Omagh group launch new poetry book at the library

A moving and thought-provoking collection of poems and short stories, penned by talented Tyrone folks, was launched at the Omagh Library on Wednesday.

Titled ‘Pebbles of Poetry’, the collection features excellent works meticulously written by members of Open Door Poetry and Writers Group, Omagh, who have been together almost 20 years.

During this time, members have taken part in numerous events, including reciting their works on the radio, and running writing competitions to promote the poetry of others.

Guest speaker at the launch was Omagh poet, Cat Brogan.

The Omagh group were also instrumental in collecting some of the extensive work of the late James McBryde, titled ‘Off The Beaten Track’ in 2009, and they published their very first collection of poetry and stories, titled ‘The Language of Imagination’ in 2014.

Speaking to the Tyrone Herald, group member, Paddy Montague described poetry as being a ‘source of great contentment’.

“I get such enjoyment out of writing poetry,” he said. “I wrote my first poem in 1989 about the Donegal and Tyrone match, which was a draw before going to a rematch. That poem was published in the paper at the time.

“I also wrote a poem called ‘Where did they go?’,” he added. “And it’s about things that disappeared years ago, so it’s like a history poem.

“Poetry is a great way of getting your thoughts and feelings across to people.”

Sales venues for ‘Pebbles of Poetry’ will be arranged, and will be shared on the group’s Facebook page, ‘Open Door Poetry Group Omagh’.

All proceeds will enable the group to run another writing competition later this year.

Please watch this space for more details.