INTERNATIONAL FLAYOUR TO APRIL’S ‘FIRST WEDNESDAY SERIES’ AT THE WHITE HOUSE BAR< LIMERICK
The First Wednesday Series (FWS), in partnership with Poetry Ireland and the Limerick Writers’ Centre’s April is Poetry Month, announces two Scottish poets Hugh McMillan and Julie McNeill as the featured readers for its April 2nd, 2025 event at The White House Bar, Limerick.
Hugh McMillan is an award-winning Scottish poet from Penpont who writes in both Scots and English. His latest collection, “Diverted to Split,” was published by Luath in 2024. McMillan’s work has been featured three times in “Best Scottish Poems” and on National Poetry Day postcards. His achievements include winning the Callum Macdonald Memorial Award (2017), serving as writer in residence at Harvard Summer School (2017), and being named a Scottish Poetry Library “Poetry Ambassador” (2020). He currently chairs the Saltire Poetry Award Panel.
Julie McNeill is a Glasgow-based poet, editor, and community worker originally from Carlisle. Her published works include the co-authored “Mission Dyslexia” (2021), and poetry collections “Something Small” (2023) and “We are Scottish Football” (2024). McNeill serves as Poet-in-residence for St Mirren FC charitable trust and Makar of the Hampden Collection. An advocate for women in sport and member of Strathkelvin Writers’ Group, she joined Drunk Muse Press’s editorial team in 2024. Her collection “Love goes North” is forthcoming from Luath Press in 2025.
April is Poetry Month in Limerick is a month long series of poetry events co-ordinated by Limerick Writers’ Centre.
The historic White House Bar, long associated with Limerick’s rich poetic tradition, will host the evening’s proceedings. The event will feature an open-mic session, continuing the series’ tradition of discovering and nurturing new voices in poetry.
Poets interested in participating in the open-mic portion of the evening should contact Dominic Taylor at limerickwriterscentre@gmail.com to secure a spot.
Event Details:
Date: Wednesday, April 2nd, 7.30pm 2025
Venue: The White House Bar, Limerick
Featured Reader: Hugh McMillan and Julie McNeill
Format: Featured Reading followed by Open-Mic Session