A Poet in our Midst

Sligo Grammar School is delighted to congratulate staff member Maeve McKenna on being placed in third place in the Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year competition. She was awarded the prize for a poem she wrote dedicated to her father who died in 2020 having suffered from dementia for ten years. The poem,  “Lemon Drops in the Pocket of My Father’s Overcoat”,  recalls his life with his family and friends and reflects on his illness. The judges at Canterbury called the poem “eloquent and poignant”, saying “The language is simple, there are no flourishes, and it is so much better for that. An excellent poem.” Maeve was one of 598 entrants in the competition, and, having been short-listed, she was invited to Canterbury to read her poem at the awards ceremony. Maeve’s poetry has been placed in several International poetry competitions and been published widely. She is working on her first volume of poetry and we wish her all the very best of luck with it.