To celebrate Poetry Day (28 April 2022) at Naas General Hospital, 400 copies of a special anthology called a Menu of Poems was distributed to staff and patients to enjoy. The Naas Hospital Arts Officer Bernadette Jackson was centrally involved in picking out the poems that were included in this year’s edition, which was handed out not just in Naas but in hospitals and healthcare settings across Ireland.
Bernadette who works as a Senior Medical Scientist at Naas General Hospital said she got a great reaction from patients as she made her deliveries, “One patient a Kildare man, actually called me to his bedside to show me poems that he’d written himself, including one about horseracing. The Menu of Poems is a good conversation starter and as the Arts Officer here in Naas Hospital, I am delighted it has returned to the Hospital and our patients get the benefit of this rich literary work.”
As a member of the Arts for Health partnership who produce the Menu of Poems, it was Bernadette’s idea to ask Imelda May to include some of her poetry in this year’s edition. Since its conception in 2008, Menu of Poems has been a positive development in the lives of both patients and those who work in healthcare settings across Ireland.
The final selection includes poems by Catherine Ann Cullen (children’s poem ‘Eliza Analyser’), Martina Evans’ poem ‘Gazebo’, Imelda May’s poem ‘Stargazer’, and Rita Ann Higgins’ poem ‘Lucky Mrs Higgins’.
Rita Ann Higgins, Poet and Editor of the 2022 Menu of Poems said, "It's not unusual to reach for poems at a time of crises or distress, sometimes poems are all we have to get us over the tough times. Selecting poems for this project was a great pleasure. It made me take down the books I had not read for a while. It was like meeting old friends. In the end the selection made me feel warm and grateful for the powerful voices of Cullen, Evans and May, may the creative force stay with them."
Imelda May, Musical Artist and Poet said, “I am delighted that one of my poems “Stargazer” is selected for Menu of Poems to be in hospitals on Poetry Day. What a beautiful thing to do. It’s such a lovely thought and I am very honoured that my poem was picked by Rita Ann Higgins who is a lovely friend of mine. I am a fan of hers and inspired by her greatly. I hope people get something beautiful from reading poetry from their hospital beds, that it gives them nourishment, joy and healing. Hopefully the words will stay with them way beyond their hospital stay.”
**See Photo attached for publication of Naas General Hospital’s Arts Officer Bernadette Jackson reading Menu of Poems on Poetry Day
NOTES TO EDITOR
Rita Ann Higgins was born and lives in Galway. Pathogens Love a Patsy (Pandemic and other Poems) is her 11th book of poetry. Our Killer City, Essays and Poems (2019) and A Memoir Hurting God (2010) are from Salmon Poetry.
In 2020 Rita Ann became the People’s Pandemic Poet for The Brendan O’Connor Show on RTÉ Radio 1. Bloodaxe Books published several of her collections including; Throw in the Vowels, New and Selected Poems (2005), Ireland is Changing Mother (2011) and Tongulish (2016). She has written several plays. In 2021 she received the Living Poets Society Award. She is a member of Aosdana.
Arts and Health Co-ordinators Ireland is an all-Ireland support network of professionals who are responsible for managing arts and health initiatives. Formed in 2003, AHCI aims to build capacity and maximise resources for its membership, who work in the Arts and Health Sector throughout Ireland, North and South. The network members co-ordinate a range of arts and health activities, including environmental enhancement, visual art, sculpture, performance, participatory and collaborative arts practice, professional development for artists and staff, artist residencies, health promotion and arts and health research.
For information on Poetry Day Ireland visit http://www.poetryday.ie/
