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Wr i t i n g S c h o o l

P R O G R A M M E

J o h n O ’ C o n n o r

J O H N O ’ C O N N O RW R I T I N G S C H O O L

& L i t e r a ry A rt s F e s t i va l

2 n d – 5 t h n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 7a r m a g h

No Borders,

No Boundaries

– Celebrate

and Inspire

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L o r d M a y o r , A l d e r m a n G a r e t h W i l s o nJoh n O ’Connor Wr i t ing S ch oo l & Li t e rar y Ar t s Fe s t i va l Prog ramme

It is with great pleasure that I send my best wishes to all involved with the John O’Connor Writing School and Literary Arts Festival.

John O’Connor was a great writer from Armagh and I am delighted that his name and talent will be celebrated and enhanced through the John O’Connor Writing School and Literary Arts Festival, now in its second year.

I would commend all those who have worked extremely hard to pull together such a full and varied programme for people of all ages to enjoy and be inspired by.

I hope and trust that you will build on the success of your inaugural event last year and that everyone will enjoy the festival.

Best wishes,

Lord Mayor, Alderman Gareth Wilson

BOOKING INFORMATION:

Online: www.armagh.co.uk/johnoconnorwww.thejohnoconnorwritingschool.com

In person:Armagh Visitor Information Centre, 40 Upper English Street, Armagh, BT61 7BA.

By phone: 0044 (0) 28 3752 1800

ACCOMMODATION: Contact Armagh Visitor Information Centre (40 Upper English Street; 0044 (0) 28 3752 1800) and /or access the PDF link below to ‘Armagh: Ireland’s Ancient Cathedral City’. The Visitor Information Centre will be able to recommend budget accommodation available in the area.www.armagh.co.uk/armagh-visitors-guidewww.armagh.co.uk/accommodationPhone: 00 44 (0) 28 3752 1800

The Charlemont Arms Hotel offers a 10% discount on room rates for attendees at the festival. Please quote JOCWS. Phone: 00 44 (0) 3752 2028

WRITING SCHOOL FEES:Students pick ONE intensive course of study over the three days.

Adult: £130 (choice of five courses of study): Fiction, Screenwriting, Playwriting, Poetry, Songwriting.

Concession: £99 (over 65s, unwaged, students).

Early Bird offer: 15% on all places booked by 4th October.

LITERARY ARTS FESTIVAL TICKETS: Prices as listed per event.

Early Bird offer: 10% on all Literary Arts Festival events up to 4 October (excludes The John O’Connor Celebration Evening on Saturday 4th November).

Ticket Exchange/Refund: Once purchased, tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded. A cancellation fee may apply.Refunds will be made only in the event of a cancelled performance or course.

Note: Concession tickets require proof of eligibility at the entrance to the event.

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A word from our Patron, Paul MuldoonI’m delighted to welcome you to (the programme for) the second annual John O’Connor Writing School and Literary Arts Festival.

In my capacity as patron of the School and Arts Festival, I thought I’d remind myself of the several meanings of that word. In the first place, a patron is ‘a person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, cause, or activity.’ The idea of being a ‘backer’ is an attractive one, particularly when one may fulfill the role in ways that are not necessarily financial – and I don’t mean not heading for the bookie’s to back a horse! To be a supporter in the sense of providing moral or emotional or, indeed, intellectual support is no less important. And it’s something I don’t have to do alone. You can do it, too!

The second meaning of patron is ‘a customer, especially a regular one, of a store, restaurant, or theater.’ It’s an idea that’s connected to that first

meaning but does, I suppose, go more in the direction of financial support. The fact that public sponsorship

of the arts is now so fitful, frugal, and (more often than not) driven by favoritism, means that we all really need to fall in and fork out.

The role of being a ‘frequenter’ of the School and Literary Festival is one that comes naturally to us, I believe, when we think of the long tradition of Armagh being a center for the arts. In addition

to the idea of Saint Patrick being our patron saint (patron in the sense here of ‘one to whose

protection and intercession a person, a society, a church, or a place is dedicated’) we may extend the idea of ‘patron’ to John O’Connor himself, given his place as a prime defender of, and advocate for, our city of Armagh.

Paul.

A word from Cathy McCullough, Festival DirectorWe are pleased to present this second John O’Connor Writing School and Literary Arts Festival programme. We hope you will find in it inspiration and cause for celebration.

We are especially grateful to The Arts Council of Northern Ireland and ABC Council for their financial and moral support, which has made this year’s festival possible. Equally, we wholeheartedly thank our local sponsors, management board, volunteers, and festival team for their hard work, commitment and dedication to the cause!

For John O’Connor, there were ‘no borders or boundaries where good writing is concerned’. He believed that there is a good book, story, song or poem in us all. This festival seeks to embody his spirit of openness, welcome, encouragement and support to all our class participants and our audiences.

As well as writing classes, we offer a wide range of Literary Festival events and are confident that there is something for everyone.

Writing helps us to make sense of the many complex ideas that travel through our minds. In some cases, this may result in the gripping novel we cannot put down; in others it aids self-expression, clarity of thought, and even assists us in our working lives.

The Writing School and Literary Arts Festival programme presents writers such as Louis de Bernières and Robert McCrum, poets Lemn Sissay and Maria McManus, musicians and songwriters Gareth Dunlop, Horslips, Fiachna and Lisa Lambe, screenwriters, playwrights, librettists, choirs, and more... there is much to enjoy!

As we celebrate the writing talent that was John O’Connor, so do we celebrate the beautiful city of light and learning that is Armagh, and the fine talent that has emerged from it over the years. We hope you will feel inspired to write, read, sing, gaze at the stars, and embark on your writing journey – whatever the reason!

Cathy.

A word from Damian Smyth, Arts Council of Northern Ireland The re-emergence in 2016 of John O’Connor, author of Come Day – Go Day (1948), as a force to be reckoned with in Irish fiction, more than half a century after his early death at the age

of 39 in 1959, was a cause for celebration among those aware of this writer’s distinctive qualities as a chronicler of Irish market town moralities, rural lore and our common human foibles.

The quality of his work was matched by the Writing School and Literary Arts Festival which prompted the revival in his home place of Armagh – and places unique focus on writing skills across the genres, from songwriting to poetry to travel to cuisine to creative non-fiction. A heady mix and one the Arts Council is delighted to support in its second year, as it develops another asset for culture generally and in Armagh City especially.

Damian.

‘The world of John O’Connor is a world of the freshly

snedded turnip, the new-sawn plank, the sod shining under

the plough. His extraordinary gift is to render the life of the

Mill Row in Armagh as deftly and definitively as Steinbeck

renders Cannery Row or Bob Dylan Desolation Row’.

Paul Muldoon, Patron

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‘There are no borders, and no boundaries where good writing is concerned’.

John O’Connor.

On the outskirts of Armagh on the Loughall road there was a small hamlet of fifty tiny houses built for the workers of the Duncairne Spin-ning Mill. It was here that John O’Connor was born on 4th April 1920 and here that he lived with his family. His father, Johnny, was a First World War Somme veteran who returned in 1916 with shrapnel injuries

to his leg and head. He was a cobbler by trade and he eked out a modest living with his wife Kitty by running a little shop from their tiny kitchen in the Mill Row.

It was a simple life, dictated by the working mill, the river floods and the simplicity of the lives lived there.

The family moved from the Mill Row in 1932, to a ‘grand’ house by comparison, at St. Columba’s Terrace, Banbrook Hill. A blue plaque in honour of O’Connor has been erected at the house.

John O’Connor left school in the mid 1930s and worked, briefly, as a telegram boy. His career with the post office was short-lived as he much preferred lying on the banks of the Callan River dreaming and crafting his stories. He became a prolific writer, producing pieces for local newspapers, a large number of short stories and several documentary programmes for the BBC under the encouraging eye of his close friend and mentor, Sam Hanna Bell.

His only novel, Come Day – Go Day, was described by Benedict Kiely as a ‘masterpiece’ beautifully capturing the ‘wonder, danger and magic of ordinary days’.

In the early 1950s John O’Connor travelled to Papua New Guinea and then Australia, where he died suddenly from peritonitis in Ayr, near Townsville, in December 1959.

His emergence as a storyteller of genius did not happen in a vacuum. His immersion in the cultural and literary traditions of his native city in particular,

and County Armagh in general, is evident in his work. The people and environment were his material; local schools and institutions fed his creativity.

Come Day – Go Day was first published by Golden Eagle Books Limited in Dublin in 1948, then republished by Blackstaff Press in 1984.

In 1984 Sam Hanna Bell said, ‘We’ve had to wait 36 years for the reappearance of this gallery of beautifully drawn characters.’ Pioneered by Sam Hanna Bell and John Boyd, and more recently by Paul Muldoon, he is described as ‘Armagh’s lost literary great’ (Cul-ture NI, 2016).

The next edition of Come Day – Go Day was published by The John O’Connor Writing School in November 2016, with the assistance of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

This recent publication will help bring the work of this important author to the wider audience that it – and he – deserves.

Now, a new generation of writers, poets, playwrights, songwriters, film-makers and their audiences will gather again in Armagh to celebrate and enjoy the beauty of language in all its forms, to revisit the work of John O’Connor, and to take inspiration from his beautiful city, and from each other.

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Friday 3rd Saturday 4th Sunday 5th

Registration 9.00am: Registration and Lord Mayor’s welcome.Venue: Armagh Robinson Library.

Poetry Class: 11.15am-2.45pmCourse tutor: Lemn Sissay.Venue: Milford House Collection.

Class: 9.30am-12.30pmIncluding Industry Talk: 11.30am-12.30pm with Kate Newmann and Joan Newmann.Venue: Milford House Collection.

Class: 9.30am-12.30pmVenue: Milford House Collection.

Fiction Class: 11.15am-2.45pmCourse tutor: Martina Devlin.Venue: Milford House Collection.

Class: 9.30am-12.30pmIncluding Industry Talk: 11.30am-12.30pm with Robert McCrum.Venue: Milford House Collection.

Class: 9.30am-12.30pmVenue: Milford House Collection.

Playwriting Class: 11.15am-2.45pm Course tutor: Jo Egan.Venue: AmmA Centre.

Class: 9.30am-12.30pmIncluding Industry Talk: 11.30am-12.30pm with Conall Morrison and Paul Bosco McEneaney.Venue: AmmA Centre.

Class: 9.30am-12.30pmVenue: AmmA Centre.

Screenwriting Class: 11.15am-2.45pm Course tutor: Deirdre Cartmill.Venue: AmmA Centre.

Class: 9.30am-12.30pmIncluding Industry Talk: 11.30am-12.30pm with Barry Devlin.Venue: AmmA Centre.


Songwriting Class: 11.15am-2.45pm Course tutor: Gareth Dunlop.Venue: AmmA Centre.

Class: 9.30am-12.30pmIncluding Industry Talk: 11.30am-12.30pm with Jim Lockhart.Venue: AmmA Centre


Industry Talks Note: A number of places are available to the public. Admission is free, but places will be allocated at the venue on a first-come, first-served, basis.

Key: AmmA: Armagh multi media Access, Market Place, Armagh.

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T HE WRITING COURSES will provide intensive tuition for everyone, including new and emerging writers. The choice of tutor is designed to ensure that the focus rests firmly on inspiring, celebrating and

encouraging each and every ‘student’, irrespective of their level of skill and expertise.

The Student Programme consists of five courses: Poetry, Fiction, Playwriting, Screenwriting and Songwriting. Students will select one course of study and will receive up to ten hours of tuition, including an Industry Talk specific to their subject. Industry Talks are provided by some of the best writers in Ireland and the UK, allowing students an opportunity to engage with the writer in an informal setting.

All classes begin and end at the same time, and are scheduled so that students can attend all of the events in the Literary Arts Festival.

O’Connor had a highly-developed social conscience, believing in equal opportunity for all, irrespective of social, cultural, religious or educational background.

He was a colourful character, a writer, a sportsman, an athlete, with a predilection for pink socks and orange ties, which doubtless didn’t go unnoticed in his hometown. He left Armagh in 1952 to embark on new adventures. He travelled to Australia where he died in 1959 in a boarding house near Townsville, on the north-east coast of Queensland.

He was an idealist, an intrepid adventurer – some would say a dreamer – but through hard work and determination he became an admired and respected writer.

We hope you will be inspired to continue on your writing journey!We are proud to celebrate him and all of the tutors, writers and

contributors to our 2017 programme.

Kate Newmann

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W r i t i n g S c h o o l P r o g r a m m e C o u r s e D e t a i l s W r i t i n g S c h o o l P r o g r a m m e P o e t r y C l a s s D e t a i l s

Poetry with Lemn SissayVenue: Milford House Collection, 3 Victoria Street.

Friday 3rd November 11.15am–2.45pm Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th November 9.30am –12.30pm

‘Release Your Imagination and Enhance Your Poetry Skills.’How to write a poem. How to read a poem on stage. How to release your imagination and find unique angles and terms to enhance your poem. How to be a poet. Poetry as the spider on the World Wide Web. How to live as a writer …

All this and more, in Lemn Sissay’s writing course. A weekend of laughter and learning. Lemn Sissay MBE is the author of several books of poetry. He was the official poet for the London Olympics and The FA Cup 2015. He is Chancellor of the University of Manchester.

Sissay’s installation poem what if was exhibited at The Royal Academy alongside Tracey Emin and Antony Gormley. His 21st century poem was released on the multi-million award-winning album, Leftism by Leftfield. A violin concerto performed at The BBC by Viktoria Mullova was inspired by Lemn Sissay’s poem, Advice For The Living.

‘Reach for the top of the tree and you may get to the first branch, but reach for the stars and you’ll get to the top of the tree. My primary aim is to inspire and be inspired’. (Lemn Sissay)

There is only one Lemn Sissay in the world! Don’t miss this rare opportunity to work with him.

Poetry Industry Talk with Kate Newmann and Joan NewmannVenue: Milford House Collection, 3 Victoria Street.

Saturday 4th November 11.30am –12.30pm

Kate Newmann, along with Seamus Heaney, Stewart Parker and James Simmons, began in the Philip Hobsbaum Belfast Group in the 1960s. She is the recipient of the Criobh na hEigse for services to poetry. She has published three collections and is co-founder of the Summer Palace Press.

Joan Newmann has written four collections of poetry, the most recent of which is Grim [Arlen House 2015]. In 2016 she collated Nearness of Ice, interviews with the surviving veterans from the Arctic Convoys, and is co-founder of the Summer Palace Press.

Timetable

Students choose one course of study

Friday 3rd November9.00–11.00am

Registration and Lord Mayor’s WelcomeVenue: Armagh Robinson Library, 43 Abbey Street.

Courses Courses are available in: Poetry, Fiction, Playwriting, Screenwriting and Songwriting.

Industry TalksEach course will benefit from an ‘Industry Talk’ with a respected writer in their field. The Industry Talk is part of the course content.

Note: A small number of places will be available to the public at these talks. Admission is free, but places will be allocated at the venue, on a first come, first served, basis.

Course Times (same for all courses)Friday 3rd November 11.15am–2.45pm Short lunch break – please bring a packed lunch.

Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th November 9.30am–12.30pm

Course VenuesVenue for Playwriting, Screenwriting and Songwriting: AmmA Centre, Market Street.

Venue for Poetry and Fiction: Milford House Collection, 3 Victoria Street.

Lemn Sissay

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Playwriting with Jo EganVenue: AmmA Centre, Market Street.

Friday 3rd November 11.15am–2.45pm Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th November 9.30am–12.30pm

‘Learn the Basic Rules of Playwriting – and When to Break Them!’Jo Egan is an experienced writer, producer and director. She holds an MFA in Playwriting, was creative producer with KABOSH and is now Artistic Director with Macha Productions in Belfast. She works as a dramaturg.

Jo will take you through the basic rules of playwriting – and then teach you how to break them!

‘Over the course of the weekend sessions we will explore the basic principles that inform script creation for theatre. We will examine the use of time, action, ritual and memory.’

The course will consist of short, written experiments that offer insight and can be used beyond the life of the classes. Participants are asked to bring an idea, concept or theme they have been considering or a 600-word segment of a work in progress.

Note: Please do not bring completed scripts due to time constraints on the class.

Playwriting Industry Talk with Conall Morrison and Paul Bosco McEneaney Venue: AmmA Centre, Market Street.


Paul Bosco McEneaney is from Armagh, and is the founder and Artistic Director of Cahoots NI Theatre Company. The winner of many prestigious awards, he has worked on productions ranging from Shakespeare in the open air to West End musicals. He is director of the recent Broadway hit, Nivelli’s War.

Conall Morrison is from Armagh and a Dublin-based director and writer. He has worked extensively for companies such as the Abbey Theatre, the Lyric Theatre (Belfast), Storytellers Theatre Company (Dublin), and Bickerstaff (Kilkenny). He has also worked at the Royal National Theatre, London.

Fiction with Martina Devlin Venue: Milford House Collection, 3 Victoria Street.


‘If Not Now, Then When?’Perhaps you’ve always wanted to write but never found the time. Maybe lack of confidence has been the problem. Or you don’t know what kind of book to write.

This weekend workshop with Martina Devlin will deal with some of the nuts and bolts of the craft in an interactive way, including:

– How to build character – The importance of dialogue – Beginnings and endings – Why plot matters – Setting – Structure.

You won’t have a novel at the end of it – but you should have a clearer idea about how to press on with writing one. Omagh-born Martina Devlin is a best-selling author and newspaper columnist. She has written nine books, ranging from historical fiction to memoir. Her novels include About Sisterland, The House Where It Happened and Ship of Dreams. Prizes include the VS Pritchett Prize and a Hennessy Literary Award. She has been shortlisted three times for the Irish Book Awards. She writes for the Irish Independent and is vice-chair of the Irish Writers’ Centre.

Fiction Industry Talk with Robert McCrumVenue: Milford House Collection, 3 Victoria Street.


Robert McCrum was Editor-in-Chief of Faber & Faber from 1980–1986, where he published such writers as Kazuo Ishiguro, Milan Kundera, Marilynne Robinson, and Hanif Kureishi.

His account of his stroke, My Year Off (1998), is in its third edition as a Picador Classic. His last book Every Third Thought has just been published. (August 2017).

He is now Associate Editor with The Observer (UK).

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Songwriting with Gareth DunlopVenue: AmmA Centre, Market Street.


‘Explore Aspects and Approach to Songwriting’Over the past eight years award-winning songwriter Gareth Dunlop has seen his songs placed in hit TV shows including One Tree Hill, House, Nashville, Cougar Town, and in the major motion pictures, Safe Haven and Best Of Me. The Northern Ireland native is a regular visitor to Nashville TN where he has worked alongside hit songwriters and artists including Mike Reid and John Oates.

Dunlop has toured with artists such as Stereophonics, Ryan Sheridan and Kim Richey, and has played shows alongside Van Morrison, Snow Patrol and Jools Holland to name a few.

In this intensive weekend course, Gareth will explore aspects of songwriting such as ‘writing to brief’ which was key to having his work placed in over sixty TV and film applications including adverts, trailers, TV shows and major motion pictures. Gareth will look at different approaches to songwriting and the importance of scene and character as well as lyric, melody and harmony. He will think about the importance of emotive expression in the craft, and consider how to co-write.

Students will learn about the business of songwriting from publishing to copyright protection, royalties, licensing and catalogue administration.

The format will be open, encouraging and interactive to accommodate all levels of ability. Students will have the opportunity to have their work critiqued.

Songwriting Industry Talk with Jim Lockhart. Venue: AmmA Centre, Market Street.


Having earned himself a permanent place in Irish Rock’n’Roll history as a member and creative force with the legendary Celtic Rock pioneers, Horslips, plus an IFTA nomination along the way for his score for Robert Quinn’s 2008 feature film, Cré na Cille, Jim Lockhart is now a producer and presenter with RTE.

He features regularly on music and arts programmes on RTE Radio 1 – and continues to play with Horslips.

Screenwriting with Deirdre Cartmill Venue: AmmA Centre, Market Street.


’What’s The Story? A Guide To Screenwriting’Screenplays form the starting point for most dramatic films. They are core to the art of great filmmaking. All of the tender romance, gripping action and unforgettable lines begin at the screenwriter’s desk.

This course is suitable both for beginners and emerging screenwriters who want to add depth to their work and take their scripts to another level. We will focus primarily on TV and film, and many of the tools and insights can be adapted for radio and stage.

You will learn to create and develop characters that leap off the page, focus on structure, setting, format, write strong dialogue, how to avoid common mistakes, and write a great pitch to get your work commissioned.

What are you waiting for?

Deirdre Cartmill is an award-winning screenwriter, playwright and poet. She has written for TV, short film, radio and theatre. She spent two years as a scriptwriter and storywriter on RTE’s flagship drama, Fair City. She worked as a script editor with the BBC for 8 years. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing and is an experienced writing mentor and facilitator.

Screenwriting Industry Talk with Barry Devlin Venue: AmmA Centre, Market Street.


As well as being singer and bass player with the unforgettable Celtic Rock band, Horslips, Barry Devlin has directed numerous documentaries and pop videos – mainly for U2, Pride, Bad and Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, but also for artists like Clannad, Michael Flatley, Gerry Rafferty, River City People and Hothouse Flowers.

As a screenwriter for TV he has worked on many hit series such as Perfect Scoundrels, Darling Buds Of May, Ballykissangel and The Clinic.

His film work includes Lapsed Catholics, All Things Bright And Beautiful, A Man Of No Importance, Spaghetti Slow, Not Afraid, Not Afraid and A Kiss For Jed, as writer. He was IFTA nominated for best script for his major Sunday night BBC Drama series, My Mother And Other Strangers.

Barry Devlin

Jim Lockhart

Deirdre Cartmill Gareth Dunlop

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In 1888 Bellina Prior, of Vicar’s Hill, Armagh, (aka The Green Lady) was pronounced ‘guilty but insane’ in

relation to the drowning of three-year-old Annie Slavin of Callan Street. Children ever since have run in fear past her house on Vicar’s Hill.

Karl’s stage play about Bellina is set on her last night in Dublin, in November 1909. It speculates on what might have occurred.

Maggie Cronin is an award-winning actress, writer and director. Her film credits include the Oscar-winning film, The Shore. Her work for television includes Holby City, My Mother and Other Strangers and The Bill. She has just returned from Broadway where she appeared in the highly-acclaimed, Nivelli’s War.

Brenda Winter-Palmer is a founder member of Charabanc, the legendary women’s theatre company which launched the writing career of Marie Jones. She founded and was first Artistic Director of the Educational Theatre company, Replay, and has numerous film and television credits to her name.

Karl O’Neill is a writer and actor. In 2016 his radio play, 12 Stones in the Water, developed for stage as Bellina and the Softening of the Stones, won awards for Best Writing and Best Drama Special at the New York Festivals’ Radio Awards.

A Q&A session after the show will include the Armagh historian, Sean Barden.

6.45pm. THEATRE EVENT.

‘Bellina and the Softening of the Stones’Rehearsed reading of a play by the Armagh writer, Karl O’Neill, with Maggie Cronin as Bellina and Brenda Winter-Palmer as Nina.Venue: Abbey Lane Theatre. £8.

Background image: Bellina Prior and Nina

Maggie Cronin

Brenda Winter-Palmer

Karl O’Neill

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Jo Egan

Paul Bosco McEneaney

Conall Morrison

Jane Coyle

Rosemary Jenkinson

Panellists:

Jo Egan is an experienced writer, producer and director. She holds an MFA in Playwriting and was Creative Producer with KABOSH. She is now co-founder and Artistic Director with Macha Productions in Belfast and works as a dramaturg and writing tutor at the Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast.

Paul Bosco McEneaney is from Armagh and is the founder and Artistic Director of Cahoots NI Theatre Company. The winner of many prestigious awards, he has worked on productions ranging from Shakespeare in the open air to West End musicals. He is director of the recent Broadway hit, Nivelli’s War.

Conall Morrison is a Dublin-based director and writer, originally from Armagh. He has worked extensively for companies such as the Abbey Theatre, the Lyric Theatre (Belfast), Storytellers Theatre Company (Dublin), and Bickerstaff (Kilkenny). He has also worked at the Royal National Theatre, London.

Jane Coyle is an established arts journalist and critic, who has worked extensively in newspapers, television and radio in Ireland, the UK and France. She has written many scripts for radio and television, as well as three full-length screenplays.

Rosemary Jenkinson is currently Artist-in-Residence at the Lyric and her plays include The Bonefire (Stewart Parker BBC Radio Award), Here Comes the Night and Lives in Translation. Her work has been performed in London, Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Washington DC and New York.

In a conversation peppered with insider tips, wisdom and humour a panel of top playwrights, critics and directors discuss the making of good theatre. They will give the inside track on how to write and produce for the stage, how to get a play noticed and produced and how to stay sane in the process!

3.30–4.30pm. PANEL TALK WITH Q&A.

Panel Discussion with Q&A. Facilitated by Jo Egan. ‘The Play’s the Thing – What Makes Good Theatre?’Venue: Irish and Local Studies Library, 39c Abbey Street. £6.

Throughout the festival weekend

Exhibition: The Life and Times of John O’ConnorVenue: Armagh County Museum.

Primary School Children’s Story Exhibition Venue: Armagh City Library.

Children write about welcoming strangers and valuing difference. Actor and writer, Karl O’Neill, worked with and encouraged the children with his delightful story, The Arrival of Percy Bloo.

Blackwell’s Bookstall Service (with book signings Saturday 4th November) Venue: Charlemont Arms Hotel, Friday and Saturday, 3rd and 4th November

Roving ArtsMick Conway, a cross-platform artist, will be picking up images and sounds from the city and the Writing School events and creating an inspiring exhibition for Armagh 2018.

A Song for Armagh Facilitated by Armagh Guitar School, young people from the area write a new ‘Song for Armagh’ which will be sung in a number of events during the Festival weekend.

5.00–6.00pm. TALK AND SLIDE SHOW PRESENTATION.

Geoff Hill: ‘Falling off Motorcycles – A Beginner’s Guide’ Venue: Abbey Lane Theatre. £6.

With the moon and stars as our stage we present an unforgettable evening of music and contemporary writing in the beautiful domed theatre of the Armagh Planetarium.

Join us as we celebrate Armagh’s contribution to astronomical and scientific heritage, and pay tribute to the Armagh Astronomer, Eric Lindsey.

Guests include the poets Lemn Sissay, Nandi Jola, Kate Newmann, and Joan Newmann, writers Daragh Carville and Jo Baker, The Sing for Life Choir with music specially composed for the occasion by the librettist and conductor, Keith Acheson.

The evening will be presented by the poet, Maria McManus.

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Keith Acheson and the Sing for Life Choir

Jo Baker

Kate Newmann

Joan Newmann

Maria McManus

Nandi Jola

Daragh Carville

8.30–10.30pm. MUSIC AND WRITING.

Lumen in Coeli – a Light in the Dark Venue: Armagh Planetarium, College Hill. £15.

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Stand by for an hour of fun and games as Geoff Hill takes you through a lifetime on the road in words and pictures.

In his 45-minute slide show, Geoff reveals the highs and lows of the epic motorbike trips he’s turned into a succession of best-selling books, like Delhi to Belfast, Route 66, Chile to Alaska, and In Clancy’s Boots in which he retraced the journey of Carl Stearns Clancy, the first to take a motorbike around the world a century ago.

There’ll be time afterwards for questions like, ‘How did you get so tall?’ and ‘Are you mad?’ The answer, to save you the time, is ‘Yes’.

Geoff Hill is an award-winning journalist, feature and travel writer. He has written for The Sunday Times, The Daily Mirror,

The Metro, and The Irish Times. In a previous life he was Ireland’s most capped volleyball player and a much younger man.

He is editor of Microlight Flying magazine and has written eleven critically acclaimed books including The Butler’s Son.

He’s either won or been shortlisted for a UK Travel Writer of the Year award nine times.

7.00–8.00pm. TALK.

‘Let’s Talk Beckett and Patrick Magee’Conor Carville on the distinguished actor, Patrick MageeVenue: Abbey Lane Theatre. £7.

When Samuel Beckett heard the voice of Patrick Magee bringing one of his novels to life on radio in the late 1950s, he was

immediately struck by its strange, distinctive qualities. He went on to write a play specifically for Magee, and the actor became well known, on British radio particularly, for his performances of Beckett’s work. Indeed the two men became close friends. Conor Carville’s talk will concentrate on that personal and professional relationship and its consequences.

Using recordings of Magee’s radio work and clips from TV and film, it will look at the way Beckett transformed Magee’s career, but also how Magee moulded the way we see Beckett.

Geoff Hill

Patrick Magee

Daragh Carville is a well-known playwright and screenwriter and is from Armagh. He has won the Stewart Parker and the Meyer Whitworth awards for playwriting and teaches Scriptwriting at Birkbeck University of London. His work includes Cherrybomb, Being Human, The Smoke and 6 Degrees.

1.00–2.00pm.

‘Lights, Camera, Action’. Panel Discussion with Q&AAward-winning screenwriters and directors in conversation with Daragh Carville. A fascinating insight into the world of film and television.Venue: The Charlemont Arms Hotel, 57-65 Upper English Street. £7.

With the success of Game of Thrones and other TV dramas made in Northern Ireland

(The Fall, Line of Duty), the region is fast becoming a sought-after centre for film and drama production.

Panellists Ursula Devine (Script Developer with NI Screen), Barry Devlin (IFTA nominee), Ronan Blaney (BAFTA, Oscar nominee) and casting director/producer Jude Sharvin discuss the exciting possibilities and challenges for artists working in this fast-developing field in Northern Ireland.

Jude Sharvin

Daragh Carville

Barry Devlin

Ronan Blaney

Ursula Devine

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10.00am–6.00pm.

Blackwell Books – Festival Bookshop. Venue: Charlemont Arms Hotel, 57-65 Upper English Street.

11.30am–12..30pm.

Writing School Industry Talks.(Please see Writing School programme for details).

Industry Talks are free. Limited places available. Admission on first-come, first-served basis.

See individual venues below.

Each of our Writing School courses is supplemented with an informative and interactive Industry Talk, which gives

students, and a limited number of members of the public, the opportunity to engage at first hand with some of the most respected writers in Ireland and the UK.

INDUSTRY TALKS TUTORS:

Poetry – Kate Newmann and Joan Newmann. Venue: Milford House Collection, 3 Victoria Street.

Fiction – Robert McCrum. Venue: Milford House Collection, 3 Victoria Street.

Screenwriting – Barry Devlin. Venue: AmmA Centre.

Song – Jim Lockhart (Horslips). Venue: AmmA Centre.

Playwriting – Conall Morrison and Paul Bosco McEneaney. Venue: AmmA Centre.

11.30am–12.30 pm

‘Story time at the Library’ with actor and writer, Karl O’Neill: Under the Fir TreeFor Primary School children. Venue: Armagh City Library, 2 Market Street. Free.

Tickets are available at Armagh City Library and Armagh Visitor Information Centre, 40 Upper English St.

Karl O’Neill was born in Armagh and is a professional actor and writer based in Dublin. Author of

a children’s book, The Most Beautiful Letter in the World, his young audience will be enchanted with the selection of stories, including the delightful, The Arrival of Percy Bloo. Tickets available at Armagh City Library, 2 Market Street, and Armagh Visitor Information Centre, 40 Upper English Street.

This event is supported by Libraries NI.

5.30–6.30pm

Jo Baker In Conversation with Glenn Patterson.Venue: Armagh Robinson Library, 43 Abbey Street. £8.

Expect spies, artists, deprivation, danger and passion....

Jo Baker is the author of six novels, including the bestseller Longbourn, currently in development as a motion

picture with Studio Canal. Her most recent novel, A Country Road, A Tree, which is a reimagining of literary icon Samuel Beckett’s Resistance years in Paris, was named a book of the year in The Guardian and The New Statesman.

Glenn Patterson was born, and lives, in Belfast. The author of ten novels, including the critically acclaimed Gull, he is the co-writer (with Colin Carberry) of Good Vibrations (BBC Films).

Earlier this year he was appointed Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University Belfast.

7.00 – 8.00pm. Theatre

A staged reading of Both Sides by Jane CoyleVenue: Abbey Lane Theatre. £7.

Both Sides comprises two interlocking monologues, entitled Me Here, Me and Before Before. They are inspired by the

writing of Samuel Beckett, and set respectively in Paris and Nice.

Me Here, Me was first performed at the inaugural COMMENCEZ! Beckett Paris Festival in March 2016.

A companion piece, Before Before, was added to make this intriguing double-header. It premiered at the 2017 Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival.

The romance of Paris and the spirit of Beckett loom large…

Performed by actresses Hannah Coyle and Libby Smyth.

Jane Coyle is an established arts journalist and critic. She has written many scripts for radio and television, and three full-length screenplays. Her stage plays include The Lantern Man, The Suitcase (BIAF Audience Award), and Farm Girl, written and performed for Holocaust Memorial Day 2017.

Hannah Coyle is a professional actress based in Paris and Libby Smyth is one of Ulster’s best-known and versatile stage actresses.

Jo Baker Glenn Patterson

Hannah Coyle and Libby Smith

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2.30–3.30pm.

‘A Moment with Louis de Bernières’ . Louis de Bernières In Conversation with Padraig Coyle, followed by Q&A.Venue: Armagh Robinson Library, 43 Abbey Street. £8.

From adventures through Western Australia with Blue Dog and Red Dog, Sylvie, the girl who believed in reincarnation, and the

secrets of lassoing cattle and horses in Colombia, best-selling writer Louis de Bernières takes us on a literary journey that crosses three decades.

In his conversation with Padraig Coyle he will talk about his work including Birds Without Wings, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and The Dust That Falls From Dreams. Louis will share readings of some of his favourite prose and poetry as well as explaining his Huguenot roots in Lisburn.

Louis de Bernières is the bestselling author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and The Dust That Falls From Dreams, Birds Without Wings and A Partisan’s Daughter, a collection of stories, and two collections of poetry.

Padraig Coyle (Armagh) was a BBC Producer for over twenty years. He has written for The Observer, The Irish Times, The Independent, The Irish News and Culture Northern Ireland. He is the author of three books and several plays.

This event is sure to be one of the highlights of this year’s festival.

4.00–5.00pm

Robert McCrum In Conversation with Adrian Moynes.Venue: Armagh Robinson Library, 43 Abbey Street. £8.

Robert McCrum is a writer and editor whose most recent book, Every Third Thought: On Life, Death, and the Endgame

was published in August 2017.

In a world where we are determined to live well at all costs, can we make peace with what Freud calls ‘the necessity of dying’? Robert McCrum ponders this question in his new book, Every Third Thought. Searching for answers he turns to brain surgeons, psychologists, cancer patients, hospice workers, writers and poets.

Robert was Editor-in-Chief of Faber & Faber for 16 years, where he published such writers as Kazuo Ishiguro, Milan Kundera, Marilynne Robinson, and Hanif Kureishi.

His account of his stroke, My Year Off (1998), is in its third edition as a Picador Classic. He is now Associate Editor with The Observer

Adrian Moynes comes from Armagh and has enjoyed an illustrious career with RTE, with whom he produced, edited, wrote, and directed. He was Managing Director of RTE Radio and then Group Secretary of RTÉ. His interest in the arts is far ranging; literature is his life-long passion.

This event is supported by The Seamus Heaney Homeplace: Robert McCrum will read at Homeplace on Sunday afternoon, 5th November.

Louis de Bernières Padraig Coyle

Robert McCrum Adrian Moynes

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Jane Coyle

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The finest of writers, musicians and poets come together to celebrate John O’Connor in

what promises to be two hours of the best entertainment seen on any stage. The evening will feature performances from a star-studded guest list including Louis de Bernières, Horslips, Glenn Patterson, Fiachna Ó’Braonáin (Hothouse Flowers), Rosemary Jenkinson, Gareth Dunlop, Lisa Lambe (‘the finest singer and actress of her generation on whom a whole foundation of theatre could be built’ - Fintan O’Toole in The Irish Times), Karl O’Neill, and new writers, Erin Halliday and Louise Kennedy.

Louis de Bernières

Rosemary Jenkinson

Karl O’Neill,

Fiachna Ó’BraonáinLouise Kennedy

Erin Halliday

Lisa lambe

Gareth Dunlop

Glenn Patterson

Horslips

8.30–10.30pm

The John O’Connor Celebration Evening.Venue: The Charlemont Arms Hotel, 57-65 Upper English Street. £18.

11.15am–12.15pm.

John O’Connor Writing School Creative Writers showcase their work. Facilitated by Martelle McPartland.Venue: Charlemont Arms Hotel. Free.

1.00–3.15pm

A Literary Lyrical LunchtimeAn afternoon of entertainment in song, poetry, prose and music.Venue: Charlemont Arms Hotel, 57-65 Upper English Street. £10. Doors open at 12.30pm with local cider and a cheese board.

A rare chance to enjoy a unique pairing of words and music, as Fermanagh-born poet, Frank Ormsby, and Belfast songwriter, Anthony Toner, read and perform

together.

Frank Ormsby is one of Northern Ireland’s most revered poets, the author of a number of important collections including the recently acclaimed, Goat’s Milk: New and Selected Poems. His new collection, The Darkness of Snow, is to be published in September 2017.

Anthony Toner, a gifted singer, guitarist and storyteller, is the composer of well-known songs like Sailortown, Well Well Well and The Road to Fivemiletown. He is currently celebrating the release of his eighth album, Ink.

As this year’s festival comes to a close, we continue the afternoon with an impressive line-up of writers, singers, musicians and poets – with a surprise or two!

Award-winning Orla McAlinden from County Armagh (author of The Accidental Wife) will read, as will Matthew Rice, runner-up in the Seamus Heaney Award for New Writing (2017).

Sunday lunchtimes should always be like this!

3.30–4.30pm.

Armagh Literary WalkMeeting place: opposite Gaol Square, The Mall, Armagh. Free.

The second annual John O’Connor Writing School and Literary Arts Festival

is again hosting a one-hour stroll around the Mall and the city centre, to introduce walkers to Armagh’s forgotten literary and cultural history; revealing stories that will enlighten, surprise and even shock. From the places and spaces that inspired the mysticism, poetry and painting of George Russell (AE), to houses and buildings associated with historic figures including the family home of the father of Crime Scene Investigation, who is forgotten in Ireland but still revered in America.

Guided by history researcher Eric Villiers you will meet an eclectic bunch of the famous and infamous.

Note: In the past year Ulster History Circle Blue Plaques have been erected at the Armagh homes of John O’Connor at 94 Banbrook Hill, and Patrick Magee (Samuel Beckett’s favourite actor) at Edward Street, both a short walk from the city centre.

Frank Ormsby Anthony Toner

Orla McAlinden Matthew Rice Eric Villiers

Special thanks from the John O’Connor Writing School Board to those who have supported us by way of generous public grants, private and other contributions without which we would not be here!

The Arts Council of Northern IrelandABC CouncilThe Lord Mayor’s Office and Lord Mayor Gareth Wilson The Charlemont Arms HotelVII Houses GuesthouseBlackwell BooksArmatileMartin Kelly Funeral Director and Wedding Car HireJComms Seven Houses GuesthouseTrimprintAB3 DesignMilford House CollectionSeamus Heaney Home Place Libraries NIArmagh Theatre GroupArmagh and District History GroupArmagh County MuseumArmagh Natural History and Philosophical SocietyArmagh Irish and Local Studies LibraryArmagh Robinson LibraryVolunteers with The John O’Connor Writing SchoolMary McVeighStuart Neville

Literary Arts Programme

Throughout the festival weekend as per venue opening hours.

Exhibition – The Life and Times of John O’Connor. Armagh County Museum.

Primary School Children’s Story Exhibition. Armagh City Library, Market Square.

Blackwell’s Bookstall Service. Charlemont Arms Hotel (Friday 3rd & Saturday 4th).

Roving Arts. Throughout the city.

A Song for Armagh. Songwriting project throughout the city.

Thursday 2nd November6.45pm: Theatre. ‘Bellina and the Softening of the Stones’. Rehearsed reading of a play by the Armagh writer, Karl O’Neill. Venue: Abbey Lane Theatre. £8.

Friday 3rd November3.30-4.30pm: Panel Discussion/Q&A. ‘The Play’s the Thing – What Makes Good Theatre?’ A panel of top playwrights, critics and directors discuss the making of good theatre.Venue: Irish and local Studies Library. £6.

5.00-6.00pm: Talk. ‘Falling Off Motor Cycles – A Beginner’s Guide.’ An hour of fun and games as Geoff Hill takes you through a lifetime on the road in words and pictures. Venue: Abbey Lane Theatre. £6.

7.00-8.00pm: Talk. ‘Let’s Talk Beckett and Patrick Magee’ – Conor Carville on the distinguished actor Patrick Magee. Venue: Abbey Lane Theatre. £7.

8.30-10.30pm: Music and Writing. Lumen in Coeli – A Light in the Dark. An unforgettable evening of music and contemporary writing in the beautiful domed theatre of the Armagh Planetarium.Venue: Armagh Planetarium. £15.

AT A GLANCE FESTIVAL PROGRAMMES November 2017

Saturday 4th November11.30am-12.30pm.Storytime. ‘Under the Firtree’. Primary School children will be enchanted with this selection of stories by actor and writer Karl O’Neill. Venue: Armagh City Library. Free.

1.00-2.00pm. Discussion/Q&A. ‘Lights, Camera, Action’. Award-winning screenwriters and directors in conversation with Daragh Carville. Venue: The Charlemont Arms Hotel. £6.

2.30-3.30pm. In Conversation. Louis de Bernières in conversation with Padraig Coyle, followed by Q&A. Venue: Armagh Robinson Library. £8.

4.00-5.00pm. In Conversation. Writer, editor and former Editor-in-Chief of Faber & Faber, Robert McCrum, in conversation with Adrian Moynes. Venue: Armagh Robinson Library. £8.

5.30-6.30pm. In Conversation. Bestselling author Jo Baker in conversation with fellow writer Glenn Patterson. Venue: Armagh Robinson Library. £8.

7.00-8.00pm. Staged Reading. A staged reading of Both Sides by Jane Coyle, comprising two interlocking monologues inspired by the writing of Samuel Beckett. Venue: Abbey Lane Theatre. £7.

8.30-10.30pm. Music, Writing, Entertainment. The John O’Connor Celebration Evening. The finest writers, musicians and poets come together to celebrate John O’Connor in what promises to be two hours of the best entertainment seen on any stage, including Louis de Bernières, Horslips, Glenn Patterson, Fiachna Ó’Braonáin (Hothouse Flowers), Rosemary Jenkinson, Gareth Dunlop, Lisa Lambe, Karl O’Neill, and new writers, Erin Halliday and Louise Kennedy. Venue: The Charlemont Arms Hotel. £18.

Sunday 5th November11.15am-12.15pm. Showcase. Creative Writers from the John O’Connor Writing School showcase their work. Venue: Charlemont Arms Hotel. Free.

1.00-3.15pm. Words and Music. A Literary Lyrical Lunchtime. A rare chance to enjoy a unique pairing of words and music, as Fermanagh-born poet, Frank Ormsby, and Belfast songwriter, Anthony Toner, read and perform together. Venue: Charlemont Arms Hotel. £10.

3.30-4.30pm. Walk. Armagh Literary Walking Tour. The second annual John O’Connor Writing School is again hosting a one-hour literary stroll around the Mall and the city centre. Meeting place: opposite Gaol Square, The Mall. Free.

Writing Class Programme – for students only.

Students choose ONE writing discipline for intensive study from: Poetry, Fiction, Playwriting, Screenwriting, Songwriting.

Tutors: Poetry: Lemn Sissay Fiction: Martina Devlin Playwriting: Jo Egan Screenwriting: Deirdre Carthill Songwriting: Gareth Dunlop

Industry Talks: Poetry: Kate Newmann and Joan Newmann Fiction: Robert McCrum Playwriting: Conall Morrison and Paul Bosco McEneaney Screenwriting: Barry Devlin Songwriting: Jim Lockhart

Venues for classes:Poetry: Milford House Collection Fiction: Milford House Collection Playwriting: AmmA Centre Screenwriting: AmmA Centre Songwriting: AmmA Centre

Friday 3rd November

9.00 am: Registration and Lord Mayor’s welcome. Class: 11.15am-2.45pm

Saturday 5th November

Class: 9.30am-12.30pm Industry Talks: 11.30am-12.30pm

Sunday 6th November

Class: 9.30am-12.30pm

2 n d - 5 t h N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 7 T h a n k sW r i t i n g S c h o o l & L i t e r a r y A r t s F e s t i v a l P r o g r a m m e s

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Principal Funders

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Sylvan House, 232-240 Belmont Road, Belfast, BT4 2AW

Tel: +44 (0)28 9076 0066 [email protected] www.jcomms.co.uk

Saturday 4th November 6:00-7:30pm

BLACKWELL’S BOOK SIGNING EVENT!CHARLEMONT ARMS HOTEL

Meet the Authors in person at this book signing.

Louis de Bernières, Maria McManus, Lemn Sissay & Robert McCrum (6-7:00pm)

Glenn Patterson & Jo Baker (7-7:30pm); will all be in attendance to sign books, a rare memento to take with you from

the John O’Connor Writing School and Literary Arts Festival.

Books are available to purchase at the event, hosted by Blackwell’s Bookshop Belfast.

An internationally acclaimed centre for traditional musicARMAGH PIPERS CLUB has been at the forefront of traditional music education since 1966.

Tel: +44 28 3752 8188www.armaghpipers.com

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Examples of published fiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting and songwriting from some of the tutors, speakers, performers and contributors at

The John O’Connor Writing School & Literary Arts Festival 2017

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