Athlone poets set to perform at Croílar's 'Spoken Word Sunday'

Athlone poets Philomena Murphy and Jackie Gorman form part of the line-up for a 'Spoken Word Sunday' event which is part of the town's upcoming Croílár Music and Arts Festival.

Taking place in Booley on Sean Costelleo Street on Sunday, April 19, the event aims to bring together powerful voices from across the island.

Festivalgoers can expect an intimate afternoon of honesty, imagination, social commentary, and reflection.

Gorman is a widely published poet known for precise, intense, and ecologically attuned work, while Murphy is a poet and aspiring memoirist, published as part of a Coimisiún na Meán–funded documentary and active in Irish community radio.

Other speakers include hip hop and spoken-word artist Cathal O’Reilly; academic, psychotherapist, and author Dr Christine Moran; and theatre-maker, spoken-word artist, and founder of Underclass Productions, Killian Kirwan.

Performance poet Darragh Coady; Cornafulla-based poet, writer, and facilitator Amy Abdullah Barry; and spoken-word artist Angel Baby complete the line-up.

The event makes up part of the wider Croílár Music and Arts Festival taking place in Athlone from Friday, April 17 to to Sunday, April 19.

Headlined by Joshua Burnside, following the release of his new album 'It’s Not Going to Be OK', alongside Morgana and Huartan, the three-day, multi-venue festival will see more than 50 acts perform throughout the town.

Spanning live music, comedy, visual art and storytelling, the programme includes performances from artists across multiple genres, alongside comedians such as Killian Sundermann and Amy Walsh, as well as Seanchóiche storytelling events and a pop-up Gaeltacht experience.

Across the weekend, audiences will be able to move between 13 venues hosting live performances across the town, including the return of performances inside St. Mary’s Church, alongside events in venues such as Sean’s Bar, Maisie’s, The Piano Bar, Peddler Mac’s, Flannery’s, and an outdoor stage at The Canopy in the centre of Athlone.

Founded by Midlands natives Jack O’Meara and Eddie Connolly, and powered by a voluntary committee, Croílár was staged for the first time last year and continues to build as a community-led festival that places music, culture and connection at the centre of the town each spring.

Three-day tickets are priced at €75.85, which the organisers say positions Croílár as one of the most accessible multi-day festivals in Ireland.

Tickets and full programme details are available at: croilar.ie