2014-05-30

TED HUGHES IN CONNEMARA

Following the success of the first Ted Hughes Weekend in May 2013, a second event will take place this year on July 11th to 13th, at Doonreagan in Cashel, Co. Galway, where Ted Hughes lived and worked for a period in the 1960s – a time that constituted, in his own words, a breakthrough in his writing and in everything to do with himself. In letters to those close to him he refers to the good flow of inspiration he experienced in Connemara, resulting in some of his finest work.

With his Irish roots, Ted Hughes had a deep personal attachment to Ireland, which he shared with only a handful of close associates: an attachment that has received little attention so far from his biographers and critics.

The theme of this year’s event will be “Ted Hughes and the countryside”. Among the speakers are Professor Terry Gifford of Alicante and Bath Spa Universities; Professor Neil Roberts of the University of Sheffield; Professor Gerald Dawe and Dr Gillian Groszewski of Trinity College Dublin; and Dr Mark Wormald, Director of Studies at Pembroke College, Cambridge, Hughes’ Alma Mater. The programme will also include a poetry reading by Harry Clifton, former Ireland Professor of Poetry.

With its gathering of leading authorities on Ted Hughes, the weekend promises to be a convivial and rewarding event – a welcome opportunity for anyone interested in Ted Hughes’ life and work, and poetry in general.

For full details on programme and booking, please visit www.tedhughesweekend.com or phone Doonreagan at 095 31049. Special rates are available for students and for local accommodation.