Irish Poet Jane Clarke Reads at Luxembourg’s Printemps des Poètes Festival

The eighteenth edition of Printemps des Poètes - Luxembourg (Luxembourg’s Poetry Festival - Spring of Poets) took place from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 April 2025 in Luxembourg-Grund and in Luxembourg-Ville.

The festival, the theme of which was "Poetry. Volcanic", was supported by Luxembourg’s Ministry of Culture, as well as by the embassies and cultural institutes in Luxembourg that represent the respective countries of the participating poets. The opening evening was held in the Abbaye de Neumünster (Neimënster) in Luxembourg-Grund on Friday 25 April, followed by the main poetry night, “Great Night of Poetry”, on Saturday 26 April at the Forum da Vinci in Luxembourg-Ville. The festival came to a close at the Simoncini gallery in Luxembourg-Ville on Sunday 27 April.

The winners of the Jeune Printemps (Young Spring) competition were announced during a ceremony held in Neimënster in the presence of Luxembourg’s Minister of Culture, Eric Thill, ahead of the festival, on Tuesday 22 April 2025.

Over the course of the three days of Printemps des Poètes – Luxembourg, members of the public had the opportunity to listen to readings from eleven European poets: Laura Accerboni (Italy); Esteve Bosch de Jaureguízar (Catalonia, Spain); Jane Clarke (Ireland); Isabella Feimer (Austria); Michal Habaj (Slovakia); Rodolfo Häsler (Spain); Blandine Merle (France); Maria do Rosário Pedreira (Portugal); Tereza Riedlbauchová (Czech Republic); Leo Tuor (Switzerland); Luce van den Bossche (Luxembourg). 

Luxembourg musician, Pol Belardi, provided musical accompaniment for the poetry readings at the opening event in Neimënster and American-Luxembourgish guitarist, Greg Lamy, did so at the Forum da Vinci the following evening.

Poets read in their native language with French translations provided for poems not presented in French, German or English

Irish poet Jane Clarke read from her collections at the Friday and Saturday evening readings. This included her recently released poem “Legend”, read at Friday evening’s event.

Chronicle.lu attended Saturday’s “Great Night of Poetry” at the Forum da Vinci in Luxembourg-Ville. The festival’s newly appointed director, François Brouxel, delivered the welcome address and introduced the nine poets who read on the evening. Jane Clarke was the only poet to read in English and the first ever Irish poet to participate in the festival. 

Jane Clarke, author of three poetry collections, The River (2015), When the Tree Falls (2019) and A Change in the Air (2023), read six poems from her collections: “The Yellow Jumper”, based on a story her mother used to tell; “He Stood at the Top of the Stairs”, written shortly before her father died in 2016; "After", inspired by observing her mother following her father's death - she quoted from the poem: "Every day without him is too long";  “On the Boat” - a story of emigration, in particular the emigration of thousands of Irish women to the United States and England, dreaming of a better life which often did not happen. She then spoke of the upcoming tenth anniversary of the Irish electorate voting in favour of marriage equality and of how the passing of this referendum allowed her to marry her partner of 20 years. Her fifth poetry reading, “Vows”, was one she had first read on their wedding day. Her final poem of the evening, “River”, a poem about grief, was chosen as a result of a pre-festival interview question to the poet from Chronicle.lu (see below). During the reading, she quoted: "What surprises me now is not that you're gone but how I go on without you".

As mentioned, Chronicle.lu had the opportunity, prior to the festival, to speak with Jane Clarke about her poetry and the process involved in its creation.

Chronicle.lu: You are the first Irish poet to participate in Luxembourg’s Festival du Printemps des Poètes, where you will recite your recently released poem “Legend”, inspired by Ireland’s Patron Saint, St Brigid. Do you have a particular affinity with St Brigid and what prompted you to write the poem? 

Jane Clarke: Brigid is a fascinating figure, both as Celtic Goddess of Spring and as a Christian saint. I believe she’s an inspiration for our times because she stands for justice, equality, peacekeeping and care for the natural world. She has long been prominent in Irish history and folklore but the establishment of the public holiday for St Brigid in 2023 has brought fresh attention to her leadership and values. “Legend” is one of two poems I wrote about Brigid in response to a request from St. Brigid’s Arts Festival in Co. Kildare [Ireland].

Chronicle.lu: You were in your 40s when you first began to compose poetry. Please tell us what influenced your decision to start writing and what continues to inspire and motivate you (including other poets if applicable)?

Jane Clarke: As a child I loved reading and dreamed of becoming a writer. I went on to study literature and philosophy in college but I had no sense of my own creativity. It was only in my thirties, while training as a psychoanalyst, that I realised the power of poetry to give solace and to express what seems inexpressible.  Poems by Elizabeth Bishop, Emily Dickinson and Seamus Heaney moved me deeply. After moving with my partner to live in [County] Wicklow [Ireland] I found I had time to take a creative writing course. Writing my first poems was a bit like falling in love. Since then I’ve dedicated myself more and more to reading and writing poetry. As Patrick Kavanagh, put it: “A man innocent dabbles in rhymes and words and finds that it’s his life”.

Chronicle.lu: Please describe your typical working day. How do you approach the writing process and how do you manage “writer’s block”?

Jane Clarke: I begin every day with reading, writing and walking. I love the quiet and newness of early morning and I try to keep that time for my creative work. There’s always the bread and butter work to be done but I leave that till later. For inspiration I read other poets; a word or a line may ignite a poem for me and then I have to follow it. It can take months or sometimes years to complete a poem but the initial spark that gets a poem moving is invaluable. Since I began writing 20 years ago I have often worried that there will be no more poems but then another poem begins. What’s most important for me is to keep reading and writing and learning. I remind myself to start all over again with every new poem. It may be inauspicious in the beginning but what matters most is getting something down on paper; it can usually be improved with editing. 

Chronicle.lu: How has your writing evolved over time?

Jane Clarke: I’ve been writing poetry for 20 years and I’m currently working on my fourth collection, which will be published in October 2026. In that time, I have become more confident: I demand more from each poem and I have a better sense of when a poem is ready or not. I write poems that are deeply personal, as well as poems that speak to social and cultural change. While nature has been an inspiration to me since I first began writing, increased anxiety about the environmental crisis has deepened my commitment to poetry as a means of inspiring action by evoking care and concern for the natural world.

Chronicle.lu: Please tell us about some of the challenges or obstacles that you have faced as a poet and how you have overcome them.

Jane Clarke: Many of the obstacles are internal: believing that what I write is of worth, keeping going through hard times, risking rejection and failure. The support of others is what matters most: my partner, friends and writing colleagues. Undertaking an MPhil in Writing at the University of South Wales was a turning point early on. Though I was working full-time as a facilitator/psychotherapist, I travelled to Glamorgan every two months over two years for intense workshop weekends. It was then that I began to call myself a poet. Each acceptance from a journal or magazine is a milestone that gives me the encouragement to keep going. Finding a publisher is always a challenge for poets. I had been writing for about eight years when I sent a sample of my work to renowned publishing house, Bloodaxe Books. The editor, Neil Astley’s, acceptance of my first collection in 2014 gave me validation and a sense of security that has been a ballast in my writing life ever since. Most important of all are the audience and readers: their interest in and response to my work is an on-going source of joy and inspiration, for which I am very grateful. 

Chronicle.lu: What is/are your favourite poem(s) from all of your collections and why?

Jane Clarke: I have favourite poems in each of my three collections. One that stands out for me is the title poem of my first collection, The River.  It explores the nature of grief and was the first poem in which I had a sense of having brought together images, language and music to make beauty and meaning for myself and others. 

Chronicle.lu: Finally, do you have any words of advice or wisdom to share with someone thinking of pursuing poetry as a career?

Jane Clarke: Read poetry every day; read widely for pleasure, for learning and for discovery. Try to write every day too, even just notes or ideas or a few lines. Everything you write won’t become a poem but all writing is worthwhile because you’re practising. From many hours of writing, good poems will emerge. Set up or join a writing group where you can get helpful feedback on new work. Participate in writing workshops and courses. Begin sending out work to journals and competitions and take opportunities to read in public. Most importantly follow your heart and your curiosity. When writing makes me feel intensely alive I know I’m on the right track. 

Jane Clarke also thanked the Festival du Printemps des Poètes, the Irish Embassy in Luxembourg and Poetry Ireland for “giving me this wonderful opportunity to participate in a truly international poetry festival”.

Chronicle.lu also spoke with Ireland’s Ambassador to Luxembourg, Jean McDonald, at the event. Ambassador McDonald explained that, following the 2024 Printemps des Poètes festival, she approached the organisers about the possibility of Irish involvement in the festival. The resultant participation of Jane Clarke came about with the assistance of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs’ cultural unit and Poetry Ireland.

In a statement, Ambassador McDonald said: “I’m thrilled that the Embassy is supporting the Printemps des Poètes Festival for the first time and to do so with a writer of Jane’s calibre is the icing on the cake! The festival is a brilliant opportunity to celebrate Ireland’s rich literary heritage in Luxembourg, alongside wonderful talent across Europe. The emphasis on the French language at the festival is also very important for us as, since 2018, Ireland has had Observer membership of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). So ‘chapeau/hats off’ to the organisers, and their supporters, notably the Ministry of Culture – from an Embassy perspective we hope that this year’s festival is the beginning of an important and ongoing cultural relationship in Luxembourg”.