06 March, 2026
Announcing our 2026 Young Writer Delegates at Cúirt
We’re delighted to announce the five Irish Writers Centre Young Writer Delegates who will attend and contribute to Cúirt International Festival of Literature from 21-26 April. The delegates will be mentored by local writer Alan McMonagle and perform readings at a festival showcase as part of this year’s programme (free entry). The five awardees are Liam Carton, Luke Condon, Eddie Critchley, Shauna Murphy and Val.
Now in its eighth year, the Irish Writers Centre’s Young Writer Delegates Programme gives young writers an opportunity to immerse themselves in a literary festival and to contribute to it as active participants. You can keep up with the Young Writer Delegates on their Instagram page, and through the Irish Writers Centre and Cúirt’s social media channels. The programme is in partnership with Cúirt International Festival of Literature. The Irish Writers Centre is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.
Meet the delegates:
Liam Carton is a Galway writer prone to the speculative and surreal in fiction, to the sociable in poetry, and to daydreaming in perpetuity. His work has been published in All World’s Wayfarer and Crannog Magazine. He can be found on Instagram @liamcartonwrites.
Luke Condon (he/him) is a 24-year-old writer from Cork, Ireland. He is a graduate of the M.Phil in Creative Writing programme at Trinity College Dublin. His fiction work has appeared in The Icarus Writing Collective, Nomadology, and This is what it’s like to be in love with life.
Eddie Critchley is a graduate of English and Creative Writing (BA) from University of Galway. He works mainly in the short story form, drawing inspiration from writers such as Kevin Barry, Edna O’Brien and Flann O’Brien. His work was nominated for the SMEDIAS short story of the year in 2025.
Shauna Murphy is a twenty-three year old lady from Cork. Living in Galway for the past five years, Murphy is a second-year student of Creative Writing at the University of Galway and works in the city centre.
Val is a writer from Meath pursuing her undergraduate degree in English and Political communications at UCD. Interested in a variety of literary genres, her writing draws from both personally reflective and fictional narratives. Val’s work spans across fiction and creative nonfiction to explore themes of human identity.
The Writer/Mentor
Alan McMonagle
Alan has written for radio and published two collections of short stories (Psychotic Episodes and Liar Liar). Ithaca, his first novel, was published by Picador in 2017, and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Award for first novels, the Dublin Literary Award, and shortlisted for an Irish Book Award. His second novel, Laura Cassidy’s Walk Of Fame, was published in 2020. He lives in Galway.
