Cork County Council Library and Arts Service has announced that West Cork-based poet James Harpur has been selected as the recipient of the artist residency at Ireland’s cultural headquarters in Paris.
Mr Harpur has published ten poetry collections, and is a member of Aosdána, the Irish Academy of Arts.
The residency will enable him to spend a month the Centre Culturel Irlandais (CCI) in the heart of Paris.
While in Paris, James will do readings from his latest book of poems, The Gospel of Gargoyle, published by Eblana Press, as well as pursuing a current writing project, versions of love poems by the 16th century French poet Pierre de Ronsard.
Mayor of county Cork Cllr Joe Carroll said that the council was ‘delighted’ to award this residency to accomplished poet James Harpur.
‘In total, 49 artists from Ireland will spend at least one month in Paris to develop their projects. Cork County Council is among the 24 partnering organisations who support artists to spend time at CCI.
‘We award this each year to an artist working in Cork county. We wish James the best with this wonderful opportunity.’ Mr Harpur said he was ‘thrilled’ to be chosen for an artistic residency.
‘Paris is the city where my mother was born and raised and has always been close to my heart. The city is central to my latest book of poems, The Gospel of Gargoyle, which is set on the rooftop of Notre-Dame Cathedral and involves an animate gargoyle who knows who or what started the great fire of 2019. I’m very grateful to the CCI and Cork County Council for making this happen.’
The CCI Artists Residency Programme is funded by an annual grant from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
