By Rachel Kellaghan
Lavie Olupona is a nineteen-year-old poet who is making waves throughout Ireland. To date, Lavie has received the Edna O’Brien Young Writers Award, co-founded Bláithí Literacy magazine and has addressed the Dáil, as well as much more. Her talent has resulted in amazing Traveller-specific art that is being acknowledged by many, with her work not only showcasing creativity but also preserving culture and lived experience.
An Inherited Talent
Lavie accredits her mother and nana for passing on her love for creating stories and literacy. “They would always tell us stories. She turns stories passed down through generations into relatable and inspiring poetry. Lavie says authentic poetry is “integral to the community. I’m very lucky that a lot of the older generation of my family are still around to share those stories and that the younger current generation will be able to carry those traditions”.
She creates truthful poems to help younger generations understand and acknowledge the history and beauty of their culture. For older generations, her work embodies their identity and lends a voice to their lived experiences. “I wrote a poem after a story my nana shared with me. She was telling me about when she was younger and being with her own grandmother, being under the stars, seeing the stars and being around the fire, and her eyes looked so fiery and sparkly. And I just really wanted to capture that moment as it was a really treasured moment.”
Ultimately, her work preserves the stories older Travellers have to offer their community. By using truthful experiences to create art, Lavie is documenting Traveller history in the truest form, and her words have the power to bring her people together to celebrate the Traveller community.
Sharing her Art
Lavie has always had a passion for writing, and when she started secondary school, it became a part of her identity. She often used poetry to express herself, “I’d write about feelings as an Irish/Nigerian Traveller,” said Lavie.
After many years of writing poetry, Lavie decided to allow others to hear her work. She became involved with Wheel of Dreams, a documentary following young artists in West Cork. The documentary debuted at Misleór Festival. Since then, Lavie has been very open with her work and has become a voice for the Traveller community.
Lavie gives back to the community through her poetry, but she is heavily supported in return. She has worked with many fellow Traveller poets and has been mentored by FeliSpeaks. At the same time, she has grown into her voice, no longer writing to please others. “Now I think when I write, I write because I want to write… even if it challenges the person reading it,” she said.
Travellers have always faced discrimination. Lavie had noticed stereotypes such as “Irish Travelers are loud, that they rob, that they fight… I kind of faced that almost doubled amount almost, where I was seen as her dad is a refugee or her mom’s from the Traveler community, like, you can’t trust her”. Lavie decided to challenge these stereotypes through her craft by educating others.
A Voice for the Community
Lavie was invited to address the Dáil, reading her poem ‘Let Our Voices Be Heard’. After Lavie’s mother reminded her, “You were up there where they make decisions.” The opportunity showed how far Lavie’s voice has reached, allowing her crafted opinion to be heard in the very rooms that defining decisions are made.
For Lavie, representation is essential not only for outsiders but for her own community. She emphasised the importance of honesty in storytelling, saying younger generations should understand “the injustices that was done upon the community… not a shielded policy version of it”.
Imagery and Connection
Lavie’s creative inspiration is never-ending. Her craft is heavily shaped by the beauty of traditions and beliefs in the Travelling community. Her poetry is rich in imagery drawn from her upbringing and culture. She describes visuals of “paper flowers, beady pockets, shawls that have been like made with so much time and effort,” alongside “the fire flames” and music of the community. She adds that “the word vibrant is a perfect way to describe the Irish travel community because it’s so colourful in all its different ways.”
These treasured images allow readers to deeply connect with her poetry, making each piece personal and relatable. She recalls one particular experience when a woman recognised a shared lullaby from her poem, telling her, “It was like I was sitting there holding my own grandkids.” For Lavie, moments like this show how poetry can bring people together across families and generations.
Lavie has since broken into the poetry film scene. After seeing an open call for Ó Bhéal Lavie grouped with two film students to create a submission piece called Béaloideas. “We’re sending it into a couple of film festivals and hoping to premiere it maybe, the first Wednesday of this month with the Picture House.”
However, she doesn’t plan to stop there. Looking ahead, Lavie hopes to continue expanding her creative journey. She shared, “I would love to publish my own collection of poetry,” and expressed an interest in exploring other forms, such as scriptwriting, showing her ambition to grow her voice across multiple creative platforms.
Of all Lavie’s impressive achievements, she holds one close to her heart. Following the recent passing of her mother, Lavie said, “I think my proudest moment today would be when my mom and I had our work published in Kin Anthology by Salmon Press Poetry.”
“That book is probably the most important thing I could ever have as it has our words together… I really treasure that both of our words are together and they always will be.”
With a culture full of superstitions, beliefs and traditions, Lavie and all the talented poets will continue to write about the beauty of the community while challenging negative stereotypes, ensuring that both her voice and those who came before her are never forgotten.
