by Catherine Ronan -
Now we are free to kiss
Ancient mouths in our time
Sweet apples from a golden tree
Wake alive healed
Trembling steel trays
Land of concrete promise
Underneath a calico blanket
Everything revealed
Three birds sing Blarney
We hear them in lusty stone
For all the world is red
In white matted hair
You rise from the waves
Kiss O’Sullivan cheeks
Wet feet in West Cork
Fairy of the hills
Never too weak to speak
We hear you on the tides
Whispering through the trees
Clíodhna – Queen of the Banshee
Catherine Ronan is a UCC graduate and has been writing poetry since childhood. She was a finalist in the Jester of the Kingdom competition 2019 and performed at The Winter Warmer Poetry Festival in 2019 and 2021. She has been published in Cork Words Anthology 2, Blue Mondays Anthology, Woman Scream Anthology, Wexford Women Writing Undercover Journal, The Opinion, Inside My 5Km Anthology, and the Ó Bhéal Five Words anthologies.
Catherine won the Winter Solstice Poetry Competition in 2021 and her work was chosen as part of Poetry in the Park Project, Virtual Patrick’s Day Parade 2021, as part of the Launch and Closing of Bandon Poetry Town. She helped curate this Poetry Ireland initiative in 2021. Catherine organised a Poetry Trail for Bandon Poetry town and ran a poetry workshop with children in association with three other poets called ‘Rhymes by the River’ in association with Bandon Creative. She was a featured poet on Lime Square Poets 2021. She has also branched into Poetry Film ( Policing Mary and Where’s Your Christmas Jumper). She performs on open mics to international audiences, is a member of multiple poetry collectives, and is on the DeBarra’s Spoken Word Team. She writes articles for local newspapers regarding upcoming poetry events and festivals. Catherine lives with her husband, three children, two cats and a goldfish in West Cork!