you are here:
| Jimmy Appears on CultureNorthernIreland.org |
|
http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article.aspx?art_id=3723 |
| By Royal Appointment |
|
Jimmy Rafferty became Bard of Armagh for an unprecedented fourth time at a packed Armagh City Hotel last night 19 November 2010. He narrowly pipped fierce rival Liam McNally in the closest contest for years. Even before Jimmy took to the lecturn he had the audience in stitches with his regal attire to suit his poem, ‘Her Majesty’s Pleasure’. A chorus of ‘Good Queen Bess’ resounded in the background.
|
| Jimmy goes loco |
 Jimmy has just released his latest poem "Locomotion" - his observations of the typical inhabitants of an NIR train. If you regularly travel from the sticks (i.e. Portydown) into Belfast on the choo-choo (that's a train for non-Portydown people) you might happen upon a wee wrinkled bloke with his head stuck in a book - that could be our hero. Watch out or he might write about you too. |
| Once, Twice, Three Times a Winner |
 Jimmy made it 3 out of 4 as he brought the house down again at the 2007 Bard of Armagh competition at the Armagh City Hotel. Nobody can hold a candle to Jimmy when he gets into his (admittedly short) stride. Indeed, if you did hold a candle to him he would probably melt!This years winning entry was about the trials and tribulations of a Farmer who took a fistful of HRT tablets by mistake. Well, I woke up feeling brilliant, and I couldn’t tell the reason, I knew at once I wasn’t dead, because my feet were bloody freezing! I found the empty bottle of pills, and got my glasses out to see, And realized I’d swallowed three months supply of HRT! The audience were in fits of laughter as Jimmy explained the drastic impact of this unfortunate mistake. We have added an mp3 player to the site to allow you to hear first hand a few samples of Jimmy's poems. Click on the links on the right hand side menu to hear the tracks. If you like them, why not try Jimmy's CD which can be found in the online shop. |
| New CD available now |
|
You'll split you're sides at "Divil the wan wud hev me" the story of a bachelor farmer and his attempts get a wife. This was Jimmy's first foray into humorous verse at the "Bard of Armagh" Competition and the audience loved it, as I'm sure you will. Next up is "The Uncommon Agricultural Policy", a nightmare scenario where the farm is taken over by a mixture of Microsoft and Animal Farm. I hear Jimmy is still "taking that stuff they fed the boar". "Getting your Goat" is the story of another an old farmer from South Armagh and his nieces's fraught love-life with Jeremy from Cultra who finally gets his comeuppance at the wrong end of a buck goat. "Foreign Feedin'" won the Bard of Armagh competition in 2004. Jimmy was "reared on spuds and tay" and the current trend for exotic food doesn't really suit him. Belly Laughs aplenty as he plots revenge on the Indians for their Vindaloo. Last but not least is "Barred of Armagh" , the story of a man with a drink problem - he can't get any. Follow him through all the pubs in the town as he get barred from each in a rip-roaring journey of laughs. Every home should have one. Get your copy now direct from Jimmy. |
Jimmy's new CD - "The Country Glipe" has just been released. Containing 5 of his best loved poems, it's over an hour of fun and games.
