Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words, Articulated by Robert Frost.
Poetry is a land of dreams in which poets desire to escape to from reality. Poetry is the evidence of life that surprises a person with a knock on the door to never appear again. With a reflection from the mirror, poetry greets with a teasing grin and takes flight, hiding in the attic just to jump in delight. Poetry is extraordinary that even the stars envy.

Poetry Ireland is the National organisation which champions and showcases Irish poets and poetry. Poetry Ireland’s keen ambition is to connect people and poetry. Like a father to a son, the organisation’sdesire is to give emerging and established poets a chance to show their vivid work to the world. With hope in their heart, Poetry Ireland is committed to achieving the exhilaration in the reading, writing and performance of poetry.

Established on 1978, the organisation had been in Dublin Castle and since then, there were two further offices, one in Stephen’s Green and another in Kildare Street. Soon after, the noticeably ambitious organisation moved permanently into Parnell Square in September 2016. The director of Poetry Ireland, Maureen Kennelly, asked about upcoming plans, said the organisation had a “long-standing ambition to create a home for poetry”.

Maureen Kennelly and I were having warm cups of tea in the quiet space of the building. She sat across from me with her arms resting confidently on the table. Our two hot cups which steam billowed in rings were resting on the hard, charcoal table. The ambience of the room was wide and pristine. When Maureen Kennelly opened a large standing door to a room in which we have done the interview, the cold air that seeped through the opened windows hit me and shivers ran up along my spine.

Modern chocolate-colour painted walls surrounded us. Her approach of enthusiasm was what really broke the ice that lingered overhead. Kennelly’s rarefied voice spoke in silk every time she answered which showed the effervescence of her nature of a dynamic and exuberant director. Maureen Kennelly’s answers were concise and effective with information that sharpens the reader’s eyes and read on.

With an exciting opportunity to create a homefor poetry, Poetry Ireland’s goal is to build layers of opportunities forpeople of all ages. According to Kennelly, being a poet is a hard lifedue to the lack of financial support.“Being an artist is a very, very hard thing generally in the world but in Ireland it’s particularly hard because there aren’t enough supports. There are an awful lot of artists and there aren’t enough supports.”

Poetry Ireland engages in publishing a quarterly journal: Poetry Ireland Review, their literary pamphlet; The Trumpet along with special one-off publications such as Calling Cards, Hop-scotch in the sky, A Bittern Cry so on and so forth. Likewise withhosting workshops and live literature events, particularly open mic nights in whichany and all poets can enter the threshold and read their poems aloud. Meanwhile, emerging poets can motivate themselves to take enter the annual Poetry Ireland Introductions series.

Kennelly had also mentioned that the members are increasing access to poets by putting on particular events, “workshops for LGBTQ, or for poets of colour are geared towards you and we want them to please come in the door and its also important to diverse audiences to say that look this is a centre that’s welcoming. It’s to put on the programme that would appeal to people so to have your marketing and branding so strong that poets would go oh yeah, this a place I might try. I might dip my toe in here”.

Poetry has a responsibility to set a standard, not only for itself but for other organisations. In accordance to Maureen Kennelly, she states that Poetry Ireland is viewed as highly profiled to heighten the standards of the organisation’s reputation, “I guess in terms of diversity Inclusion, we’re seen as sort a leader in the sector. So, I’m very aware of our responsibility. Also, in terms with work with Words Ireland, where work with part an umbrella organisation. So, things like paying the artists like from the Art’s Council, as you’ve seen briefly down there. They are working to make sure that artists they are paying conditions are really focused upon”.

To help minority poets who may face discrimination, Poetry Ireland are working on a Diversity Inclusion Strategy. “That is about making sure that unrepresented poets or marginalised communities are represented here in Poetry Ireland”, Kennelly states. As the organisation’s aim is to reach out to poets and to connect with them, their main attempt is to offer support to the unrepresented. Poetry Ireland are working to increase the diversity of voices in its programmes and publications.
In order to increase access to audience all around the world, Poetry Ireland shares columns of events on social media. Poetry Ireland utilise their social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter to ensure all relevant diversity and inclusion activities are shared and promoted. In relations to achieving their goal, Kennelly ensured that the organisation have increased a high rate of finance than other poetry organisations, however it was a challenge in order to reach that underscored step, “There are more funds than other colleague organisation now but there was a big challenge because money is always a challenge because there aren’t enough supports here in Ireland, in particular.”

Poetry Ireland have raised a Fund-Raising Strategy on 2018. When Kennelly was asked about this, she said the member’s mission is to create the interior of the organisation a more terrific view to the poets, “ fund raising strategy has been in place that were implementing and we want to grant 3.8 million from the department housing just for Christmas. That money is dedicated to a campaign which is to renovate the building, increase access by adding a lift to the back, creating coffee shop, book shop making the organisation a more exciting and appealing picture to the poets”.
Poetry Ireland Review, a highly regarded journal of poetry that the organisation publishes three times a year, undergoes a redesign to make the organisation appear more appealing to a wider readership. The members of the organisation solicit submissions for Poetry Ireland Review from brilliant writers from underrepresented groups. To achieve this strategy. The members have enquired each new editor of the review write their own inclusive manifesto for Poetry Ireland Review which is recently published in November 2019.