Author diaries

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23 October 2003 Entry: "Notes on Keening launch"

Just to say thanks to all who turned up at the Tyneside Irish Centre for the launch of my Keening poems on Monday evening. We enjoyed a good turnout despite the misery of the cold, wet night.

Tony Corcoran, the organiser of the Tyneside Irish Festival, is a grand man, and as good a comic turn as I've seen in a long while. Joe and Tristram played us a gorgeous harp and fiddle. Kevin Cadwallender, me luvly publisher, made a fine fist of selling the books, and considering we were located in the centre of the Toon the drink was dead cheap. So all in all it was fun.

Oh yes, and I read a fair few of me (plastic) Irish poems. In fact I was talked into getting up twice. Of course I didn't want to - but hey, what can you do?