Poetry Day Ireland 2026
Celebrating Poetry Day Ireland with a Menu of Poems!

Poet Anne Tannam selects Menu of Poems for patients and staff of Irish hospitals for Poetry Day Ireland today!

A Menu of Poems will be shared with patients, staff, and visitors across Irish hospitals and healthcare settings. Circulated on meal trays, the initiative offers moments of comfort and reflection, reaching over 12,000 people as part of an all-island celebration of poetry.

At Uillinn you will find Menu of Poems dotted around the building for your enjoyment.

Launched in 2008, Menu of Poems is an annual poetry anthology that Arts for Health, West Cork has proudly taken part in for more than 15 years. Produced by Arts and Health Coordinators Ireland, with Saolta Arts as the lead organisation and support from Poetry Ireland and HSE Health Promotion and Improvement, the initiative brings meaningful artistic encounters into healthcare settings across the country. Each year, the curated Menu of Poems enriches healthcare settings nationwide by offering patients, staff, and visitors a meaningful encounter with the arts.

The 2026 edition, curated by Anne Tannam, features poems by Alvy Carragher (In Other Words), Luke Morgan (Longitude), and Marie Howe (Reunion), alongside her own online bonus poem, The Art of Listening. A children’s poem, My Delicious Hat by Paul Timoney, will also be distributed in paediatric settings. All poems are available to download, with recordings online.

Anne Tannam, Menu of Poems Editor 2026, said: “Sometimes, life can be hard to navigate. And it can feel lonely, too. For me, poetry helps me to find myself when I’m lost, and to lose myself when I’m too much in my head, worrying about things beyond my reach. In difficult times, there is no kinder or more understanding companion than a poem, especially when it captures something of the fullness of what it means to be alive. Reading these poems, I hope you find pleasure and solace in their company.”

Claire Power, Director at Poetry Ireland said: “We are thrilled to see Saolta Arts and Arts and Health Coordinators Ireland collaborating once again to roll out Menu of Poems in hospitals across Ireland. Menu of Poems is a truly special initiative that helps to connect people and poetry at times when people may need a moment of solace or joy most. I don’t doubt that this will once again be a wonderful celebration of poetry, especially with Poetry Ireland / Éigse Éireann’s former Poet in Residence Anne Tannam curating this year’s selection of poems.”

Click here to read one of the poems and about the organisations. https://artsforhealthwestcork.com/celebrating-poetry-day-ireland-with-a-menu-of-poems/