Say Green!
The following originally appeared in “The Floyd Press” newspaper on March 22,2007.
“Say Green!” someone called out as Max Charnley snapped a photo of spoken word performers at the Café Del Sol this past Saturday night. Because the Open Mic, scheduled every third Saturday, was on St. Patrick’s Day this month many in attendance were donned in green clothing.
“I want you all to know that I take reading poetry on St. Patrick’s Day very serious,” I announced to the audience as I began my 10 minute reading slot. I was wearing a sage green sweater that was purchased in Ireland and had the word “Blarney” sewed in the tag. “I don’t know whether blarney refers to a bunch of baloney or the gift of eloquence. It’s probably something in between,” I joked.
Earlier that day I had been reading from Thomas Cahill’s bestseller book, “How the Irish Saved Civilization.” The title is a reference to the Irish monks who, at the fall of the Roman Empire when literature and artifacts were being burned by barbarians, hand copied the Greek, Roman, Judeo-Christian classics, which would have otherwise been lost to us.
Said to have invented rhyme, the Irish tradition was an oral one in which their history was preserved by way of spoken verse. Literacy came late to the out-of-way island, but once it did, the Irish made up for lost time. In one generation they learned Greek, Latin, and some Hebrew; they devised Irish grammars, and copied the whole of their native oral history. But they didn’t just copy. The Irish are credited with inventing the codex, the first prototype of a book (before that scrolls were used), and they produced the most magically illustrated manuscripts the world has ever seen. The Book of Kells, which includes four gospels and the Bible in Latin, is one such example.
I read a few excerpts from Cahill’s book about the Irish, their playful love of the alphabet, and their reverence for language. “The Irish enshrined literacy as their central religious act,” Cahill wrote. Even at the earliest stage of their development, “the Irish were intoxicated by the power of words. Every noble Irish family maintained a family of ancestral poets,” I shared with the café crowd.
I knew from other reading that in the old Irish tradition the only position more noble than a poet was a king. In the spirit of the Irish poets, I introduced myself. “I am Colleen, which means “girl” in Irish Gaelic. I’m the granddaughter of Ellen Bergin of Youghal, County Cork, great granddaughter of Mary Murray, Margaret Keating, and Theresa Dineen from Cork, Tipperary, and Offaly,” I said before beginning my poem titled “My Grandmother’s Brogue” (which I read, in part, with a brogue).
The Irish theme continued when Katherine Chantal read a poem that wove two trips to Ireland together. In the early 70’s she traveled through the country with a backpack. Then, while on a more recent trip, she navigated the narrow country roads there while driving with her sister on the left side. … When wind is ever present in a land … How then to be still? … Those emerald hills … The constancy of the ocean’s voice … Presents its own quiet … And projected us back to … Our ancestors who once walked the same … She read.
Four of the nine members of the Floyd Writer’s Circle, including myself, were in attendance. Most of us were already warmed up from reading two nights earlier at the Jessie Peterman Library where Friends of the Library hosted us as part of their Floyd Naturally! program. Our writer’s group is dedicated to promoting the spoken word in the community and has been co-hosting the Spoken Word Night with the café once a month since October 2005.
Writer’s Circle founding member Mara Robbins is a Hollins University student and a recent finalist in the undergraduate poetry competition at the 47th annual Lex Allen Literary Festival. She read several poems, one of which was about writing poetry forms, such as pantoums, haikus, sonnets, and villanelles. Jayn Avery, just back in town from selling her pottery on the Roanoke Market, read a hopeful poem about the coming of spring. Rosemary Wyman was inspired to write the poem she shared when she saw an acquaintance and his caregiver walking down the street.
Sally Walker, Café Del Sol owner and master ad libber, introduced readers and helped to make them comfortable by adjusting the mic when needed. There were two first timers. Young Mars read and essay about losing his beloved cat, and Martha Taylor shared the words of a poet she admired. Greg returned to the mic to read a poem that explained his recent haircut.
Poetry wasn’t the only evening’s offering of entertainment. Some in the crowd hummed along to a ballad that Chris Youngblood crooned a capella. Foot tapping and handclapping could be heard when Joe Klein belted out “The Star of County Down” (which I hummed then and continued to for the entire next day).
As Joe sang, I closed my eyes. Sitting on the café’s comfy couch and sipping my cold amber brew, I imagined us all in an Irish pub. I couldn’t think of a more appropriate and fulfilling way to spend a St. Patrick’s Day evening.
Post Notes: THIS is a video of me reading “My Grandmother’s Brogue.”
Photos: 1. From left to right backrow: Mars, Mary, Greg, Colleen, Jayn, Mara, Rosemary, Walter. Front row: Joe and Katherine. 2. Martha reads. 3. Jayn reads. 4. Mara on a chair. 5. Colleen and Joe on the comfy couch. Jeanie O’Neil’s paintings are displayed in the background. Scroll down HERE to read more posts about Floyd’s Spoken Word events.
March 23rd, 2007 10:52 am
Oh Colleen, you are killing me with all the Irish lore. I may have to order Cahill’s book at amazon, rather than wait for the library trip. It seems like a book I’ll refer back to, time and again.
Your Writer’s Group sounds like a unique, fun bunch of folks. 🙂 I have always been intimidated by traditional poetry but I love haikus and cinquains. It’s the only “poetry” I’m comfortable writing.
Susan
March 23rd, 2007 11:03 am
Hi Colleen,
I watched the video last night from your 13 thursday post, it was really great! Reading the detailed description it sounds like a good time was had by all.
Thanks for stopping by my blog last night, by my counter you were the 1000, visitor!
Congratulations, though I don’t have anything to give you it was nice to see it was you ;^)
March 23rd, 2007 11:12 am
Wow, that was one that i definately should have been there for. I just learned to play a whole slew of traditional Irish folk songs.
In one of the bits of the article you used the word “pontoons” I may be wrong an it may be that there is an alternate spelling but my poetry book says it’s pantoum. just saying.
I’m looking forward to coming back…I think I’ll be able to make it up for floyd fest again this year.
March 23rd, 2007 11:13 am
by the by…..who started this standing on chairs trend was it all Bekah?
March 23rd, 2007 11:29 am
Leigh, Yes, it was Bekah who started it! You’re right about the spelling. Pontoon is more of a boat form than a poetry one! I got it corrected before Mara saw it, but it went in the Floyd Press with the wrong spelling. I didn’t know how to spell it, so I googled it phonetically with haiku and there were quite a few pages with it being used that way as a reference to poetry…. so I ASS-umed. This was a great night, but the one you could feel most badly about missing is April’s when Mrs. Pickle was there!! Hope to see you back in the Cafe again….on a chair?
March 23rd, 2007 1:00 pm
What a delight to hear you read your Poem for St. Patrick’s Day….And see you, too! The magic of the Internet! WONDERFUL, my dear!
March 23rd, 2007 3:57 pm
Michele sent me, and I enjoyed catching up with your blog. The Cafe del Sol sounds wonderful – a bit far for me to attend, though 🙂
March 23rd, 2007 7:20 pm
Sounds like a wonderful time was had by all. Being only a small fraction of Irish heritage, I was not among the saint Patty’s Day revelers this year. True, that never stopped me in the past, it’s just a convenient excuse for not making any special plans to mark the occasion. There’s always next year…
Michele sent me,
Mike
March 23rd, 2007 7:36 pm
Oh, I didn’t even think of the potato/Irish connection! lol Funny.
Tho I’m Irish… never really celebrated, because I was never in a city that seemed to care. That’s different now. 🙂
Enjoyed the read.
~S 🙂
March 23rd, 2007 7:44 pm
That group looks like it would be such fun!
March 23rd, 2007 8:35 pm
Hey, Colleen, I finally got on your blogand the usual link works!
I’d love to hear you read in a brogue..it’s such a neat accent. My grandpa was Irish, a McDaniel, and he used to step dance and play the spoons! I so wish I could have learned to step dance! I love it! Saw Riverdance twice!
March 23rd, 2007 9:17 pm
Ruth, They clog and flatfoot here. Both are derived from the Scotts/Irish who settled here, so probably step dancing. Glad you’re back!
March 23rd, 2007 10:33 pm
You’ve reminded me why I so need to spend time in your magical corner of the world.
March 23rd, 2007 11:30 pm
I will most definately make my mark on the chair the next time I sing or read there. I promise.
March 24th, 2007 11:47 am
cool….now i have lots of fodder for a rebuttal to my husband’s view of my irish heritage- nothing but stubborn drunkards. (he’s italian….so i always have to hear about the accomplishments of the romans!) 🙂
what a fun night….and a great way to celebrate st. patti’s day. they do pub crawls and hoolies in cumberland, md- where i used to live.
March 24th, 2007 12:22 pm
What a treat listening to you read the poem and talk about your Irish roots–thanks for sharing.
March 24th, 2007 11:05 pm
Wish I could have been there! I read in Chicago on St. Pat’s day, and saw them dye the river green for the first time.
March 24th, 2007 11:30 pm
Hey Colleen!
Great poem, and it was tremendous watching and listening to you read it. Your Boston and Irish brogues. It was intersting to read about the Irish here too. I have yet to read that book.
Happy belated St. Pats. I missed it this year as me Mum was in hosptial. She is out now.
RM
March 25th, 2007 8:37 am
It’s so heartening to read something positive about the Irish. Thanks for that.
March 14th, 2010 10:41 pm
[…] new local literary publication. How about the night all the poets got free T-shirts, the time we wore green and spoke in Irish accents, stood on chairs, did it in ruby red […]
October 17th, 2016 10:28 am
[…] projected a video clip of me reading “My Grandmother’s Brouge” at a Spoken World night on St. Patrick’s Day in 2007 and, in part, with an Irish accent (listen HERE). “My Grandmother came to America to be a […]