Ó Bhéal Cork's weekly poetry series
Donation protected
www.obheal.ie/testimonials
Since 2007, Ó Bhéal (non-for-profit) has hosted over 420 poetry events, each featuring a poetry writing challenge, followed by one or more guest poets and a lively open-mic for poets in the audience. That's 50 events per year, covering reading fees and accommodation expenses for a wide variety of acclaimed or emerging, International and Irish guest poets.
Ó Bhéal also runs the Winter Warmer Poetry Festival each November, featuring 22 poets plus poetry in fusion with other art forms (music, film, theatre). That's over 80 poets per year from around the world and from the entire spectrum of genre and experience. Each year we receive small amounts of funding from the Arts Council, the Cork City Council Arts Office, Foras na Gaeilge and Poetry Ireland, but combined, this has never been able to cover the running costs, and has been lessening by the year.
We have become largely dependant upon public donations and are almost always left with a large deficit (with little or no personal income). In 2014, Ó Bhéal raised a total of 15000 euro, while costing over 17000 euro. It would ideally run at a minimum cost of 40000 euro p.a. to function properly. Having achieved a Community Employment Scheme - a payed, part-time position for an admin assistant plus new office space in the Civic Trust House, we are now seeking to secure a basic director's wage of 15000 euro p.a. and crucially an additional 10000 euro for event costs. There is one full-time volunteer director, one part-time Community Employment-paid admin assistant and a board/steering committee of twelve writer/artist volunteers.
Sadly, should we not be able to achieve an adequate funding model by mid-late 2016, we will be calling the 10th anniversary event on April 17th, 2017, our last. We are appealing to anyone who believes in the importance of sustaining an inclusive, high quality and consistent platform for both presenting and fostering local and International poetry, for it to be able to flourish at all levels of experience, application and interest. Have a listen to what the professionals have to say at: www.obheal.ie/testimonials
Over 500 guests poets have included Kerry Hardie, Ilya Kaminsky, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Derek Mahon, Carol Ann Duffy, Gillian Clarke, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Paul Durcan, Paula Meehan, Liz Lochhead, Jorge Fondebrider and so many, many more phenomenal writers and performers. Ó Bhéal also curates the Five Words International poetry competition, the Ó Bhéal/IndieCork International Poetry-Film competition and The Unfinished Book of Poetry project, a print annual of verse from four or five Cork schools. Ó Bhéal's own print anthology 'Five Words', appears each April.
To find out more, and to view our extensive archives visit: www.obheal.ie
Since 2007, Ó Bhéal (non-for-profit) has hosted over 420 poetry events, each featuring a poetry writing challenge, followed by one or more guest poets and a lively open-mic for poets in the audience. That's 50 events per year, covering reading fees and accommodation expenses for a wide variety of acclaimed or emerging, International and Irish guest poets.
Ó Bhéal also runs the Winter Warmer Poetry Festival each November, featuring 22 poets plus poetry in fusion with other art forms (music, film, theatre). That's over 80 poets per year from around the world and from the entire spectrum of genre and experience. Each year we receive small amounts of funding from the Arts Council, the Cork City Council Arts Office, Foras na Gaeilge and Poetry Ireland, but combined, this has never been able to cover the running costs, and has been lessening by the year.
We have become largely dependant upon public donations and are almost always left with a large deficit (with little or no personal income). In 2014, Ó Bhéal raised a total of 15000 euro, while costing over 17000 euro. It would ideally run at a minimum cost of 40000 euro p.a. to function properly. Having achieved a Community Employment Scheme - a payed, part-time position for an admin assistant plus new office space in the Civic Trust House, we are now seeking to secure a basic director's wage of 15000 euro p.a. and crucially an additional 10000 euro for event costs. There is one full-time volunteer director, one part-time Community Employment-paid admin assistant and a board/steering committee of twelve writer/artist volunteers.
Sadly, should we not be able to achieve an adequate funding model by mid-late 2016, we will be calling the 10th anniversary event on April 17th, 2017, our last. We are appealing to anyone who believes in the importance of sustaining an inclusive, high quality and consistent platform for both presenting and fostering local and International poetry, for it to be able to flourish at all levels of experience, application and interest. Have a listen to what the professionals have to say at: www.obheal.ie/testimonials
Over 500 guests poets have included Kerry Hardie, Ilya Kaminsky, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Derek Mahon, Carol Ann Duffy, Gillian Clarke, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Paul Durcan, Paula Meehan, Liz Lochhead, Jorge Fondebrider and so many, many more phenomenal writers and performers. Ó Bhéal also curates the Five Words International poetry competition, the Ó Bhéal/IndieCork International Poetry-Film competition and The Unfinished Book of Poetry project, a print annual of verse from four or five Cork schools. Ó Bhéal's own print anthology 'Five Words', appears each April.
To find out more, and to view our extensive archives visit: www.obheal.ie
Organizer
Paul Casey
Organizer