Cill Rialaig Residencies 2026

Tá lúcháir ar Áras Scríbhneoirí na hÉireann an deichiú bliain as a chéile de chónaitheachtaí le Cill Rialaigh a fhógairt. Éalaigh ó chúramaí laethúla do shaoil agus caith 12 lá i gCill Rialaigh, a dtugtar air go háitiúil, 'imeall an domhain.'

The Irish Writers Centre is delighted to announce its twelfth consecutive year of residencies with Cill Rialaig. Escape your day-to-day life and spend 10 days writing in Cill Rialaig, locally known as “the edge of the world.”

In keeping with goals 1 and 3 of the IWC 2022-2026 strategy, this programme will support professional writers to advance their craft and career. It will also nurture the community of writers that we serve and empower them to create their own networks of support and learning. In turn, we will continue to maintain and develop the organisational partnerships and alliances that advance and extend our work.

About the Residency

Seven writers will be awarded with a ten-day residency from 1-11 October 2026 in Cill Rialaig. Each writer will have their own house, provided free of charge (the Irish Writers Centre will cover the utility charge for each of the seven houses). Expenses incurred by the selected writers will be food and travel. To find out more about the residency and see the beautiful and inspiring location of Cill Rialaig, Co. Kerry, view their website here. Selected writers are also asked to provide a written testimonial of their time spent at the residency.

Who is it for?

This residency is for seven writers of any genre or form (including poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, children’s/ YA fiction), who are resident on the island of Ireland and are over the age of 18. Applications are welcome in English and Irish. We particularly encourage applications from people who are D/deaf, LGBTQIA+, Minority Ethnic, Black & Persons of Colour, Roma, Members of the Travelling Community, and/or from working class backgrounds. Please note that the actual historic ‘famine village’ where resident artists stay is located about 400 feet up on the rugged Bolus Head. Because it consists of remote, rescued pre-famine stone cottages situated on steep, unpaved terrain, this area is not suitable for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility.

When does it take place?

Thursday 1 October 2026 until Sunday 11 October 2026. Check in is from 2pm onwards on 1 October, and check out is anytime on Sunday 11 October.

Selection Process

Applications will be reviewed by an external selection panel made up of independent professional writer(s) for eligibility, expression of intent, and the range and quality of writing samples provided.

Selection will be made respecting the priority groupings described in the Who is it For section above.

How to Apply

Applications are via Submittable only and must include:

• A cover letter including your personal details concisely outlining the project you would like to focus on during the residency (max. one A4 page).
• An updated writer’s CV (max. two A4 pages) including postal address, Eircode and contact number.
• Clearly labelled samples of recent work (up to two short samples of no more than 1000 words each or between 4-5 poems)

It is essential that all three of the stated documents above are collated into a single word or .pdf attachment.

Applications that are not collated into one file will be deemed ineligible.

Deadline to Apply

4pm, Friday 24 July, 2026. Due to the volume of applications we are not in a position to give individual feedback to applicants.

Testimonials

‘What can I say about Cill Rialaig, this delightfully wordless place? I cherished being able to go to the end of the world to centre myself and my writing practice, to get away from my usual soundtrack of commuter traffic and just be, with the smell of the peat smoke and the sound of the sea.’

– Soula Emmanuel, Irish Writers Centre Cill Rialaig Residency 2024 awardee

‘Slán le Cill Rialaig agus le mo chairde nua : scríbhneoirí na Cónaitheachta 2024 a bhronn an Irish Writers Centre orainn. Fanfaidh an t-eispéireas seo i mo chroí istigh ar feadh i bhfad. Agus taibhsí Uibh Ráthaigh, na manaigh ón sean am agus iad siúd a d’imigh rompu, Seanchaí na háite Seán Ó Conaill agus ar ndóigh muintir na háite feasta.’

‘Hard to bid farewell to the place I called home for the last week and more, to the inspiring Gaeltacht landscape of people both past and present, the monks of Ballinskellig and the Gael who preceded them, not forgetting Seanchaí Chill Rialaig Seán Ó Conaill. The magic will last in my soul for a long time to come, not least the company of the collegial collective of companions (mo chuid comharsanna) selected by Irish Writers Centre for this 2024 Cill Rialaig Writers Residency.’

– Caitriona Lane, Irish Writers Centre Cill Rialaig Residency 2024 awardee

‘Cill Rialaig was an amazing opportunity – a gift – that allowed the busyness of life to be stripped back to just me, the landscape and my art. Drafting and editing my manuscript at the edge of the world was a unique and inspiring experience, and –hopefully – my writing is all the richer for it.’

-Saoirse Morrigan, Irish Writers Centre Cill Rialaig Residency 2025 awardee

‘I’m very appreciative to the Irish Writers Centre for the opportunity to spend time at Cill Rialaig. The quality of the silence there- underscored only by the hum of the wind buffeting the cottage- helped me tune in more deeply to the sounds of the poem sequence I was working on. What a unique opportunity to eliminate all distractions and focus entirely on the work!’

-Kerri Sonnenberg, Irish Writers Centre Cill Rialaig Residency 2025 awardee

Recent Recipients of the Residency include:

2025: Cáit Moloney, Caitlyn O’Reilly, Joanne Hayden, Joe Phádraig Ó Fátharta, Kerri Sonnenberg, Róisín Sheehy and Saoirse Morrigan

2024: Soula Emmanuel, Seosamh Jones, Caitríona Lane, Jessamine O’Connor, Eoghan Smith, Séana Talbot and Stephen Walker

2023: Suad Al Darra, Sadhbh Devlin, Lisa Harding, Roe McDermott, David McGrath, Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh, Aimée Walsh

2022: Sasha de Buyl, Sonya Gildea, Niamh Scullion, Colette Ní Ghallchóir, Anne McDonald, Trish Bennett, and Maggie Breen

2021: Michelle Gallen, A.M. Cousins, Catherine Prasifka, Réaltán Ní Leannáin, Lydia Searle, Hilary McCollum, and Michelle NicPháidín