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" Oakview House, Roseberry, 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" Skerries House, 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" Avila Ardeigh, 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" Ballinagrappagh, 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" Brackna, Athy
2nd Prize	Claire O’Reilly "Four Year Speak" 51 Silken Vale, Straffan Road, Maynooth
3rd Prize	Mae Leonard "On the Outside" Woodlands, Naas
Also Shortlisted	Kate Dempsey "One Tree Field" 28 The Lawns, Moyglare
Adult Short Story
1st Prize	Nuala Ni Chonchuir "The River flows on" 44 Corragh Bui, Bishop O’Donnell Road, GALWAY
2nd Prize	Liz Healy "Poste Restante" Knockanes, Headford, Killarney, Co. Kerry
Adult One-Act Play
Outright Winner	Kate Dempsey 28 the Lawns, Moyglare Abbey, 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