Published book showcases Ballyhaunis students’ creative talents

A publication of poems, short stories and songs written by 20 creative writers in Ballyhaunis Community School has been launched.

‘Ink & Imagination’ showcases the student’s creative talents.

Performed by Professor Eoin Devereux, University of Limerick, the atmosphere at the launch was immense. The audience were engrossed as students read extracts from their work on diverse topics.

Author Liam Horan, who is studying for a master’s in creative writing at University of Limerick, played a key role in the writing workshops that led to the publication of ‘Ink & Imagination’. 

‘Ink & Imagination’ emerged from Liam’s work with the students as part of his Creative Writers in the Community (CWIC) master’s module. 

Professor Eoin Devereux, an accomplished poet, spoke of how in the ten years of running the CWIC at the University of Limerick, this was the first time a book had been published by a group of writers in the community. 

He deemed the publication to be an ‘amazing achievement’.

The event came to a close with a performance by student Ethan Henry, accompanied by Alex Fitzmaurice, who ‘Lost in Space’, which he composed himself.

The MC on the evening was Adam Walsh, a Leaving Cert student whose poetry and short stories are featured in the book. 

Tributes were paid to English language teachers Ms Sharon Mulroy, Ms Danielle Coyne and Ms Aoife Hegarty, the driving forces behind the promotion of reading and creative writing in the school.

The group travelled to University of Limerick last week to meet the Creative Writing Department and to read their pieces in front of renowned writers such as Donal Ryan, Fí Scarlett and Eoin Devereux. 

All three writers heaped praise on the quality of the work in the publication, which is available in Ballyhaunis (Forde’s, SuperValu, Moran’s and Hopkins’) and Castlebar (Mulroy’s and Castle Book Shop).