''Rann'' was the first poetry journal ever produced in Northern Ireland. It was founded and edited by

Lisburn Lisburn (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with ...

based writers Roy McFadden and Barbara Hunter in 1948, aiming to provide a platform for young, aspiring poets. The editorial policy was unapologetically regionalist. The title of the periodical means "verse" in Irish. The magazine was published quarterly and ran for five years, with some twenty issues published between 1948 and 1953. The first edition stated that ''Rann'' aimed to give, "this region an opportunity to find its voice and to express itself in genuine accents in these pages." The subtitle to the first edition was ''A Quarterly of Ulster Poetry'', however by the second issue this had changed to ''An Ulster Quarterly of Poetry'' exposing editorial concerns that there may not have been enough Ulster verse to fill its pages. By issue number thirteen the subtitle had the additional words "and comment" added, allowing for the introduction of theatre and radio criticism. The first edition was sold for one shilling and comprised poetry and prose by established writers such as John Hewitt, Michael McLaverty and John Boyd. John Hewitt estimated that around one-hundred writers made contributions over the lifetime of the magazine, including many from throughout the United Kingdom, such as Kingsley Amis and R S Thomas. The editorial team's greatest success was with the first publication of William Butler Yeats's Civil War poem, ''Reprisals'', facilitated by the Yeats's family friend and scholar, Oliver Edwards. The covers of ''Rann'' were designed by established artists including

Raymond Piper Raymond Piper ''HRUA HRHA MUniv'' (4 April 1923 – 13 July 2007)Anon: Irish Times 21 July 2007 p16 was British a botanist and an artist.Hackney, P. 2007. Obituary. ''Irish Naturalists' Journal.'' 28: 393-394 Early life Raymond Piper was born ...

Anne Yeats Anne Butler Yeats (26 February 1919 – 4 July 2001) was an Irish painter, costume and stage designer. Early and family life She was the daughter of the poet William Butler Yeats and Georgie Hyde-Lees, a niece of the painter Jack B. Yeat ...

Paul Nietsche Paul Nietsche (17 June 1885 – 4 October 1950) was a Ukrainian artist and teacher who emigrated to Ulster in 1936 where he became a central figure on the Belfast artistic and literary scenes between the 1930s and his death in 1950. Early life ...

and William Conor. The first cover was designed by

Rowel Friers Rowel Boyd Friers ''MBE'' ''PPRUA'' (13 April 1920 -21 September 1998) was a cartoonist, illustrator, painter and lithographer. Early life and career Friers grew up in the Lagan Village area of Belfast near the Ravenhill Road. He was appre ...

. The magazine's final edition contained the most comprehensive bibliography of Ulster writers since the turn of the century.Brown, John., (1999), p.113 Following the publication of the final edition Roy McFadden commented, "I explained that tiredness, not need of cash or an increased circulation, had convinced us that five years had been a brave innings: that enough was enough."

References

1948 establishments in Northern Ireland Defunct magazines published in Ireland Literary magazines published in Ireland Magazines established in 1948 Magazines disestablished in 1953 Magazines published in Northern Ireland {{NorthernIreland-media-stub