Poetry Jukebox

A new curation of the Poetry Jukebox celebrating the Robert McAdam Compartive Lexicon

For this curation of the Poetry Jukebox, The Linen Hall, in partnership with the Centre Culturel Irlandais and Quotidian, commissioned 10 poets to write a new poem in response to the Robert McAdam Comparative Lexicon and commissioned 10 translations of those poems to create an international curation that spans English, French, Irish and Breton.

The Robert McAdam Comparative Lexicon (c.1885) is a unique handwritten lexicon of the Irish Language and is one of the treasures of Belfast’s historic library, The Linen Hall. The Lexicon compares 13,000 Irish headwords with 28 other languages, from Breton to Sanskrit.

Launch Event

Tues 22 Oct, 1pm, The Linen Hall, £5. Booking essential via linenhall.com

Join poets Celia de Fréine, Gail McConnell, Scott McKendry, James Conor Patterson and others as they discuss McAdam’s Lexicon, its legacy and the poetry that it has inspired. Chaired by Maria McManus.

This Poetry Jukebox is part of the Spotlight on Culture UK/France Programme 2024 and is supported by the British Council and by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, from National Lottery Funds.