Joan Clancy Gallery, Mweelahorna, Ring in the Waterford Gaeltacht will commemorate poet laureate John Betjeman with Dungarvan In The Rain, a group show June 12 -22, 2019, marking the 35th anniversary of his death.

Betjeman loved Ireland and frequented Dungarvan and West Waterford. The work in the exhibition will be inspired by the local connection this poet had with the area with new paintings by Andrea Jameson, Blawnin Clancy, Sinead Ní Chionaola, Ivan Daly, Ciara Gormley, Rayleen Clancy, Eilis O'Toole, John Cullinan, Noeleen Crossan and others.

Betjeman was a frequent visitor to the Yellow House at Helvick Head, a fishing lodge near Joan Clancy Gallery, owned at the time by the Villiers-Stuarts of Dromana.

The exhibition in Joan Clancy Gallery will be opened by Barbara Grubb at 7.30pm Wednesday June 12.

Betjeman immortalised Barbara's step grandmother Emily Villiers-Stuart, nee Sears in some of his poems including The Irish Unionist's Farewell to Greta Hellstrom, Dungarvan 1922 popularly known as Dungarvan in the Rain, and Ireland with Emily.

The John Betjeman celebrations will continue on Sunday June 16 at Dromana House & Gardens overlooking the Blackwater near Cappoquin, Co Waterford, the home of Barbara Grubb where the gates will be open at 12 noon (weather permitting) to welcome those who would like to bring their own picnic to the gardens while enjoying the beautiful surroundings.

At 2pm there will be a talk followed by poetry readings by renowned Cappoquin born poet Thomas McCarthy, well known author Sally Phipps a daughter of Molly Keane, much celebrated Clodagh Beresford Dunne voted Listowel Writers' Week Irish Poem of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, Peter Murray retired curator of the Crawford Art Gallery and John Fitzgerald winner of the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award from the Boole Library UCC.

Pre-booking is recommended for Dromana, as numbers are limited. €16 pp; children under 12, free. Programme may be subject to change. www.dromanahouse.com

Joan Clancy Gallery, Mweelahorna, Ring, Dungarvan, Co Waterford is located in the Waterford Gaeltacht between the Cunnigar Beach and Coláiste na Rinne, ten minutes from Waterford Greenway.