Menu of Poems, national
Year
Annually
Artists
- Various
Supported by
- HSE
- Poetry Ireland
- Saolta Arts
- Saolta University Health Care Group
- Arts + Health Co-ordinators Ireland
- Healthy Ireland
On behalf of Arts and Health Co-ordinators Ireland, Saolta Arts presents Menu of Poems 2026 selected by Anne Tannam.
Sometimes, life can be hard to navigate. And it can feel lonely, too. For me, poetry helps me to find myself when I’m lost, and to lose myself when I’m too much in my head, worrying about things beyond my reach. In difficult times, there is no kinder or more understanding companion than a poem, especially when it captures something of the fullness of what it means to be alive. Reading these poems, I hope you find pleasure and solace in their company.
— Anne Tannam
Celebrating Poetry, a Menu of Poems has served a helping of poetry on the hospital meal trays of Ireland since its conception in 2008. Each year, ten thousand copies of a short anthology of poetry are distributed throughout Irish hospital wards, waiting rooms and other healthcare contexts for patients, visitors and staff to enjoy. A project for Arts and Health Co-ordinators Ireland, we are currently the producer for Menu of Poems. Previous poets include, Naomi Shihab Nye, Colette Bryce, Yrsa Daley-Ward, Michael Coady, Ailbhe Darcy, Rita Ann Higgins and Theo Dorgan.
A Menu of Poems will be distributed this May throughout various Irish hospital wards, waiting rooms, and other healthcare settings for patients, staff, and visitors to enjoy.
The poetry, circulated on trays during mealtimes, aims to provide comfort, inspiration, and a moment of reflection for patients in particular. This year’s selection is curated by award winning Irish Poet Anne Tannan and includes poems by renowned poets Alvy Carragher, Luke Morgen, Marie Howe, and a poem for children by Paul Timoney.
Can you beat a silly poem? ‘My Delicious Hat’ is deliciously foolish. I tried to read it aloud without laughing, but I can’t! Why don’t you try? Or ask someone to read it to you, and watch how they try not to giggle.
– Anne Tannam
My Delicious Hat
Childrens’ poem. By Paul Timoney
In Other Words
By Alvy Carragher
The Art of Listening
By Anne Tannam
Longitude
By Luke Morgan
Reunion
By Marie Howe
‘Menu of Poems’ is a project of Arts and Health Co-ordinators Ireland, managed and produced by Saolta Arts.
Please email your comments to: saoltaarts@hse.ie
Download Menu of Poems and the Menu of Poems (Childrens poem)
Arts and Health Co-ordinators Ireland is an all-Ireland support network of professionals who are responsible for managing arts and health initiatives. Formed in 2003, AHCI aims to build capacity and maximise resources for its membership, who work in the Arts and Health Sector throughout Ireland, North and South. The network members co-ordinate a range of arts and health activities, including environmental enhancement, visual art, sculpture, performance, participatory and collaborative arts practice, professional development for artists and staff, artist residencies, health promotion and arts and health research.
Menu of Poems 2024
Menu of Poems 2024
Menu of Poems 2023
Menu of Poems 2023
Menu of Poems 2022
Menu of Poems 2022
Menu of Poems 2019
Menu of Poems 2019
