Kildare poet is finalist in prestigious poetry competition

Red Line Book Festival Poetry Competition attracts hundreds of entries

The prestigious Red Line Book Festival Poetry Competition attracts hundreds of entries from all across the island of Ireland annually.  This year, Red Line Book Festival is honoured to have award-winning poet Patrick Deely to judge the competition entries and he has now chosen a shortlist of finalists.

 Helen Fallon from Kildare is among the finalists. The winner will be announced during this year’s Red Line Book Festival and shortlisted poets will be invited to read their poem at the Poetry night and awards at the Red Line Book Festival in Dublin on Wednesday 16th of October. 

Helen Fallon is a retired librarian.  She has worked in libraries in Ireland, Sierra Leone and Saudi Arabia. She has published in  Poetry Ireland Review (PIR), The Ogham Stone,  A New Ulster,  Skylight47,  Galway Review, Washing Windows III, and Washing Windows IV.  She was selected for Poetry Ireland Introductions 2022 and was the recipient of John Hewitt 2024 summer school bursary.  

She lives in Co.Kildare.

This year's judge, Patrick Deeley, is a poet, memoirist and children’s writer from Loughrea. Keepsake is his eighth collection of poems with Dedalus Press.   His previous collections include The End of the World, Groundswell: New and Selected, and The Bones of Creation.   His work has featured in many anthologies and literary journals worldwide as well as being translated to French, Spanish, Italian, Ukrainian and other languages.  He received the 2019 Lawrence O’Shaughnessy Award for poetry, and his other awards include the Dermot Healy International Poetry Prize, and the Bisto and Eilis Dillon Awards for Children’s Literature.  His best-selling, critically acclaimed memoir, The Hurley Maker’s Son, was published by Transworld in 2016.  

The Red Line Book Festival is coming up on October 14th – 20th 2024.  Over 40 literary events will take place is venue across South County Dublin over the week with an eclectic mix of established writers and new voices.  It is a celebration of literature, storytelling, and creativity and has grown to become one of the highlights of the cultural calendar.  Now in its 13th year, The Red Line Book Festival is produced by South Dublin Libraries and Arts at South Dublin County Council offering a programme of events and workshops that appeals to people of all ages and interests, from children to adults, casual readers to bookworms.  See www.redlinefestival.ie for the full programme of events taking place across all venues.