In Conversation With Caoimhe Weakliam written by Sarah CK All Rights Reserved © Void Magazine Sarah CK
Caoimhe Weakliam began her career in her bedroom, confined by the limitations of covid and the dreaded old-fashioned way of submitting via email to as many editors as possible. Once restrictions started to slip away, the door to the spoken word scene opened for Caoimhe. Now she could be the owner of her poetry. I meet with Caoimhe over a glass of wine or two (it’s summer, give us a break). Over our weekday wine, we discussed the journey from her bedroom to the stage and all the passions, big and small, that got her there.
Caoimhe writes from a place of concern, dissecting societal structures that have never belonged; her voice is visceral and lingers long after a full stop. One particular piece speaks of the sounds of a tap dripping from the hotel room sink no one should be forced to sleep next to. She speaks softly, and yet with a deliberate wink to the senses, she brings a sort of protest through her voice.
Caoimhe admits she has come from a privileged perspective; she tells me she was raised to realise this privilege and to notice its place systematically. Meaning that she is suspended slightly, looking at things through a lens of her own advantage point. She has used her platform to speak a voice for others and in turn to realise her own. Caoimhe tells me a lot of her poetry comes from a place of unsettlement within herself, usually reflecting upon and wanting to explore societal structures. One well-known poem came from personal frustration. Sitting at her table, making space and waiting for words to flow; however, something else was flowing, and each thought was rudely interrupted by the sharp sting in her side. Her period. Instead, she ran with that sting and created an ode to the power and pain that comes with the responsibility of a uterus.
Although many of Caoimhes pieces are created around significant issues, she also holds the talent of making those smaller moments feel grand. A great lover of Dublin Bus, she has found solitude in the creativity that sits between those blue seats. Through her writing, Caoimhe gives us the space to take a deep breath. To think critically of those much larger issues, we need to explore and simultaneously celebrate those we often let pass us by.
If you would like to hear more from Caoimhe and maybe take a deep breath of your own, you can find her on Instagram @Caoimheweakliam, and if you would like to see her perform, she will take to the stage again at ‘The Works Festival’ this coming August.
As always, there is more to explore in the void!
