After a successful Irish tour in 2017 and again in 2019, as well as ten sold-out seasons at the Irish Arts Center in New York, Muldoon’s Picnic returns for four dates nationwide 10-14 August 2022.
An omnium-gatherum of poetry, prose and music, Muldoon’s Picnic is a cabaret-style evening, by turns witty, exuberant, and sophisticated, hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon, ‘the most significant English-language poet born since the Second World War’, (Times Literary Supplement).
Each show on the tour has a bespoke mix of artists from the worlds of music and literature. Guests such as Roddy Doyle, Claire Keegan, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Zadie Smith, Zoë Conway, John McIntyre and members of Horslips will join Muldoon for four different evenings of creative and collaborative energy.
“A music-and-literature extravaganza” – Time Out New York
Devised and developed by the acclaimed Irish poet Paul Muldoon, the show is hosted by Muldoon and house band Rogue Oliphant – a collective of musicians and composers including Chris Harford (Three Colors, Band of Changes), Cait O’Riordan (The Pogues), David Mansfield (Bob Dylan, The Alpha Band), Ray Kubian (Electric Six, Chris Forsyth) and Warren Zanes (Del Fuegos).
The title ‘Muldoon’s Picnic’ refers to a popular 19th-century New York vaudeville act, which inspired the New York based Paul Muldoon to begin hosting these carefully blended evenings of literature and music back in 2014.
Paul Muldoon describes ‘Muldoon’s Picnic’ as a direct response to that ancient impulse to perform, to share, to make one’s amusement; “It’s one of our most basic instincts; to listen to a song, listen to a poem. Even in this era when people have their noses stuck in their tablets, it still works.”
On Wednesday 10th August, kicking off the Irish tour from the Lime Tree Theatre stage in Limerick, Paul Muldoon and house band Rogue Oliphant will be joined by award-winning novelist and short story writer Kevin Barry, one of the leading Irish poets of her generation Vona Groarke, critically acclaimed vocalist and actor Lisa Lambe, and members of the ‘Godfathers of Celtic Rock’ Horslips.
An Grianán Theatre in Donegal on Friday 12th August will see one of Ireland’s most distinguished poets Maurice Riordan, the unique piano-based songwriter Duke Special, award-winning poet Hannah Sullivan, and internationally acclaimed author and short story writer, Claire Keegan.
On Saturday 13th August at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, Dublin-born novelist, dramatist, screenwriter and Booker Prize winner Roddy Doyle, one of the most respected poets of her generation and recently elected Saoi Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, extraordinarily talented and versatile Irish fiddle player Zoë Conway and her partner in life and music, accomplished guitarist John McIntyre will be the guests.
The final night of the tour, Sunday 14th August brings Muldoon’s Picnic to the Abbey Theatre on the Peacock stage in Dublin, where Muldoon will be joined by internationally acclaimed and twice Grammy-nominated singer and composer Iarla Ó Lionáird, Northern Irish novelist and poet Nick Laird, and contemporary English novelist, essayist, and short-story writer Zadie Smith.
Poetry Ireland has a growing reputation for producing dynamic literature events on a significant scale. This tour will introduce audiences to some of the finest writers and musicians performing today.
For further information on all events see www.poetryireland.ie
