Mayo writer Finola Cahill amongst winners at Listowel Writers Week

A MAYO writer came home from the Kingdom of Kerry with the Single Poem Award which was won at the prestigious Listowel Writers Festival 2024.

Now in its 53rd year, Listowel Writers Week opened with a gala event, featuring the presentation of a number of prestigious literary awards. Ballina native Finola Cahill was among the winners when she took home the Single Poem Award for her poem 'The Death of a Foal'.

The Single Poem Award was reintroduced this year after a pause of some years, and was adjudicated by TS Eliott nominee Victoria Kennefick and sponsored by the Royal Valentia Hotel. In her introduction, Dr Faye Boland said there had been a huge response and a huge number of entries.

In 2023 Finola was the winner of the Waterford Poetry Prize, and in the past two years she was shortlisted for the Cúirt New Writing Prize, the Máirtín Crawford Short Story Award, the Fish Poetry Prize, the Bridport Poetry Prize, and others.

Finola was one of 37 writers selected to participate in the 2023 Irish Writers Centre national mentoring programme, and her place in the programme was generously funded by the Mayo Arts Office. She is currently working towards publishing her first collection, for which she has received an Agility Award from the Arts Council.

Guest of honour President Micheal D Higgins was among attendees of the gala evening, and was being presented with the John B Keane Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to literature and poetry. President Higgins has been a supporter of the festival since its inception in the 1970s.

Now in its 53rd year, Listowel Writers week continues until Sunday. The festival promotes writing of all genres and creates an environment in which literature can be appreciated by the widest possible audience – where writers and readers gather to celebrate the written word together.