Sunday, September 6, 2009

I smell nice

Well, I smell nicer than the steaming pile of muddy, grotty, gungey stuff that's piled high in the car. Even the inside of the car is caked in mud from the way I had to leave the windows open so I could hear instructions from Mr VC who was running ahead of the car, matador style, as we navigated our way out of the mire that was the festival car park.
So I've had a shower, I've used a toilet that didn't make me want to get sick, and I'm sitting on something other than the cold ground or a teepee cushion, if it wasn't for the sparkly nail varnish you probably wouldn't know that there was anything different about the weekend.

Things that happened:
We got the tent up expertly in one shot (at only the third attempt).
Saw another version of the exact same tent lying dead and abandoned by some unluckier campers on the saturday morning - (further proving our brilliance at eventually getting the thing standing, albeit awkwardly skewed and mishapenly.)
Was repeatedly woken late at night by good natured drunken monkeys singing, all shouty in the campsite.
Tommy Tiernan read a bit from a William Burroughs book that he loved.
I said some poems, some louder than others, some longer than others. One little red haired teeny boy stood up and clapped at the end of one of them.
Got to share the stage with the fantastic poets Kate Dempsey and Barbara Smith.
We watched and bopped along to Madness, crazy brilliant guys.
Someone from the arts council thought I looked like Clare Kilroy from behind.
Imelda May was lovely - really generous to the crowd and her band.
I kissed a barman for a necklace - it's ok, Mr VC gave his full permission.
Theo Dorgan said he enjoyed our stuff.
Saw Mia Gallagher and Colm Keegan wowing the literary tent with their gritty Dublandness.
Kept running into ex colleagues and compulsively telling them I've moved from Poultry into Poetry.
Saw the Poetry Chicks as well, accompanied on the piano by Conor Kelly, who also read some really brilliant poems.
Twas a muddy, messy, marvellous weekend, a good time was had by all, even that girl who was crying in the portaloo beside me late last night, I'm sure they were tears of happiness.

6 comments:

Emerging Writer said...

I smell much nicer now too. Epic weekend. thanks again

Niamh B said...

Thanks to you too EW. It really was a bit epic wasn't it?

Unknown said...

Don't talk to me about smells! Such a pleasure to be on the stage with ye both - and don't mention the loos...

Niamh B said...

Like wise Barbara, looking forward to your field report!

swiss said...

do live in some of land of poetry festivals!? lol

Niamh B said...

I do, it's weird, don't know how I never noticed this up till now! Land of saints and scholars I guess