Poem for Senator George Mitchell

​Well I've had to keep this top secret for a few months now, but tonight I got to read my poem for Senator George Mitchell, at an Awards Dinner in his honour at La Mon Hotel in Castlereagh.

The poem was commissioned by Arts Council of Northern Ireland and CO3, the leadership organisation for the Third Sector.

It was a true privilege to be able to recognise and commemorate in verse Senator Mitchell's great contribution to our wee country, and the personal efforts and sacrifices he made in chairing the peace talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement. It was also a thrill to get to shake Senator Mitchell's hand on stage and thank him personally.

Many thanks to Nora Smith at CO3 and Damian Smyth at ACNI for creating the commission, and to Dawn Purvis and Baroness May Blood for sharing their reflections and memories for my research.

The poem is available to read on the CO3 website.