To some, Sundays are a day for relaxation, spirituality, and community. Local youths embodied this mantra by visiting the Copper Room on Limerick‘s O’Connell Street for a night of entertainment. Chill vibes, good wine, and spoken word all flowed at this open mic event.
Over 50 people gathered to listen to local talent at the event hosted and organised by University of Limerick student, Azeezat Muniru.
What motivated the Limerick native to host this open mic?
“I have been to a number of open mics around the country, and I realised that there wasn’t a space for young people, by young people of that nature here in Limerick. I was also super tired of travelling far and getting home late from an event that I could host myself at home.”
Muniru has been writing spoken word and poetry for over a year now. She started with the ‘conventional textbook poetry’, which is structured and metaphorical. She then moved on to spoken word, feeling she needed to speak more literally to convey her emotions.
“I was really sad, and totally unable to communicate how I felt to the world. I couldn’t ask for help, and even when presented with help, I was choked up. However, I found a really creative way to struggle. I was very well spoken in my complaints and observations, and soon turned to translate that into poetry”
The open mic featured two advertised spoken word artists, host Azeezat Muniru, and Jack Long. Two musical acts Datqidexcel and DJ Tee also took to the stage. As the night progressed, more people became inspired. Hidden lyrical talents were expressed through recitals and song.
What did the audience think?
“I didn’t expect it to be so good! I just saw the poster on my friend’s (Instagram) story and thought what the heck, it’ll be good craic’”, an attendee expressed.
“My favourite piece was Anxiety, it really related to how I’ve felt during my lowest times”, another shared.
“May that kind of love kidnap me” commented an awe-struck listener of a romantic poem written by performer Franklin Lukason.
Overcoming challenges
As is the nature of hosting an event for the first time, Muniru experienced some hiccups during the setup.
Before the event, she realised that the venue did not offer sound equipment. The pressure was on to source that herself. Luckily, she was able to borrow the Limerick community-owned sound system.
Shortly before the beginning of the show, she struggled with the setup of the equipment, delaying the start time by over 30 minutes. After resolving the technical difficulties, the college student then realised her first performer was nowhere to be found.
“It was definitely a lot!” Muniru expressed, “‘I’ve learned a lot about sound systems is all I’m going to say…and optimism.”
What is next?
With the overall success of the event and the ever-growing creative community in Limerick, the demand for another showcase is high. With gleeful audience members already working on their piece for the next recital, it was an undeniable success.
If you want to be the first to know about upcoming shows, follow Azesroom on Instagram.