Hi, tune in to BBC2 Television on Friday June 12th to watch a programme that may be of interest. "My Life in Verse" is a four part series, starting on Friday May 29th. These programs explore hidden gems of poetry through the choices of stars Robert Webb, Malorie Blackman, Sheila Hancock and Cerys Matthews.
The episode on the 12th of June features Cerys Matthews, who explores her poetry heroes. Cerys is a Welsh singer and songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer of the Welsh rock band Catatonia, for her 1999 Christmas duet with Tom Jones and her 2007 appearance on "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here".
Cerys has a particular love of the poems of W. B. Yeats and the production team filmed at various locations around Sligo.
The filming happened to coincide with the monthly session of Sligo Traditional Singers in Durkin's Bar, Ballinacarrow. Spotting it on the website, Cerys and the production team thought it would be an ideal opportunity to capture the flavour of this unique gathering. It was a memorable night of singing and Cerys herself sang that great song, adapted from the Yeats poem "Down by the Salley Gardens". She downed a few pints of the black stuff as well!!