Cecil Day Lewis Short Story and Poetry
Awards
The annual Cecil Day Lewis Awards Ceremony for
2002 took place in Athy Library on Thursday 10th April 2003 at 8pm.
The Athy Town Council Cultural Committee initiated
the awards, to celebrate the association of Cecil Day Lewis with
South Kildare.
Athy Town Council, in association with Kildare Library and Arts
Service sponsors the awards in poetry, short story and the one-act
plays. Prizes – personalised notebooks – were presented
by Councillor Mark Dalton, Cathaoirleach of Athy Town Council.
The evening was introduced by Lucina Russell, Kildare County Arts
Officer and the winning entries were read by well known local writer
John Mac Kenna and Kill based actress and drama tutor, Kate Connaughton.
Cecil Day-Lewis (1904-1972) was the son of a Church
of Ireland Minister, then living in Ballinturbbert House,
Athy, Co. Kildare. The family was moved to England when
he was one year old, but returned to Ireland for holidays. C Day
Lewis was educated in Wadham College, Oxford. It was during his
time at Oxford that he became part of a group of left wing poets,
of whom Auden was the acknowledged leader, and with whom he edited
Oxford Poetry in 1927. He was professor of Poetry at Oxford from
1951–1956, a post that he enjoyed immensely. A talented and
humorous man, he wrote An Italian Visit in 1953,
(parodies on poets ranging from Hardy to Dylan Thomas). His autobiography
was published in 1960 and in 1966, he was created Poet Laureate.
Cecil Day Lewis sat on committees, judged awards and his enthusiasm
embraced children’s’ stories for radio and he wrote
a number of children’s’ books including the popular
‘Poetry for You’. It is most appropriate therefore that
this tradition is nurtured through these awards.
Cecil Day Lewis Awards 2002 - results:
| Junior Primary Poetry
|
| 1st Prize |
Aine Redmond "The Leaves"
Kilkea National School, Kilkea, Co. Kildare
|
|
| 2nd Prize |
Katie Dempsey "My Scary Pet"
Scoil Ide Naofe, Kilmead, Athy
|
|
| 3rd Prize |
Lauren McCormack "On a Halloween Night"
Newbridge
|
|
Highly Commended
|
1. Emer Finn
2. Rebecca Walsh
3. Jean Miley
4. Enrice Marugliana
5. Eva Walsh
|
|
| Junior
Primary Short Story |
| 1st Prize |
Katie Byrne "The Halloween"
Moone N.S., Athy
|
|
| 2nd Prize |
Aoife Flynn "My Bus Stop"
Athy
|
|
| 3rd Prize |
Joseph Fitzpatrick "On the Farm"
Churchtown N.S., Athy
|
|
| Senior
Primary Poetry |
| Athy Area Winners |
| 1st Prize |
Liley-Beth Griffin "The World as I
see it"
Athy
|
|
| 2nd Prize |
Nikita O’Rourke "Poetry"
Scoil Ide Naofa
Athy
|
|
| 3rd Prize |
Ciara O’Connor "One Halloween
Night"
Scoil Mhicil Naofa, Athy
|
|
| Countywide Area
Winners |
| 1st Prize |
Andrea Whelan "I Wonder What’s
Out There"
Convent of Mercy, Naas
|
|
| 2nd Prize |
Niamh Russell "I wonder Why"
Convent of Mercy, Naas |
|
3rd Prize
|
Amy Nolan "A Sisterly Spell"
Convent of Mercy, Naas |
|
| Highly Commended |
1. Niamh O’Sullivan. "Kisses"
2. Lauren Sheehan "It’s Just not Fair"
3. Scott McCormack "Hunter The Hunter"
4. Aislinn McFadden "The Seasons"
5. Adam Noonan "Halloween"
6. Miriam Di Nardi "Halloween"
7. Howard Levell "Adolf Hitler"
8. Stacey Quinn "The Sea"
9. Louise Fingleton "Splish Splash" |
|
| Senior
Primary Short Story |
1st Prize
|
Aislinn Mitchell "My Brother Peter"
St. Colmcilles N.S., Moone |
|
2nd Prize
|
Clare O’Reilly "Clip"
Convent of Mercy Primary N.S., Naas |
|
3rd Prize
|
Joe Keane "The Hurricane"
Scoil na Mainstreach, Celbridge |
|
| Highly Commended |
1. Cillian Woods "Crash Landings"
2. Mary Louise Fitzpatrick "The Diary of Anne Frank"
3. Ruth Talbot "The Great Escape"
|
|
| Post
Primary Poetry |
| 1st Prize |
Louise Cully "Dawn"
Scoil Mhuire, Rathstewart, ATHY
|
|
2nd Prize
|
Barbara Davis "Are we Subjective"
St. Mary’s College, NAAS |
|
3rd Prize
|
Melanie Young "My Hero"
Clane |
|
| Highly Commended |
1. Louise Cully Alone
2. Sinead Anne Doyle Wedding Afters
3. Nigel Holhan Hypnotized
4. Claire Boland Grand Parents
5. Karen White A Moment
6. Niamh Collins Running
7. Niall Hetherington I’ll be alright
8. Kelly Prior Victory
9. Niamh Collins Dancing through Life
10. Alice Oladagi The Colour of Life
11. Jennifer Coffey Thoughts
12. Siobhan Albrecht I believe. |
|
| Post
Primary Short Stories |
| 1st Prize |
Matthew Mullins "Swept away Twice in
one Day"
Newbridge College
|
|
2nd Prize
|
Lydia Farrell "The True End of Dracula"
Maynooth Post Primary, Moyclare road
|
|
3rd Prize
|
Claire Boland "Raindrops"
St. Brigid’s Post Primary, ATHY |
|
| Highly commended |
1. Paul Quirke An Anarchist’s guide to the System
2. Rebecca Jones Flashbacks
3. Diarmuid Glynn Renno’s Rat
4. Veronica Muller The Power of Denise
5. Carol Gleeson The Price of War
6. Fiona Mahon No Way Out
7. Sean Murray The Adventures of Bonzo Toole
8. Ciara Dillon Struggles of Life
9.James Lynch Murder at Midnight
10 Simon Kenna You’re Next
11. Tara Hanley Joy ride
12 Maeve Kearney The Bully
13 Sharon Byrne The Priest of War
14 Suzanne Lawlor The Years I grew up in. |
|
| Adult
Poetry |
1st Prize
|
Geraldine Doyle "Life"
Athy |
|
| 2nd Prize |
Claire O’Reilly "Four Year Speak"
Maynooth
|
|
3rd Prize
|
Mae Leonard "On the Outside"
Naas
|
|
Also Shortlisted
|
Kate Dempsey "One Tree Field"
|
|
| Adult
Short Story |
| 1st Prize |
Nuala Ni Chonchuir "The River flows
on"
GALWAY
|
|
2nd Prize
|
Liz Healy "Poste Restante"
Killarney, Co. Kerry |
|
| Adult
One-Act Play |
| Outright Winner |
Kate Dempsey
MAYNOOTH, Co. Kildare
|
|
| |
|
|
For details or information about the awards or any element
of Kildare County Council’s Arts Service contact:
Lucina Russell, Kildare County Arts Officer, Kildare
Library and Arts Services, Riverbank, Main Street, Newbridge, Co.
Kildare
Tel: 045-448318 / 448328 Fax: 045-432490
E mail: lrussell@kildarecoco.ie
