The Irish Literary Times

President Michael D Higgins has expressed his great honour at becoming patron and has recorded his own reading of the poem "Prayer for my Daughter".

Peerless punk poet John Cooper Clarke will be in Dublin and Cork over the next week. The first time he gigged in Ireland was back in "1979ish" at the Project Arts Centre. He was then at the height of his fame.

Thank you Lord Rana for your kind introduction and I want to wish you well in your new role as Patron of the John Hewitt Society. In fact I would like to pay tribute to everyone associated with the Society, and in particular to Tony Kennedy, its director. It was he who suggested that I should speak here today, and, thus far, I am most happy that he proved so persuasive. I also wish to acknowledge the distinguished guests in the audience – the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, the Lord Mayor, Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop Richard Clark, US Consul General Gregory Burton, the Councillors from Armagh District Council and from those other Councils who will be joining Armagh next year.