placenamesStrokestown
Béal na mBuillí
Local organisers created a literary gathering whose competition records connect Strokestown with poets from farther afield.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Béal na mBuillí · Irish · main form
- Strokestown · English · main form
Place & story
The people behind the festival
The Strokestown International Poetry Festival was founded in 1999. Its own history names Pat Compton and Merrily Harpur as founders, while its account of Shane Lynskey also identifies him as a founding member. This was a locally organised cultural venture, supported by a voluntary committee rather than simply arriving as a touring event. [2] [3]
A competition with a recorded interruption
The festival’s prize roll begins with Vona Groarke in 1999. It records no competition in 2021, 2022 or 2023, followed by Thomas Brezing’s win in 2024. The list therefore documents an interruption in the competition without implying that every form of festival activity stopped in those years. [3]
The award in 2026
In May 2026 the organisers announced Catherine Ann Cullen as the winner for her poem The Mother. Rachael Hegarty judged that year’s competition. The announcement records a completed award, extending the festival’s documented history beyond its founding generation. [4]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Strokestown. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Strokestown International Poetry Festival: founding organisers · Strokestown International Poetry Festival
- Strokestown International Poetry Festival: history and previous prize winners · Strokestown International Poetry Festival
- Strokestown International Poetry Competition Announces 2026 Winner, 5 May 2026 · Strokestown International Poetry Festival
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2011-11-02. How this page was prepared.