Last night marked the first Cave Writings event of this college year and the first organised by the group’s new host, Trinity student Leo Dunsker. Cave Writings describes itself as “a nomadic tribe of creatives of various mediums who regularly come together and share their work” and last night the congregation came together upstairs in Jack Nealon’s pub on Capel Street.
With a turnout of almost 40 people, the crowd size and comfort of the location proved to be the perfect combination. The gathering had an intimate feel and a relaxed atmosphere. In his opening speech, Dunsker encouraged participants to take part with an effortless enthusiasm that proved to be contagious. A line-up of seventeen poets and writers was created, and the night took off with no further ado.
The standard of work was incredibly high, particularly considering that it was most people’s first time reading their work aloud. The crowd was incredibly receptive and supportive, with each of the artists met with a round of applause after their performance. There was an incredibly range of content, with some poems as short as two lines in length while some short stories took up to ten minutes to recite. The informality of the occasion came as a surprise to me. Contributors read their pieces from phones and pages, often mentioning how nervous they were feeling or that this was the first poem they’d written. One highlight of the night was a poem written by fourth-year English student Jenny Moran, which touched on topics related to the repeal the eighth movement with a gothic twist. Her piece was greeted with huge applause from the crowd and shouts of congratulations.
The three short stories at the end came from veteran Cave writers, who have taken part in several events in previous years. The stories were a change up from the poems from earlier, yet were welcomed as a pleasant change of pace. The final speaker of the evening was Fionn Rogan, who organised the Cave Writings of last year. He addressed what he believed to be the history of Cave Writings, what it means and what it will continue to be.
The night was a huge success and has started a momentum which will surely build as the year progresses. Under the guidance of Dunsker, with the continued support of the fantastic writers of the first event and with the addition of new talent, Cave Writings has the potential to grow even further and provide an active community for young writers.
