Global spotlight on Drumshanbo as Written Word Festival draws 138 film entries

Drumshanbo will take centre stage later this weekend as the Written Word Festival returns with a line-up that stretches from Leitrim to the far corners of the globe. The festival runs on August 22nd and 23rd, with events at the Methodist Church and Monica’s Pub.

The weekend opens with the Poetry Film Awards, hosted by Cork poet Colm Scully and adjudicated this year by Scottish filmmaker Steve Smith. The competition has drawn an extraordinary response, with 138 films submitted.

Festival manager Eileen O’Toole said the scale of entries shows how much the event has grown. “We’ve had films submitted from all over the world,” she said. “At the launch, 23 shortlisted poetry films will be screened — each just six minutes long but packed with creativity.”

For O’Toole, the festival also carries a personal symbol — the John McGahern kettle, which was gifted to her and sits on her Stanley at home. “It’s amazing to think that kettle gave him so much inspiration,” she said. “The John McGahern kettle is always on, and it reminds me how stories keep people alive long after they’re gone.”

Saturday’s programme includes a Poetry Workshop with Galway writer Cormac Culkeen, and afternoon readings with Brian Leyden and Gerry Boland. In the evening, Fermanagh actor Paddy McEneaney will mark the centenary of The Great Gatsby with a live performance.

The festival then closes in fitting style at Monica’s Pub with the John McGahern Kettle Conversation — an open mic where anyone can step up to share a poem, story, song, or memory. For O’Toole, it’s the perfect ending: “It’s where memory and imagination meet. People from all walks of life step up to share their words becaus our goal is really to encourage writers.”

Tickets are available on Eventbrite or on the door, with the final night free of charge.

READ MORE: Mayflower Centre lost out on thousands after cancelling Míse Éire festival, says Chairman