St Leo’s student among finalists in ‘poetry aloud’ competition

SAINT Leo’s College Carlow student Emmanuela Adekunle was a finalist in the 2025 Poetry Aloud competition, which challenged students to recite a prescribed poem from memory.

Emmanuela was one of 328 students from schools across Ireland who entered the competition and one of 20 finalists who brought heart and energy to their performances at the National Library of Ireland, recently.

For the competition, Emmanuela recited a previously unpublished poem Those Winter Evenings by the late poet Seamus Heaney. The poem is from the recently published collection The Poems of Seamus Heaney.

“The event was a joyful celebration of the beauty to be found in speaking and listening to poetry,” said Dr Audrey Whitty, director of the National Library of Ireland.

All the students recited their poems with “heartfelt expression and thoughtful interpretation”, she said.

The judging panel included Dr Audrey Whitty, Liz Kelly, director of Poetry Ireland and John Fitzgerald, poet and adjunct professor with the School of English at University College Cork.

The overall winner, Luke Power from Ramsgrange Community School in Co Wexford, captivated the judges with his recitation of Among Treetops by Alvy Carragher. Luke received the perpetual Seamus Heaney Poetry Aloud trophy, designed by Meath-based sculptor Fiona Smith-Darragh, and a €300 cheque. The winner of each age category received a cheque for €300 and runners-up got a €100 book token.

The teacher from each winning school was presented with a book token for €300 to bring back to their school libraries. All finalists, including Emmanuela, were presented with a certificate of recognition and a National Library of Ireland gift bag.

Congratulating all those took part, Liz Kelly said: "Comhghairdeas ollmhór do na buaiteoirí agus míle buíochas do na h-iomaitheoirí ar fad a ghlac pháirt ann."