Connections Verbindungen

Connections / Verbindungen: Poetry from Twin Cities Cork and Cologne, edited by Susanne Fiessler.

Thanks to funding partners: Culture Ireland, Cork City Council, Cork City Library, Stadt Köln, and Städtepartnerschaftsverein Köln-Cork e.V. for their support.

Poetry Reading “What connects us” – poems from the twin cities of Cork and Cologne with Irish and German authors at the Interim Central Library – September 10, 7:00 PM, doors open at 6:30 PM , Hohe Str. 68-82, 50667 Cologne, Germany

                                           Bernadette & Leon, Poetry in the Park, Cork city, May 2026

It's been a great pleasure working with Leon Skottnik to translate his poem 'Ich schaue weg' from German to English ('I Look Away') and for him to translate my poem 'The Risen Tree' from English to German ('Der auferstandene Baum').

Susanne Fiessler brought together 10 poets based in Cork and with her counterpart in Cologne another 10 poets were selected to translate from English to German. The project was part of the Cork Cologne Twinning Association and the completed poetry book titled Connections / Verbindungen was launched at Cork City Hall in June 2026 where the German and Irish poets gave a reading. A return visit by the Cork poets to Cologne is scheduled for September 2026.

                        

We are all connected through mother Earth, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, cousins and neighbours... people we know and those we don't, people of every landmass, every language, we are one.

Borrow a Poet at Cork City Library June 2026

 Thanks to Kemi George for inviting me to participate in 'Borrow a Poet' hosted by Cork City Library June 2026.

The event was expertly curated by Kemi and the audience provided a warm reception. Kemi recorded my reading of my poem 'Beyond'. I gave a talk which included the background to how the poem came about and its journey since and I brought the physical painting ('Narkissos Beyond' by John Philip Murray) which was the initial trigger for this poem into the library so that participants could see and experience the actual painting.

Further details on The Poets Library.

 

Link to 'Beyond' published by Colin Dardis on Poem Alone, Nov 2025

Poetry Day Macroom Library 2026

I was so pleased to finally share a reading with the wonderful poet and person, Eileen Sheehan at Macroom Library on 28th May 2026 to mark Poetry Day.

The theme for Poetry Day was 'Home' so as you can imagine we had lots of 'home' poems. I called the event Poetic Triptych for three reasons: to celebrate Poetry Day, Bealtaine & Africa (Day) and the reason for including the latter is that I have been invited to read at a poetry festival in a small university town in Kenya in Oct. It's with trepidation that I plan my journey but am encouraged with a travel award from Culture Ireland. I know that I will learn more from Africa than anything I might impart whilst there. We also celebrated the coming together in Cork of a poet from Donegal and one from Kerry.

Thanks to Cork County Council Library & Arts Service for their support and to Sheila Fitzgerald, The Corkman and all who participated and attended the event.

Those who participated in the open mic. From left to right: Miriam Logue, John W. Sexton, Bernadette Gallagher, Catherine Sheahan, Eileen Sheehan, Helena Kelly, Janet O'Leary and Patrick Walsh.