Poetry Ireland and Trócaire are delighted to announce the winners of the 2022 poetry competition which this year had the theme ‘A Better Tomorrow’.

Lani OHanlon, Winner of the Adult Published category.  Photo credit: Eileen O’Flynn Hyland

The annual poet competition raises awareness about current global citizenship, justice, ecological, and equality issues. This year’s theme explored how we can manufacture a better future, with all of us contributing as part of a global community.

The winners and runners-up span two categories: Adult Published and Adult Unpublished.

Adult Published Poetry category
The winner is Lani O’Hanlon with the poem “When I Visit Dalal”. The runner-up is “Days Like These” by Lorraine Carey.

Adult Unpublished Poetry category
The winner is ‘A Red Coat’ by Sighle Meehan, with runners-up, Rory Duffy, Emma Tobin, and Marguerite Doyle.

Jane O’Hanlon from Poetry Ireland said:
“I would like to express sincere thanks to everyone who supported the Trócaire Poetry Ireland Poetry Competition this year. The winning poems speak eloquently to urgent contemporary issues and yet manage to express hope in and for a ‘better tomorrow’.”

Culture Night, Friday 23 September
Poetry Ireland and Trócaire look forward to celebrating the winners of the competition with an in-person event, the first to take place since before the Covid pandemic, on Culture Night, Friday 23 September, in the Seamus Heaney Lecture Theatre, located in the Cregan Library on DCU’s St. Patrick’s Campus.

Judicial Board
The judicial board consisted of Catherine Ann Cullen (Poetry Ireland Poet in Residence), Aidan Clifford, retired former director of the Curriculum Development Unit, and Joanne McGarry (Campaigns and Volunteer Manager at Trócaire).

Congratulations
Congratulations to all this year’s winners and runners-up!

NUI Chancellor pays tribute to Professor Seamus Deane