Bilingual Takin’ the Mic

I mí an Mhárta beidh Seachtain na Gaeilge á ceiliúradh againn lenár gcéad Takin’ the Mic de 2024! Bí linn d’oíche mhór filíochta agus próis. Beidh an t-aisteoir, drámadóir agus scriptscríbhneoir aitheanta Emmet Kirwan mar fhear an tí agus beidh léamha againn ónár n-aoí speisialta an t-údar Ola Majekodunmi, chomh maith le ‘mic oscailte’ do scríbhneoirí, filí agus ceoltóirí. Fáilte roimh gach duine!

This March, we will be celebrating Seachtain na Gaeilge with our first bilingual Takin’ the Mic of 2024! Join us for an evening of poetry and prose in Irish and English. With the wonderful actor, playwright and screenwriter, Emmet Kirwan as our host, we’ll have readings from special guest author Ola Majekodunmi, as well as an ‘open mic’ for writers, poets and musicians. We will also be featuring two of this years IWC Evolution Programme writers, best-selling author and 2024 Novel Fair winner Mia Döring as well as writer and children’s book translator Juliette Saumande. Everyone welcome!

Tá fáilte roimh dhaoine a thugann a gcuid alcól féin leo más maith leo an oíche a cheiliúradh le gloine nó dhó!

We welcome audience members to bring their own alcohol 🍷 

Photos (above): Headshot of Emmet Kirwan, headshot of Ola Majekodunmi

Interested in performing on the night?

An bhfuil spéis agat a bheith páirteach san oíche? Ba chóir do thaibheoirí a spéis a chlárú roimh ré tríd an suirbhé google. Tabhair faoi deara go bhfuil sé mar aidhm againn am ardáin gach duine a chur in iúil dóibh seachtain roimh an imeacht.

Performers should register their interest in advance via the google survey. Please note, we aim to inform performers of their slot via email a week before the event.

There is no ideal Takin’ the Mic performer

Níl aon taibheoir idéalach i Takin’ the Mic. Cuireann muid romhainn ardán a thabhairt do réimse taibheoirí, idir taithí agus seánra. Cabhróidh na ceisteanna sa tsuirbhé google linn an imeacht a eagrú agus a bheith cinnte de go bhfuil éagsúlacht i measc na dtaibheoirí. Tugann oícheanta Takin’ the Mic deis iontach duit aird a tharraingt ar do chuid scríbhneoireachta. B’fhéidir gur mhaith leat píosa atá scríofa le tamall a roinnt le lucht éisteachta nua.

At our Takin’ the Mics, we aim to showcase a diverse range of performers, from genre to experience. The questions in the google survey will help us to curate the event’s line up and make sure we are choosing a varied selection of performers. Our Takin’ the Mics are a great opportunity to showcase your new writing. You may wish to share new material or dust off a past piece to share with a new audience.

Cur i láthair i nGaeilge? Tá na Takin’ the Mics dhátheangacha ann do gach duine le sult a bhaint as an Ghaeilge, is cuma iad a bheith iomlán líofa nó díreach an cúpla focal acu. Tá fáilte roimh gach leibhéal cumais. Tugann muid spreagadh do dhaoine léamh i nGaeilge den chéad uair agus do dhaoine a ba mhaith leo píosaí a léamh i nGaeilge agus i mBéarla.

Performing in Irish? The aim of our Bilingual Takin’ the Mics is for everyone to enjoy Irish, from fluent speakers to those with just the cúpla focal. All levels welcome! We encourage writers who are performing in Irish for the first time, and those who wish to read parts in Irish and parts in English.

Each performer will be given three minutes. Tugtar trí nóiméad do gach taibheoir. 

About the Special Guests

Emmet Kirwan is an actor, playwright and theatre maker from Tallaght in Dublin. He studied at the Samuel Beckett Centre Trinity College Dublin. For over 20 years Emmet has worked in Irish and British Theatre, performing on many stages including Project Arts, The Abbey, The Gate, Donmar warehouse, The National Theatre and The Soho, as well as working with leading Irish theatre companies such as Landmark, Rough Magic, Fishamble, This is Pop Baby, Guna Nua, Pan Pan, Corn Exchange and Barabas.

His most recent work as a writer and performer is ‘Accents’. A spoken word verse play in a musical collaboration with Eoin French (Who performs as Talos) and directed by Claire O’Reilly of Malaprop theatre company.

Ola Majekodunmi was born in Lagos, Nigeria and raised in Dublin, Ireland. She is a broadcaster, Gaeilgeoir, writer and producer. She has organised and spoken at literary festivals such as Dublin International Literature Festival and West Cork Literary Festival.

Mia Christina Döring is the author of the best-selling memoir Any Girl, a memoir of surviving prostitution in Ireland, which was published with Hachette Books Ireland in February 2022. Her short stories, essays and articles have been published in Ropes Literary Journal, The Bohemyth, Litro Magazine, The Irish Independent, The Huffington Post, Irish Country Magazine and Sunday Miscellany. She lives in Dublin, Ireland.

Juliette Saumande is a writer and translator of children’s books, with over 50 books to her name including My Little Album of Dublin and My Little Album of Ireland (with Tarsila Krüse and The O’Brien Press). A Book Doctor, Creative Associate for Creative Schools and creative writing teacher, Juliette is at heart a professional bookworm who loves using words, stories and books to help kids (re)discover and grow their creativity.

Tacaíonn Foras na Gaeilge leis an imeacht seo. This event is supported by Foras na Gaeilge.

Access our Building

Tá Áras Scríbhneoirí na hÉireann i 19 Cearnóg Pharnell, Baile Átha Cliath 1. Is teach Seoirseach é agus, ar an drochuair, níl ardaitheoir ann. Tá cúig chéim isteach ón tsráid. Bíonn bunús na n-imeachtaí i Seomra Kiely ar an chéad úrlár agus is gá tríocha céim a dhreapadh chuige sin.

The Irish Writers Centre is currently housed in 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1. This is a Georgian building which unfortunately does not have a lift. There are 5 steps into the entrance level. The majority of the event’s activities will take place in the Kiely room which is on the first floor and requires climbing 30 steps in total. Please do inform us of any accessibility requirements you might have before the night so we can make any necessary arrangements.

If you have any questions about the event, please email info@irishwriterscentre.ie.