Though less than two years old, the Kilcullen Writers Group has already embedded itself in the fabric of Kilcullen, in the process bringing together members of 'old' and 'new' Kilcullen.
The recent 'Power of Three' readings event held in Kilcullen's Town Hall Theatre, which brought together the talents of the Kilcullen Group with those of two other mid-county groups, was a clear indication that Kilcullen writers have no intention of restricting themselves to cosy evenings together in An Tearman. That's where they meet every second Monday night.
The fact that they've managed to persuade The Bridge magazine to give over several pages in each issue to the output from the group is another such indicator. Writers write because they have something to say, but they also need somebody to hear what they have to say, so the Kilcullen group are being proactive in getting their words out to the public.
It all began as recently as March 2006 when local librarian Julie O'Donoghue and Helen O'Connor Nolan got things going with a few meetings in Helen's home. Among those involved in the beginning were Pauline Fagan, John Martin, Frances Maloney, Emer Byerden and Mary Barber.
It extended to the point where there are now quite a number of people involved, some of whom have been writing for many years, others quite new to the craft. But all get an equal share of any discussion, ideas, and writing exercises.
The group as it operates today is non-hierarchal. But somebody has to be the figurehead, so to speak, and that is currently Pauline Fagan. "It runs fairly organically, but democratically, I think," she says.
Apart from their writing skills or ambitions, others bring different but important talents. Like Ilona Blunden, who comes from a marketing environment and therefore acts also as the group's PR person. Emer Byerden seems to have a talent for sussing out money, and was responsible for the grant aid that allowed the group to hold their first workshop in the autumn of last year.
"That was brilliant," says Pauline Fagan. "The workshop was a great success, and we also generated enough money to run the 'Power of Three' event, to open the doors of the Town Hall Theatre and invite people in."
The workshop was conducted by two writers from the Irish Writers Centre in Dublin, and as far as Pauline is concerned it was 'very meaningful' because the funding allowed the group to give working artists a decent wage for their day's involvement. "God knows, that doesn't happen often enough."
Members of the group benefit from access to a number of literary journals which are subscribed to, such as the Dublin Review. "All in all, I think we've reinvested the money we got wisely," Pauline says.
WIth 'The Spout' pages in The Bridge magazine, it had been hoped that more new people might be attracted to contribute. In particular, John Martin wanted young people from the second level arena to become involved. "We thought it might offer them a forum that wouldn't be seen as a school project, but unfortunately that hasn't happened. It is the same few contributors each month."
The format of the group's bi-weekly meetings is simple. Behind the closed doors of An Tearmann there's coffee, a chat, discussion on what's happening in the sometimes arcane world of writing. A recent meeting was typical, with news shared of adult education writing courses on offer in UCD, a promo for the upcoming Edgeworth Literary Festival, and details of the closing dates for submissions to a literary publication, 'The Stinging Fly'.
"We might then do a couple of writing exercises, aimed mainly at generating ideas," Pauline says. "Then if somebody has a piece of work that they'd like feedback on, we'll listen to it and comment."
There's no 'homework' as such, though at the end of some meetings the participants might go home with an exercise. "We have to bear in mind that in writing, everybody works at their own pace," says Pauline. "Some people write every day, others maybe a couple of times a week."
Writing is by its nature a rather solitary pursuit. For non-professionals, it can be a lonely place, and one without much encouragement. That's why groups like the Kilcullen Writers are so important, and why it is yet another of the many amenities and organisations of which our small town can be proud.
Brian Byrne.
