Jan Brierton getting a standing ovation last night in Dublin. Our last show in Ireland tonight with be Corker in Cork. 24 shows in all - I think Jan is going to become massive in the next few years. Try and catch her live and buy her books online or at shows.
An Evening with Henry Normal
Join us for a fun evening of accessible and thought-provoking verse with award-winning TV and film writer, producer and poet, Henry Normal. Thursday 11 June, 7pm
Leicester Central Library
He will be reading from his new poetry collection 'a quiet promise' and will be accompanied by artist, sculptor, graphic designer and poet, Pete Ramskill.
Tickets:
£3 library members
£5 non-library members
#poetry #HenryNormal #PeteRamskill #LeicesterLibraries
@henrynormalpoet
Galway was great. Jan Brierton stormed it.
Here’s a poem I wrote after the show - inspired by the turtle in green room.
BACKSTAGE
Behind the turtle is an authentic backdrop
Plants, rocks, shells all set the scene
A spot light replaces the sun
And a filter keeps the water moving
But the turtle sees beyond the glass
Into the green room that isn’t
The procession of humans
In their unnatural habitat
The moment before
Unfiltered and unspotlit
Trapped in a small space
Awaiting their fate
The moment after
Collecting their things and themselves
Unseen to all other than the turtle
But without a shell for protection
On Monday I decided to get the coach from Belfast to Galway (changing at Dublin Airport) so that I could see the beautiful Irish countryside.
You’re not short of a tree are you in Ireland? And you do like a line of trees by the motorway. Going west on the M4 it’s like one big edge either side? Are you trying to hide something? Is it the M4 itself? When we got to the M6 it did open up a little and beyond the first row of trees I could see a second row of trees some twenty yards back.
I looked around and every passenger had their eyes closed. Is this an unspoken secret? I think even the bus driver had one eye closed. When we reached the M6 he changed eyes.
I’m going to try my luck on the train to Limerick tomorrow.
My experience on the bus from Belfast to Galway was very different in the north and the south.
I went to the box office at Belfast Grand Central Station and asked for a bus to Galway. ‘We don’t do one ‘ I was told. I explained I’d looked on line and I could change at Dublin airport. ‘Different company’ said the man behind the desk, ‘I can sell you a ticket to Dublin Airport’. I bought that and hoped for the best. Getting on the bus I showed my ticket to the driver, who nodded. He was encased in a metal compartment with a sign saying don’t distract the driver. Getting to my seat I noticed the low ceiling, the seat belts and the signs saying No Smoking, No drinking and No littering.
I got off at Dublin Airport and looked at the fifty or so busses parked up. Where to start? I walked down to the end and noticed a middle aged man in uniform but no jacket. He was standing in the sunshine, wearing sunglasses and eating an apple. I approached him and asked ‘ do you know where I can find a bus to Galway?’ He pointed his head to the bus behind him. ‘Would it be one like that?’. I looked at the bus which clearly said Galway in big letters. ‘Where can I buy a ticket ?’ I asked. ‘Where would you usually buy a ticket?’ He replied . ‘From the bus driver?’ I ventured. He raised his eyebrows and smiled. ‘Are you the bus driver?’ I asked. ‘That I am’ he said. ‘Could I buy a single to Galway?’ I asked. ‘No’ he said ‘my ticket machine isn’t working. Just pop in and we’ll get you a ticket in Dublin. It’ll be cheaper there anyway’. I got on the bus and noticed how high the ceiling was, no seatbelts, no signs and no compartment for the driver. A very different vibe altogether
