Poets bid farewell to a beloved spoken word night as an Aberystwyth rum bar closed.

Last week saw the drinks run dry at Irie’s Rum Bar on Thespian Street after three years under Gareth James.

As well as rum, the bar was known for its monthly spoken word nights that brought the bright and talented of Aberystwyth into one room for an evening of words and community.

At the last event on Thursday 6 November the bar was packed as dozens of poets wanted to give their final rhymes to the space.

Speaking whilst serving drinks behind the bar, writer and columnist Gareth James reflected on what he had created: “We’ve had youngsters, old people, the National Poet of Wales, celebrated poets from north, south, east, west who pitch up and share their work.

“Most importantly, we listen to everybody who has a story to tell.

“I’ve watched over the three years people grow, young students who endured lockdown are now published, they’re confident, they understand the importance of writing.

“Old guys like me have found a space where we can stand up and be supported in what we’re going to say.

“The diversity of this group is like nothing I’ve seen locally - I’m not aware of another space that has such a regular confluence of marginalised communities coming together and listening to each other.”

He said it started as a “crazy idea” to open a rum bar as a hobby whilst living upstairs, setting up a spoken word night because “I love words” and a chess night because “I wanted to play chess”.

But he argued that it was the attendees, not him, who had built it into something truly special.

Mike, a regular at the night, said that the encouragement from the group has been what’s kept him coming: “The diverse nature of the group has been a particularly important thing for me.

“It seems almost accidentally to be at least 50 per cent LGBTQ+.

“There’s no feeling of being judged.

“It felt like a safe space to be, it felt like a community.”

Lily, a poet who has flourished since starting to attend 18 months ago, described it as a “judgement-free environment”.

She added: “I’ve been writing since I was eight, so when I heard about Irie’s, I jumped on the opportunity after my first taste of open mic-ing.

“I have developed a bigger love for poetry than I thought I would ever have.

“It’s a hobby and a great escape for me.

“It has pushed me to write more, push my own boundaries - I’m very thankful that this place exists because I’ve developed such confidence to get up in front of people and pour my heart out in a completely judgement-free zone.”

Gareth, who is moving on to run his newly launched publishing house M2M Books, publishing “great writing for marginalised audiences”, says that though Irie’s is ending, he hopes to see Irie’s spoken word night live on in another venue.