Ruairí (9) wins Trocaire Poetry award
A Termonfeckin boy has been named among the winners of the 2020 Trócaire-Poetry Ireland poetry competition.
Ruairí Heeney, a nine-yearold pupil at Scoil Naomh Feichín, was successful with his entry, ‘She’s Standing her Ground’, which was named the winner in the Primary Junior Category (3rd & 4th class).
The Trócaire and Poetry Ireland annual competition uses the arts to raise awareness about global justice, ecological and equality issues and that this has been such a difficult year, with schools closed since early March, the organisers were delighted with the volume and the quality of the response to this year’s theme.
‘ The ‘Standing Her Ground’ theme focused on the extraordinary stories of Angela and Madris – two brave mothers from Honduras and Kenya, who featured in Trócaire’s 2020 Lenten Campaign, and we asked entrants to consider how these brave women are supporting their families by standing up for their right to earn a living on their own land. They are battling enormous odds – and the threat of violence, intimidation and drought – to provide food for their children and to keep them in school,’ says Joanne McGarry, Trócaire’s Campaigns Manager.
‘It is heartening to see, even in these challenging times, how school children and adults alike can take a theme of injustice and turn it into inspiring poems that tell similar stories often with hopeful messages for the future.’
With winners and runnersfrom nine separate counties overall, Trócaire and Poetry Ireland expressed their appreciation for the effort it took all entrants and schools to participate this year.
As a physical awards ceremony wasn’t possible due to Covid-19 restrictions, Trócaire and Poetry Ireland celebrated the winners of the competition with a streamed video event last Friday night.