NVTV PRESENTS: RHYMING WEAVERS ANNIVERSARY
Date Posted: May 8, 2024
NVTV is honoured to present coverage of a celebration event marking the 50th Anniversary of the publication of John Hewitt’s Rhyming Weavers poetry anthology. The event was hosted by the Ulster University in collaboration with the Royal Irish Academy and the John Hewitt Society.
Funded by Northern Ireland Screen’s Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund, this five-part series brings a diverse range of literary expertise and discussion to television and on-demand audiences locally, nationally and worldwide.
The publication of Hewitt’s Rhyming Weavers and Other Country Poets of Antrim and Down in 1974 was a seminal rediscovery of Ulster’s literary heritage, devoting serious study to 18th and 19th century working-class poets. Writing primarily in Ulster-Scots, the rhyming weavers evoked the physical labour of linen production through their poetry, breaking down barriers between artistic practice and workmanlike craft.
Fifty years on, keynote speakers such as Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and Ireland Professor of Poetry Paul Muldoon look back at the dual legacies of Hewitt and the rhyming weavers, considering their work in the context of language, community and culture. As Ulster University’s Professor of English and Comparative Literature Jan Jedrzejewski has stated, the event brought “to the attention of scholars across the island, and of the general public, the richness and diversity of the cultural heritage of the province of Ulster during the crucial period of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.”
Rhyming Weavers Anniversary is a true celebration of this rich heritage and a worthy continuation of Hewitt’s legacy. The series begins on Monday 13th May at 9pm and will be repeated on Wednesdays and Sundays. It is also available to watch now on NVTV’s Ulster-Scots website which hosts over 200 Ulster-Scots programmes. You can find it at ulsterscots.nvtv.co.uk.
