Dreaming of Poetry

Last night I had this vivid dream of being in Heaney's House. There were many of us, having been invited for the weekend. In every room of his house there was a red-framed old fashioned black board on the wall with lines written on it in white  chalk or pages pinned onto it. He did not say a word, but radiated goodness and it felt like home. I woke up with a feeling of warmth around my heart.

Of course, I am now reminded of his last words to his wife: Noli Timere - Don't be afraid. He left this warning behind and the words became magnified in the light of finality. FEAR is the worst enemy of peace and this is an extremely important message, not only for Northern Ireland. Noli Timere, had become a metaphor for wisdom and a life lived well.

The Emigrant Woman's Tale

Here we are at the eve of this first performance that I am doing with Fil Campbell, singer song writer from Rostrevor.

It has been nearly a year we first started talking about thishttps://www.facebook.com/events/431325190368951/ project, which is a story of immigration, told in poetry and songs. We had support from the Art's Council of Northern Ireland and our local Council who supported a stay in Annaghmakerrig, at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre.

We will first perform it in Rostrevor, in this truly international village we happened to meet in.

She is from Belleek near the West Coast of Ireland. I am from Hungary, the most eastern edge of Central Europe - we are both "blow-ins" as the locals call us, nevertheless, to quote Fil "this is the place we call home".

Scheduled performances so far:
14th March 2 pm at the Book Corner in Rostrevor
14th April 7 pm at NoAlibis Book Store Belfast.

A book with memoirs, short fiction, song lyrics and poetry with a CD is attached that we will launch at the event.

Hope to see you there.
Csilla

Here is a first review from a reader:

Csilla Toldy

If a soul seeking - prior to its fall into the manifestation of life -  an efficient way in which to develop and grow through adversity, oppression and insecurity, then Ms Toldy is certainly a masterful mistress of such a design.

This pilgrimage of a journey has been beautifully and poignantly expressed through her writings and poetry; none more so than in her in her latest book The Emigrant Woman’s Tale. 

It would be a mistake to venture or even attempt any critique on this work, other than to say, read it with an open heart, and know yourself better!

Keith ap Owen