whimper and not a bang. But this imagines a great big flood to wash us all away. Garreth made use of some brilliant visual effects to enhance the words. The main video of my big head is overlaid with his own photographs taken on film cameras and digitally scanned. He used a number of techniques to create different visual effects, including scratching and marking and then photographing reels of 35mm film. #rain #flood #poetry #spokenwordpoetry

Seo mo phíosa ‘Caoineadh na gCrann’ a Scríobhas dhá bhliain ó shin agus a bhuaigh an comórtas Slamovision 2024 le @dublincityoflit . An céad uair a bhuaigh Éireann an comórtas agus an chéad uair, dar ndóigh, a bhí dán Gaeilge chun cinn ann. Bhí an t-ádh dearg orm leis an físeán iontach a rinne @robfaybert agus leis na smaointí ó daoine ms an t-ollamh Michael Cronin agus an laoch ar lár Manchán Magan agus an tacaíocht a fuaireas ó a lán lán daoine. Níl an fuaimniú 100% ach táim bródúil as! Ar aon nós beidh mé mar fear tí an tseachtain seo chugainn don céad babhta eile de Slamovision Gaeilge ag @ilfdublin chun ionadaí Éirinn a roghnaigh. Beidh pioc na filí ann le píosaí breá cumhachtacha acu ag iarraidh na breithiúna a mhealladh. Bígí linn. Ticéid sa bio. ———————————————————————————— This is my poem Caoineadh na gCrann that won the 2024 UNESCO Slamovision contest. Myself and the very talented @robfaybert made it one pissing wet weekday evening in Phoenix Park. I had cycled from Drumcondra and was soaked and out of breath, met Rob for the first time by the Papal Cross, found a great oak tree nearby and Rob got the shot. The poem has been very good to me, opening the doors to lots of opportunities. I cleaved it from a play that didnt really get anywhere. The day before the competition to choose Irelands rep I had no poems I was happy with and was close to backing out when @siobhan.p.mooney suggested I use something from the play which was still in my head. I did that and was very lucky with how everything worked out. Just keep knocking and people might answer. I've performed this an awful lot since then and am ready to move on but want to put it here for good. I will be the host of the next Slmovision at ILFD next week. Some of the best Irish language poets around are going to be competing to be Ireland's rep. Will be a great evening of poetry put together by @rising.tide.events Tickets at the link in the bio!

Bhí deireadh seachtaine DEN SCOTH againn síos i gCorca Dhuibhne ag @feilenabealtaine . Bhí gigeanna éagsúla, cairde, mo mhuintir, piontaí faoin ngriain, filíocht, ceol, craic, comhráite iontacha, agus na millte rudaí eile. Bhiamar ag snámh, ag siúl, ag ithe, ag ól. There is nowhere better to be. Mo bhuíochas i gcónaí leis an gcoiste deonach a chuireann gach rud le chéile. Agus le @siobhan.p.mooney agus @gw.joyce as an tacaíocht ar an bhfeadóg agus an guitar ! Agus le @helenhni agus @mossies_tours_dingle as an lóistín agus an gcomhluadar ! Also got to play the world’s teeniest bodhrán and listen to the master Rónán le Myles O’Reilly. Beidh muid thar n-ais arís agus arís eile. Play the music faster!

Beidh mé thar n-ais i mo cheantar dúchais an deireadh seachtaine seo chugainn le dhá imeacht speisialta ag an bhféile IS FEARR sa tír @feilenabealtaine . I will be in the Courthouse in Dingle next Saturday evening at 6pm for my first ever solo feature set ROOTS // FRÉAMHACHA. It will be an hour long set showcasing new and old work, talking about the city, the country, land, family. I’ll be joined by the great @siobhan.p.mooney on the whistle and @gar.films on the guitar. We’re putting together something special so if you’re about the town call in! Tickets at the link in the bio. On Sunday evening I’ll be back hosting an open mic in @thegreenroomdingle . We had a great evening last year and we’re back again. A song a story a poem or whatever you like. The mic is yours for 5 minutes. Massive thank you to the Féile committee for having me back and for all the work ye do. Bígí Linn!

It all starts with a seed. My 30 minute spoken word show Roots // Fréamhacha will be on this Wednesday at 1pm in @rdsdublin as part of the Common Ground Festival. Free tickets at the link in the bio!

Hello! I will be performing a 30-minute spoken word show next Wednesday, 15th of April at 1pm @rdsdublin opening the Common Ground Festival. The festival is focused on how Ireland can respond to societal and environmental challenges, climate change, etc. My contribution will be Roots // Fréamhacha, a spoken word performance exploring the roots that bind us to the Earth, what it means to be uprooted, rerouted, and how we can reclaim the common ground. Léiriú dhátheangach a bheith ann. It will be a bilingual performance. It’s going to be great. Tickets are FREE at the link in my bio. Bígí linn.

Wrote about shams, sham-Irishness and shamrocks. Link in the bio. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

I’ll be performing at this lovely event next Saturday supported by @librariesfingal and hosted by the great @sheilapoetry . It’s an open mic night for the younger folk. If you know of any teenagers who might like to get on the mic, this will be a great chance for them to stand on a stage and have people tell them they’re great. Never gets old! Sign up details on the poster, hopefully see some of you there.

Beidh ceardlann á reáchtáil agam ar an Sathairn beag seo i @irishwriterscentre ! Filíocht béil / an slam filíochta. Beidh cleachtaí scríbhneoireachta, beidh muid ag plé dánta éagsúla, ag beidh seans ag daoine léim ar an mic. Bígí linn! Tá tuilleadh eile ag an nasc sa bio.

I wrote about some of the vital cultural spaces that have been lost in Dublin City so far this century. This is in light of the latest attack on Dublin’s nightlife by the Hoxton against @izakayabasement . From the Complex to the City Arts Centre, The Tivoli, the Iveagh Markets and countless others, vital venues and cultural spaces have been shut down and either turned into soulless hotels or left to rot for decades. The community is robbed of an important resource and some rich person gets richer. It has happened again and again and again in this city and will continue to happen until something is done. Currently, plans to redevelop Busáras have been put out to tender. These include converting the Eblana Theatre in the basement (in the dark for 30 years) into conference and meetings rooms. CIÉ and the Department of Transport should give this place back to the arts. We don’t need more conference rooms. The city spaces for culture, art, music to happen. Thanks to @eoghanoceannabhain and @rkitt4eva for the public meeting in the Cobblestone on Tuesday, getting me onto the issue. I know I missed so many spaces. Lemme know in the comments sure. Full post at the link in the bio. Subscribe for more of the same. Image 1 is of Junior Brother by @siobhan.p.mooney Image inside the Iveagh Markets screengrab from Site Specific Documentary by Dyehouse Films. #dublin #arts #derelict_places

I wrote about the Basic Income for the Arts, and how it is a stalled, flimsier version of what it should be. I don’t mean to take away from the work of campaigners, particularly the incredible work of @campaign4arts in securing the continuation of the scheme. But despite all the fanfare this week it seems that the Government have taken an incredibly successful policy, with immense public support, and have done the absolute bare minimum to keep it alive. Full article on Substack at the link in my bio.

Wrote about letting a man use my phone in the rain in Drumcondra on Friday afternoon. About marginalisation, homelessness, trauma and looking people in the eye. Link in the bio.