Author Archives for IWC_admin

“There is no art without stillness, and without reprieve from the constant demands of daily life.” Roe McDermott’s Writers Residency in Cill Rialaig

June 24, 2024 2:55 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

The Irish Writers Centre is delighted to announce its tenth consecutive year of residencies with Cill Rialaig. This residency is an opportunity to escape your day-to-day life and spend 10 days writing in Cill Rialaig, locally known as “the edge of the world.”  Read below a testimonial from Roe McDermott, last year’s Cill Rialaig residency awardee.  This year [2023] I was awarded the immense privilege of getting to stay in Cill Rialaig; itself a creation of imagination, resistance and commitment to art by the inimitable Dr. Noelle Campbell-Sharp whose lifelong commitment to supporting the arts is an inspiration. Saving the remains of a former famine village and rebuilding it as a protected artists retreat is an extraordinary example of community building and creation that we should all aspire to. I went down to Cill Rialaig with the intention of returning... Read Moreread more.


Support Scheme Awardees 2024

June 19, 2024 5:22 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

The Irish Writers Centre is pleased to announce the awardees of the support schemes for writers living on the island of Ireland, made possible with support from the Arts Council of Ireland, Dublin City Council and Foras na Gaeilge. This year we offered: Associate Membership Support Scheme for writers living in the Dublin City Council area, from backgrounds that are typically underrepresented in the arts in Ireland 15 Course Bursaries for writers living on the island of Ireland, made possible with support from the Arts Council of Ireland. Awardees receive a course credit worth €165 towards a course at the IWC. Course Bursaries for LGBTQIA+ writers living on the island of Ireland, as part of the Pride Month celebrations. These were made possible with support from the Arts Council of Ireland. Awardees receive a course credit worth €165 towards a... Read Moreread more.


Our Young Writer Delegates look back on Belfast Book Festival 2024

June 18, 2024 3:54 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Last month, writers and book-lovers from far and wide travelled to Belfast for Belfast Book Festival 2024. From 6-10 June, attendees were treated to a week full of readings, conversations, poetry slams, which showcased new voices, diverse writing, Irish and international writing talent. Among the attendees were our IWC/Belfast Book Festival Young Writer Delegates, Jasmin Awoodun, Mary Dunne, Finn Dunne Leavy and Cara Leahy. As part of the festival, our Young Writer Delegates took part in their very own showcase event where they got the chance to perform some of their work, developed with their local writer-mentor Deirdre Cartmill, to a packed audience in The Crescent Arts Centre. Each year, the delegates attend events of their choice and write a review of their experience; here are the reviews our delegates wrote up for #BBF2024!   Late Night Art: Our Queer Lives... Read Moreread more.


Announcing the 2024 Irish Writers Centre Foundation Programme Participants

June 19, 2024 1:55 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

We are delighted to announce the six writers selected to participate in the 2024 Irish Writers Centre Foundation Programme, in association with the Dublin Book Festival. The programme, now in its third year, aims to support Dublin-based emerging writers who are from backgrounds typically underrepresented in literature in Ireland. The six writers awardees are Aoife Horan, Declan Jones, Clíona Malin, Catriona Murphy, Ifunanya Ogochukwu and Khaled Sultan.  As part of the Foundation Programme, the six awardees will receive a series of training and development supports, including one-on-one mentoring with award winning writer and poet Colm Keegan, writing workshops, an IWC creative writing course and more. Alongside these supports, the writers will also perform their new writing at Dublin Book festival. Read about the six awardees below: Aoife Horan Declan Jones Clíona Malin Catriona Murphy Ifunanya Ogochukwu Khaled Sultan Aoife Horan... Read Moreread more.


Announcing the Awardees for the Lamplight International Residency Programme 2024

June 17, 2024 3:38 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

We are delighted to announce the eight Lamplight International Residency Programme awardees, co-presented by the Irish Writers Centre and Varuna, The National Writers’ House, Australia. The four writers living in Ireland  are Mia Döring, June O’Sullivan, Seán Mackel and Helen Blackhurst and the four writers living in Australia are Jacinta Halloran,  Brooke Dunnell, Bernadette Jiwa and Dr Amanda Curtin. The Lamplight International Residency Programme is a two-week online residency opportunity for fiction writers to enjoy the combined warmth and support of Varuna and the Irish Writers Centre. The aim of this residency opportunity is for participating writers to build international connections, meet and receive feedback from other writers, as well as allocate time to focus and develop their craft. Each of our chosen writers will partake in one-to-one writer consultations with Mary Anne Butler and Conor Kostick to talk about... Read Moreread more.


39 writers have been selected for the Irish Writers Centre National Mentoring Programme 2024

June 12, 2024 11:39 am Published by Leave your thoughts

Following a national call out, writers from across the island of Ireland have been awarded places on the Irish Writers Centre National Mentoring Programme 2024.  39 writers, from a total of 416 applicants, will receive literary mentoring over the next eight months from an acclaimed Irish writer of their choice. The Irish Writers Centre supports a vibrant and diverse community of writers to develop their craft and confidence to thrive as a writer in the world. Each mentor reads up to 10,000 words / 180 lines of poetry of the awarded mentee’s writing in advance of all four meetings, sharing their kind and critical feedback with the mentee at each meeting. Mentors also provide broad professional advice, sharing the benefit of their years of experience. “A mentoring relationship is a special one.” – Orla Mackey, 2023 mentee Orla Mackey is... Read Moreread more.


Opportunities and Competitions May / June 2024

May 29, 2024 7:14 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Photo description: In 2024 we are spotlighting all the amazing independent bookshops and booksellers in Ireland simply because we love them and we think you should too! Just around the corner from the Irish Writers Centre on Parnell Square is the renowned Chapters Bookstore located on Parnell Street. Scroll down to find out more about this iconic Dublin bookstore and on your next sunny Sunday morning in Dublin why not pay them a visit! Each month we update our Competitions, Submissions & Opportunities webpage, along with our Bursaries & Funding, to ensure that we are connecting our writers with the best upcoming opportunities. There are some wonderful opportunities coming up over the next few days so we have an extra blog to bring us into June: Submissions:   Sonder Deadline: 31 May, 2024 Sonder is all about bringing different perspectives together. Everyone is wildly... Read Moreread more.


Announcing our 2024 IWC/Belfast Book Festival Young Writer Delegates

May 15, 2024 12:05 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

We’re delighted to announce the 2024 Young Writer Delegates who will attend and contribute to Belfast Book Festival from 6-10 June. The delegates will be mentored by local writer Deirdre Cartmill and perform readings at a public showcase at the festival. The four awardees are Jasmin Awoodun, Mary Dunne, Finn Dunne Leavy and Cara Leahy. Meet the delegates at their festival showcase in the Crescent Arts Centre on Saturday, 8 June 2024 at 4.00pm (pay what you decide). Now in its seventh year, the IWC Young Writer Delegates Programme gives young writers an opportunity to immerse themselves in a literature 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 Belfast Book Festival social media channels. The full Belfast Book Festival... Read Moreread more.


Our Young Writer Delegates look back on Cúirt 2024

May 8, 2024 12:14 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Last month, writers, readers and book-lovers from far and wide travelled to Galway for the Cúirt International Festival of Literature 2024. From 23-28 April, attendees were treated to a week full of readings, conversations, film screenings, walking tours, events and special guests, which showcased new voices, diverse writing, Irish and international writing talent. Among the attendees were our IWC/Cúirt Young Writer Delegates, Ciara Broderick, S.J. Delaney, Mars Duignan, Queen Madunwe and Emma Quin. As part of the festival our Young Writer Delegates took part in their very own showcase event where they got the chance to perform some of their work to a packed audience in The Hardiman. Their local writer-mentor Alan McMonagle was in attendance along with last year’s IWC Cúirt Young Writer Delegates who turned up to show their support as well! Each year, the delegates attend events... Read Moreread more.


“Be confident in your voice – and have a banging synopsis”: Past Novel Fair Participants Discuss What Makes a Winning Manuscript

May 2, 2024 9:03 am Published by Leave your thoughts

Last Wednesday, the Irish Writers Centre was delighted to host an online panel discussion celebrating the launch of the 2025 IWC Novel Fair. Chaired by IWC Programming Officer Betty Stenson, Betty spoke with writer and Novel Fair winner Olivia Fitzsimons, gorse-editor and 2024 Novel Fair-judge Susan Tomaselli, and literary agent Conor Nagle. Watch the recording now to hear the participants talk all things Novel Fair, offer their advice, and fill the viewers in on what qualities they think makes for a winning manuscript. The Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair, now entering its thirteenth year, is an international literary competition that culminates in a two-day event each spring. Here, first-time novelists are given the opportunity to pitch their work to agents and publishers in the hope of securing a home for their manuscript. Each year, submissions open throughout the month of September. Tips for writers... Read Moreread more.


Opportunities and Competitions May 2024

May 1, 2024 1:30 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Photo credit: In 2024 we are spotlighting all the amazing independent bookshops and booksellers in Ireland simply because we love them and we think you should too! We’ve just come back from Cúirt International Festival of Literature where we took a little detour to the much loved Galway-based institution Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop. Scroll down to look around this dream of a bookshop and find out a little bit more about them. And, as always, if you’re ever in or around Galway, be sure to pay them a visit! Each month we update our Competitions, Submissions & Opportunities webpage, along with our Bursaries & Funding, to ensure that we are connecting our writers with the best upcoming opportunities. Here are a few deadlines we want to highlight this May: Submissions: gorse Deadline: 3 May, 2024 gorse are interested in the potential of literature, in literature where... Read Moreread more.


Apply now: Support Schemes for writers 2024

April 10, 2024 4:39 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

The Irish Writers Centre is pleased to announce a new round of support schemes for writers living on the island of Ireland, made possible with support from the Arts Council of Ireland, Dublin City Council and Foras na Gaeilge. This year, we have course bursaries and subsidised associate memberships available. These schemes aim to create access to Irish Writers Centre supports by subsidising costs to individuals who may not otherwise be able to afford them. Applicants can apply for multiple support schemes as long as they are eligible under each individual scheme.  The supports we have on offer are: Associate Membership Support Scheme 2024 Course Bursaries 2024 Course Bursaries for LGBTQIA+ Writers 2024 Sparánachtaí Cúrsaí do Scríbhneoirí Gaeilge 2024 See below for full details.  Associate Membership Support Scheme 2024 With support from Dublin City Council, we are delighted to offer 20... Read Moreread more.


Opportunities and Competitions April 2024

April 2, 2024 3:34 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Photo credit: In 2024 we are spotlighting all the amazing independent bookshops and booksellers in Ireland simply because we love them and we think you should too! To mark International Children’s Book Day (Also Hans Christian Andersen’s Birthday) we are celebrating one of the only dedicated children’s bookshops in Ireland (And definitely one of the finest!) Halfway Up the Stairs. Scroll down to look around this dream of a bookshop and find out a little bit more about them. And, as always, if you’re ever in or around Greystones make sure and pay them a visit! Each month we update our Competitions, Submissions & Opportunities webpage, along with our Bursaries & Funding, to ensure that we are connecting our writers with the best upcoming opportunities. Here are a few deadlines we want to highlight this April. Submissions: Ormond Art Studio’s Zine... Read Moreread more.


“There’s no better showcase than a live one to really hear a writer’s actual voice”: The Northern Soul Roadshow Showcase (The Linen Hall, Belfast)

March 27, 2024 4:39 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Last Friday marked the finale of Northern Soul Roadshow 2024! After a 6-week online programme where the 20 selected writers met and learnt from a panel of writers from the north, the programme concluded with an in-person showcase at the Linen Hall, Belfast. Curated by writer-facilitator Fiona O’Rourke, this event featured special guest author Anna Burns and showcased the new work from writers who took part in Northern Soul Roadshow 2024. Thank you Linen Hall for hosting this incredible public showcase! We had a wonderful time hearing snippets of the programme participants’ writing. It was also a real treat to hear work-in progress from author Anna Burns. Anna also gave some words of inspiration to the writers, and described the joy of working with your imagination in those early stages of the writing process… ‘entering infinity when you’re dealing with the invisible.’... Read Moreread more.