Drawing inspiration from their cultured past, Limerick aims to have a week long celebration of Irish Culture from August 2 – 5 this year. Originally noted as the Aonach Tailteann Games and traced back as far as 632 BC, the games provided a platform for celebration of Irishness. The Tailteann Games took place in 1924. The games were routed in friendly competition. In history the games lasted a week and was attended by kings, chieftains and noble men.
The Tailteann Games was unique in that it combined sports competition with cultural competition. Sports featured in the original games varied from Athletics, swimming, boxing, Gaelic Football, Hurling, Camogie, Gymnastics and others. There were also Irish dancing competition, poetry competitions, drama, music and famous Irish story telling sessions. Competitive events were organised in Irish dancing, poetry, prose, drama, oratory and storytelling (all in Irish and English).

Learn more here.

Return to the International Poetry Calendar.