Attention all Scottish Gaelic poets and enthusiasts. The Féile Filíochta/International Poetry Competition needs your poems. Entries have been falling in the last few years and this is the last chance to keep this language in the competition. We get thousands of poems every year in the various languages of the competition (9 in all) but our Scottish Gaelic category is in serious trouble. We have no entries at all in the Adult category to date this year and only 1 entrant in the Under 17 category. Plenty of entries arrive from Scotland but in English rather than Scottish Gaelic. We don't want to lose you from the competition so please send us your poems now. The chances of winning the excellent prizes are much higher than in the English category!

The original deadline was supposed to be 28th August but we are pleased to announce that this has been extended to Tuesday 30th November 2004. This is because the gala prize-giving evening will coincide from now on with the major Poetry Now festival in March organised by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown's Arts Office. So check out the website www.dlrcoco.ie/library  and download an entry form in Scottish Gaelic right away.

We look forward to seeing your poems very soon and don't forget to spread the word around. The Féile Filíochta is all the richer with your language in the competition.