RTÉ - Reverberations

Sian performs her poem ‘Gay Spar’. It is about the street corners of Dublin, and who owns them. It’s about chicken fillet rolls, cheesy tunes, and cheese and onion crisps at 3am. It’s about stepping out of the closet, and stepping into a world which subtly, but insistently, does not belong to you.

Elaine’s poem ‘Girls in the Woods’ is inspired by time spent in Monivea Woods in Co. Galway. Elaine talks about how Patrick Kavanagh and Rita Ann Higgins’ poems inspired her. She describes how poems can come to her while walking in the woods and the differences between writing poetry and fiction.

Amy performs two short poems; ‘Kaleidoscope’ – inspired by her garden with fresh breeze, birdsong, a bubbling fountain and her cat Pablo. The second poem is ‘Passport’ – a meditation on nature, grief and travel. Amy discusses how she has changed from being a busy career woman to being a poet

Melissa Ridge performs ‘Dublin Soundscape’, a poem about a city that feels like a distant cousin despite her living there. She touches on the history and sounds of Dublin, as well as the change makers in the city.

Nuala performs her poem ‘Ash Music’; written about standing beneath an ash tree on the side of the road listening to and looking at what happens in that space. There are opposing elements in the poem – nature and the modern world, the past and the present, different human conditions.

Episode 1 features FeliSpeaks. FeliSpeaks (aka Felicia Olusanya) is a young Nigerian-Irish spoken word poet, performance artist and writer. She was recently nominated as ‘Best Performer’ by Dublin Fringe Festival in 2018, for her performance in ‘BOYCHILD’.

John Cummins performs two poems written for the series - 'The Inter', a tribute to The International Bar in Dublin, where he started performing poetry and 'Nursery Rhymes' - a homage to the soothing words and melodies heard in childhood.

Sarah performs ‘No Thank You I Wouldn’t Like To Talk About It’. It is inspired by eerie sounds of wilderness that make one feel small and isolated such as the wind whistling through a gate. The poem describes how lonely and desolate places can provide comfort in times of need.

Paul Casey performs his poem ‘River’, which takes in the different aspects of the River Lee in Cork City. From the tranquil sounds upriver to the intermingling of nature and human soundscapes and onto the heart of the city.

Episode 3 features Órfhlaith Foyle performing the poem ‘In A Dead Town Where I Once Lived’; set in the poet’s grandmother’s sweet shop and at her grandfather’s farm where she spent some years of her childhood.

Episode 2 features Dave Lordan performing 'Love Commands The Neighbourhood', his experience of living in a housing estate in Co. Wicklow and the attempt to cleanse his hatred and aggression towards the area.

Six of Ireland's leading spoken word artists and poets write a specific new work inspired by a soundscape of their choosing. Todays artist is Abby Oliveira. Produced by Alan Meaney