waterford (wô'tēr-fērd) n.
A short, affirming, verse of four (usually iambic) lines with the rhyme scheme abba, in which the first and fourth lines are of eight syllables, and the second and third lines are of four.A waterford can be biographic (about a person, or group of people), geographic (about a place), ekphrastic (about an artwork or art form), or philosphic (an optimistic aphorism). [est. 2024, named after Co. Waterford in south-east Ireland, founded by Kevin MacAlan]
Click the 'EXAMPLES & FAQs' button to learn more about the waterford poetry format.Click the 'COMPETITION' button for details of this year's competition and how to enter.Click the 'ANTHOLOGY' button for news of the first ever collection of waterfords to be curated and published.
Contact
Please Note: this contact form CANNOT BE USED for entries into the annual competition.Before reaching out to us, check to see if the examples & FAQs or rules of the competition already answer your query.If you have a press enquiry, a question not answered by the FAQs, or any other reason for contact which isn't an entry, then please use this form. We will endeavour to get back to you as quickly as possible.
Thank You...
...for your enquiry.We will endeavour to respond as quickly as possible, but it can take a few days.While you are waiting, stay poetic!Team Waterford
The annual waterford competition
Every year there is a celebration of the waterford - 2026 will be no exception. The competition is open for entries between May 9th and June 19th, and the winners will be invited to take part in a gala event, waterfordrhyme26, scheduled to take place at Waterford Gallery of Art on August 29th.This event will coincide with the launch of an anthology of waterfords published by West Waterford Press.
Click the 'PREVIOUS YEARS' button for an archive of previous events and competition winners.Click the '2026' button for details of this year's competition.Or 'ENTER NOW!' to enter now!
Congratulations!
The Longlist is OutHere are the names of the 40 longlisted poets for 2025. Scroll down a little further to see the ten winners our guest judge, Alan Murphy, chose from these. From the hundreds of submissions we received, it is a huge achievement to make the longlist.In alphabetical order, the longlisters are:
Fizza Abbas
Isobel de Barra
Colm Barry
Frances Browner
Paulette Calasibetta
Caoimhe Cooke
P J Cosgrove
Jenny Cox
Colin Dardis
Steve Denehan
Lara Dolphin
Kathleen Fahey
Nicola Fahey
Judith Flynn
Evie Groch
Neil Hallinan
Kate O Halloran
Hilary Healy
Siobhan Henley
Ceire Leigh
Peggy McCarthy
Lorraine McCullen
Grace McG
Mary McKenna
Bob McLaughlin
Clara McShane
Sheila Meaney
Nurzusilawati Binti Nadzri
Ellen O’Hora
Mary Oishi
Patrick O’Sullivan
Marian Robinson
David Ryan
Yvonne Salmon
Thomas Smith
Sylvi Thorstenson
Dominic Walsh
Patricia Wall
Mary Walsh
Kay Wolf
By protocol, no poet has more than one poem in the longlist.
The Winners!Here are the names of the 10 winning poets for 2025. The winning waterfords were published in the Dungarvan Leader, on Tuesday, December 2nd. Scroll down to see them here.In alphabetical order, the winners are:
Fizzi Abbas
Colm Barry
Caoimhe Cooke
Jenny Cox
Lara Dolphin
Kathleen Fahey
Hilary Healy
Bob McLoughlin
Nurzusilawati Binti Nadzri
Patricia Wall
Congratulations!
School Morning, KarachiBlue vans hum down the sleepy street,
books in a row,
dreams start to grow
in tiny hearts that skip each beat.
Fizzi Abbas
OthelloBitter fruit of unpeeled knowing;
Untolled telling;
Green eyes welling;
Tears of Iago’s ripened sowing.
Colm Barry
New ArrivalVelvet skin and a baby grow,
chunky, toasty,
quiet mostly,
a smile as soft as a rainbow.
Caoimhe Cooke
Love on the Bloor-Danforth LineBeneath Toronto's concrete skin,
Mercury slides.
I hate goodbyes.
You disembark at Dufferin.
Jenny Cox
Epitaph for a Bass Player
(for our friend, Fred)An upright man would pluck the strings.
Now in his place,
next to the bass.
Devout Sandalphon spreads his wings.
Lara Dolphin
Fifty-nine Years OnShe sat in her usual seat,
looked quite askance
when asked to dance.
Years later, they’re still on their feet.
Kathleen Fahey
The Three SistersThe River Suir, and land and lea,
of Munster sing,
till sisters bring
three voices to the Mother Sea.
Hilary Healy
BeautyBeauty, not really created -
found, discovered,
seen, uncovered -
often not anticipated.
Bob McLoughlin
Batik TerapAfter the war, wax resist came,
a vibrant dye,
new motifs fly,
batik's charm spread with glowing flame.
Nurzusilawati Binti Nadzri
The Taking of ChristCaravaggio holds the light.
A kiss of fate,
supper was late.
Do all betrayers come at night?
Patricia Wall
Scroll down for FAQs, but let's answer the most obvious question first...
So, what is a waterford?
It’s shorter than a limerick (which might be why it has been described as "the Irish haiku"!). It has only twenty-four syllables, arranged in four lines.Like the limerick, it has its own rhythm and has to rhyme in a particular way - the first and fourth lines have eight syllables each and rhyme with each other, and the second and third lines have four syllables each, and rhyme with each other.Having four lines makes the waterford a quatrain, and those rhymes can be described as an abba rhyming scheme (if you want to get technical about it).Think of the waterford as a word caricature, a thumbnail character sketch in four lines. These thumbnail sketches can be about people, places, art, or philosophy.Another important distinction between the limerick and the waterford, is that the limerick pokes fun, or is insulting, whereas the waterford is complimentary. The idea is that a waterford celebrates its subject; it’s a positive commentary.Let's look at some examples:
Joe Kelly
A piller of society,
with just a touch,
but not too much,
of local notoriety.
This is a biographic waterford, celebrating the personality of Dungarvan legend, Joe Kelly.
By the way, "piller" isn't a typo. Joe is a pharmacist, this is typical waterford word play!
Dungarvan
Dungarvan is a seaside town
with ev’rything
a place could bring
to make a frown turn upside down.This is a geographic waterford, waxing lyrical about a coastal town in Co. Waterford. It is purely coincidental that Dungarvan is in Co. Waterford. A waterford can be written about anywhere. No Waterford connection is necessary.
The Waterford Rhyme
The waterford is hard to write.
You have to count
the right amount
of syllables and lines: It’s tight!This is an ekphrastic waterford. Coincidentally, it happens to be a waterford about waterfords!
Eye of the Beholder
We hale beauty as if it’s rare,
but look around,
what have you found
that has no art or beauty there?This is a philosophic waterford. It is an opportunity to pen an optimistic aphorism, to express appreciation, or encouragement. The need for positivity is absolute.
FAQs
Is waterford written with an uppercase "w"?
Waterford, the place (as in the city and county) is written with an uppercase "w" because in this instance the word is a proper noun, a name. However, when referring to the poetry form, waterford is written with a lowercase "w". The same distinction is made between limerick (the verse) and Limerick (the place).Can a waterford have more than four lines?
No. All waterfords are four lines long.Does line length matter?
Yes. Most definitely. To be recognised as a waterford, the first and fourth lines must be eight syllables, and the second and third, four.How rigid is the syllable count?
The protocol is, if there is any pronunciation (not too perverse) that brings the syllables into the correct count, then the offering is good. Even if it’s not the only pronunciation, or the most common. If it can be made fit, then it fits. If you are concerned, when using words like every; extraordinary; or (fittingly) syllabically - which appear to have more syllables written than when commonly spoken - then don't be afraid of using apostrophes (ev'ry, extr'ordin'ry, syllabic'ly).Can a waterford have more than one verse?
No. A waterford consists of a single verse of four lines.Does a waterford need to be about a subject that has a connection with Co. Waterford?
No. You can write a waterford about anyone, any place or any piece of art.Does the poet who writes a waterford need to have a connection with Co. Waterford?
No. The waterford is a global art form - open to all. We encourage everybody, the world over, to embrace this concise expression of positivity!Does a waterford have to rhyme?
Yes. To be recognised as a waterford, the verse must have an abba rhyming scheme. However, all forms of rhyme are acceptable. It needn't be 'perfect rhyme'.Must a waterford be funny?
Absolutely not. Sure, it can be, but it doesn't have to be. A waterford can express the full gambit of emotions. It is a poetic form. As such, it can be used wherever poetry is appropriate.What are the four categories of a waterford?
A waterford can be biographic (about a person, or group of people), geographic (about a place), ekphrastic (about an artwork or art form), or philosophic (an optimistic aphorism).Do I have to write to fit within a category?
So long as what you write is a waterford (a positive poem of four lines, 8-4-4-8 syllables, where the fourth line rhymes with the first, and the third line rhymes with the second) then it will fit within one of the four categories: biographic, geographic, ekphrastic, or philosophic. Focus on writing a celebration of your subject and you will have a waterford to be proud of.Must a waterford have a title?
It is preferrable, but not essential. By default, if a waterford is left untitled, either the subject, the first line, or the first few words of the first line, will often be used as a 'de facto' title.Can a waterford be rude, or insulting?
No. In this manner, the waterford is entirely different to the limerick. The limerick is defined as being bawdy or mocking. The waterford is an affirming verse. To be recognised as a waterford, the subject is given reverence. A waterford needs be a positive commentary. Peace out!Must a waterford be written in the English language?
No. El waterford es una forma de arte global - abierta a todos. ¡Animamos a todos, en todo el mundo, a que abracen esta concisa expresión de positividad!Does a waterford need punctuation?
Punctuation marks can be helpful to the reader, but there is no hard and fast rule. The use of punctuation in any poetry is an artistic choice. It is no different for a waterford.Is a waterford better than a limerick?
Not better, just different. We're all for a bit of inter-county rivalry here in Ireland, but no single nation has contributed more to poetic excellence. The limerick has an eight-hundred year headstart, but even fans of the limerick should welcome the appeal of the waterford, and be happy to see it make its mark on the world.
All sorts experimented with the limerick, including Rudyard Kipling, John Cooper Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Ogden Nash, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, Robert Louis Stevenson and even William Shakespeare. Give me a few centuries and I'm sure I'll be able to share an equally impressive list of waterforders.
Click the 'ABOUT' button for details of this year's competition.When the competition is open, click the 'ENTER' button to submit an entry.
The Archives...
How it all began...
Congratulations!
This is a list of the ten winners from the inaugural waterford competition (2024). Some of these winning waterfords can be found below. They were all published in a special edition of Poetry Corner in The Dungarvan Leader on December 6th, 2024.In alphabetical order of poet, the winners were:Colm Barry with Féileacán
Flex Browne with In Comeragh's Shadows, Peaks Arise
Paul Bullman with Waterford
John Byrne with Michael 'Brick' Walsh
Joshua Dyson with A Coumshingaun Waterford
Neil Hallinan with Eulogy for an Irishman
Hilary Healy with The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife
Joe Kelly with Ireland
Alan Murphy with The Bell Epoch
David Ryan with Flow on Lovely River
Eight of the ten winning poets accepted an invitation to read at Winterverse on December 8th, at The Marine Bar in Dungarvan. Pictured here, left to right, are Neil Hallinan, Alan Murphy, Joshua Dyson, Colm Barry, Hilary Healy, Kevin MacAlan, John Byrne, and David RyanOnce again, congratulations to our winners. We had hundreds of entries, and judging was very tough.
A selection of 2024's winning waterfords
2025...
2025's waterford competition closed for submissions at midnight on November 15th. In 2025, as in 2024, the contest was just for fun and bragging rights, there were no cash prizes or commemorative plaques, but oh joy, the evening we had at The Marine Bar in Dungarvan to round everything off was exhilarating.
In 2024, nearly all of the winners joined us - in 2025 that was a little more challenging, since they came from as far afield as Pakistan and Malaysia!But, in the photo above, we do have Bob McLoughlin, Kathleen Fahey, Kevin MacAlan (the MC), Alan Murphy (the judge), Hilary Healy, and Colm Barry.
Click the 'WINNERS' button for a complete listing of winners, and to read the Top 10 waterfords of 2025's competition.
One development in 2025 was the presence of a guest judge. We were delighted to have the services of Alan Murphy. Alan is the author and illustrator of four books of poetry. His writings and artworks have been widely published in countless journals and anthologies. Click on his name above to visit his website, or check out his instagram page.
Waterford Competition 2026
Waterford Competition 2026
The competition is open for submissions between May 9th and June 19th. Follow us on BlueSky or check in with us back here to keep up to date.In 2026 we have upped the ante, with a dedicated winners event - waterfordrhyme26 - held at The Waterford Gallery of Art on August 29th.Each shortlisted poet will receive a specially framed copy of their winning waterford certifying their place in the top ten. In addition, the overall winner will receive a €100 cash prize. (OK, it's a fairly modest cash prize, but it's real money!)In 2026, we are honoured to have as our judge a veritable superstar of poetry - Molly Twomey.
Molly grew up in Lismore, County Waterford, and now lives in Cork. She published two poetry collections with The Gallery Press: Raised Among Vultures (2022) and Chic to be Sad (2025), supported by literature bursaries from the Arts Council.Her debut collection won the Southword Debut Collection Poetry Award and was shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Poetry Prize for Best First Collection. Her second collection was shortlisted for The Farmgate Café National Poetry Award. She holds an MA in Creative Writing and is a PhD Excellence Scholar at University College Cork.Please follow her on Bluesky or Instagram by clicking these links, and her website is here.
As in previous years, ten winners will be chosen from a longlist of forty. Those ten will all be recognised by publication, and invited to read, but everyone who enters will win our adoration for helping establish a new, and essentially positive, art form. We desperately need more positivity in the world!The waterford, in all its glory, is the brainchild of Kevin MacAlan. For the most part, this is not a glass-half-full kind of a fella. So, let's make this positive offering to the universe a resounding celebration.C'mon, most of yers think you have a book in ye, all we're looking for is twenty-four syllables (probably less than a couple of dozen words).The only catch? You gotta say something nice!Please read the rules of the competition which include details of the no-fee entry route for those unable to pay.
Click the 'EXAMPLES' button to explore a selection of waterfords and access the FAQ section.When the competition is open, click the 'ENTER' button to submit an entry.
Waterford Anthology
2026 will see the launch of an anthology of waterfords published by West Waterford Press edited by Kevin MacAlan and launched at waterfordrhyme26 held in The Waterford Gallery of Art on August 29th. More details will follow.
Submissions close June 19.
Please use this form to submit up to five waterfords, your entry will be indistinguishable from a paid entry.If you enter more than once, or submit more than five waterfords, all your waterfords will be disqualified.IMPORTANT
Do NOT use this form for any purpose other than entering the competition. If you have a press enquiry, a question not answered by the FAQs, or any other reason for contact which isn't an entry, then please go here.
Please read the rules of the competition, then scroll down to enter.
Rules
This is a competition for waterfords. Find the definition for a waterford with examples and FAQs here.Any entry which is not a waterford will be disqualified.Up to five waterfords may be entered in a single submission.Only one submission per person.Pen-names are accepted, but still, only one submission per person (not per name!).If anyone is found to have made more than one submission, then all their submissions will be disqualified.Everyone, over the age of 18 (except Kevin MacAlan and Molly Twomey) is eligible to enter.Submissions may be in any language, if not in English then please identify what the language is.A waterford written in a language other than English, must be accompanied by an English translation.All waterfords must be the original work of a living human poet, and be submitted by that poet.All waterfords must be unpublished, and not have won a prize in any other competition.No alterations can be made to any waterford after it has been submitted, so please, please, please, double check that you have the correct line and syllable count in all of your entries (if in doubt, go here for examples and FAQs).There will be no refunds for disqualified entries.Copyright remains with the entrant, but West Waterford Press reserves the right to exploit all entries for publication or broadcast, or for promotional purposes in any manner at any time.The competition closes for submissions at midnight on June 19th.A longlist of forty entrants will be announced at the end of June.No entrant will have more than one waterford in the longlist.Ten winning waterfords will be announced at the end of July. These will have been selected by the judge, Molly Twomey, without knowing who penned them.The overall winner will be announced at waterfordrhyme26 on August 29th.The judge's decision is final.Submission implies acceptance of the rules.West Waterford Press is a two-person passion project receiving no external funding. To continue the annual waterford competition into its third year, we have introduced a token entry fee.The price for a submission is €5 - click the big green button below (labelled 'ENTER NOW!') to pay and enter.If you are unable to pay €5, then enter without paying (we do not want the fee to be a barrier to entry).If you are in a position to sponsor the cost of someone availing of a free entry, then thank you very much, when the competition is open, you will be able to make your contribution here.
Thank You
Your submission has been received. Follow us on BlueSky or check in with us back on the site for the results.A longlist of forty entrants will be announced at the end of June.Ten winning waterfords will be announced at the end of July.The overall winner will be announced at waterfordrhyme26 on August 29th.While you are waiting, stay poetic!Team Waterford
Thank you!
Please use this form to submit up to five waterfords. It is important that you do not leave this page before submitting all of your entries.Once you have completed your name and email details, add your waterfords and click submit. You will be taken to a confirmation page.If you enter more than once, or submit more than five waterfords, all your waterfords will be disqualified.If you have decided not to submit, then use the EXIT button, but your fee will not be refunded.
Thank You...
...for your support of the arts.Team Waterford