Brewery Lane event celebrates Carrick-on-Suir’s links with Newfoundland  

A Newfoundland poet was the special guest at a cultural night of poetry, song and story at Brewery Lane Theatre celebrating the close ties between Carrick-on-Suir and the Canadian province.

 Dan Murphy, who chairs the Irish festival in  Tilting in Newfoundland, recited some of his poetry at the event on Tuesday night, June 25. 

There was also poetry from renowned Carrick-on-Suir poet Michael Coady, Piltown based poet Mark Roper and a number of poets who take part in Brewery Lane's monthly Poetry Plus sessions run by Margaret O'Brien. 

   Carrick-on-Suir musician and singer Kevin Power sang some songs and Walter Dunphy of Brewery Lane Drama Group performed a comic recitation. Tom Nealon was the event's MC.   

The cultural night also featured a display of Carrick boat builder Pat Drohan's  model of  a horse drawn boat used to transport goods on the Suir between Carrick and Clonmel.   

Mr Murphy was accompanied at the event by his wife Angela, who was in Ireland for a McGrath family re-union in Dungarvan. The couple had just arrived in Ireland earlier that day for the start of their Irish visit, which included another poetry event in Wexford and a visit to Nobel Prize winning poet Seamus Heaney's home place in Co. Derry.  

Mr Murphy said the poetry he recited at the cultural night reflected the  resettlement and loss experienced by  the rural communities of Fogo Island where Tilting is located.  

He said he loved Michael Coady's poems and was delighted when the Carrick writer  presented him with one of his books during his visit. 

Tilting is regarded as one of the most Irish places in Newfoundland and   has been visited several times by members of the Suir Valley Ireland Newfoundland Connections Committee based in Carrick-on-Suir.

 Six members of this group will be part of a 62 strong contingent from the South East, who will visit Newfoundland in August for The Gathering Festival.