Annaghmakerrig Residencies 2026

The Irish Writers Centre is delighted to announce six new residencies at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Annaghmakerrig, Newbliss, County Monaghan. Submittable will open for applications on 5pm, Tuesday 12 May until 5pm, Friday 29 May.

We are offering six writers a one-week stay at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre (TGC) in August/ September 2026. Five of these residencies are created and funded by the Irish Writers Centre (IWC) in partnership with the Tyrone Guthrie Centre (TGC).

Make A Difference

This year’s additional sixth place on the residency has been made possible by an anonymous donor and is designed to give the opportunity to one fiction writer, with limited funds and/or time, the benefit of a 7 night stay at the Centre. This will be awarded to the Make a Difference recipient.

In keeping with the Irish Writers Centre’s 2022-2026 Strategy, this scheme seeks to create new opportunities, grant access and develop networks that connect writers to each other. This programme directly correlates with the objectives of Strategy Goal 2, which is to enhance opportunities for people across all communities to explore and participate in creative writing, as well as Strategy Goal 3, which is to cultivate an engaged community of writers and strategic alliances that support our ambitions. support writers to advance their craft and career with confidence and resilience.

About the Annaghmakerrig Residencies

The six selected writers will spend seven nights, all-inclusive, from Monday 31 August 2026 to Monday 7 September 2026 at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, in County Monaghan. Check out will be on Monday 7 September 2026 by 11am.

The aim of the residency is to provide an opportunity for writers to spend time working on their projects without the stress of everyday life. There will also be an opportunity to build a network and community with the other writers on the residency.

Each writer will be allocated one room in the main house where breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided. We will ask you to specify in advance if you have dietary requirements.

The six writers will be asked to meet up at least once during their stay, to share their experiences with each other and, at the end of the residency, on the afternoon of Sunday, 6 September 2026, the writers will have the opportunity to share a piece of their work (either a new piece of work or previously completed piece) at a small event, with invited members of the Irish Writers Centre, the Tyrone Guthrie Centre and fellow artists staying in the house who will also be invited to perform.

For information about the facilities on offer, please visit Tyrone Guthrie Centre’s website: https://www.tyroneguthrie.ie/facilities.

Who is it for?

This is an open call for all writers, over 18 years of age and resident on the island of Ireland.

Accepted forms of writing:

• Fiction
• Non-fiction
• Children’s/ Young Adult Fiction
• Poetry

Writers of both English and Irish language are welcome to apply.

We encourage writers from backgrounds that are typically underrepresented in Irish literature to apply. We particularly invite applications from people who are D/deaf, disabled, LGBTQIA+, Minority Ethnic, Black & Persons of Colour, Roma, a member of the Travelling Community, and from working class backgrounds.

All applicants will be notified about the outcome of their application. Due to the volume of applicants, we are not able to give individual feedback to applicants. This policy extends across all our calls in the interests of equity and transparency, and because, as a small team, we don’t have the capacity to give individual responses.

Make a Difference Recipient

This single place on the residency, funded by an anonymous donor, will be awarded to a writer who normally would not have the finances or time to avail of a week residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre.

They should be a fiction writer, but they do not have to have been published previously. They will have an additional statement to complete as part of the application process detailed below.

How to apply

Submittable will open for applications from 5pm, 12 May until 5pm, Friday 29 May. If you are interested in applying, please upload the following (in one single document) to Submittable:

1. A cover letter (max. one A4 page) including personal details, a statement of artistic intent, outlining the project you will focus on during the residency.

2. A Writer’s CV (max. two A4 pages). See our guide to a Writer’s CV here.

3. Clearly labelled samples of work, two samples of prose, no more than 500 words each or 2 poems, consisting of one finished piece (this does not have to be published, just considered finished by the writer) and one work-in-progress piece to give an idea of what you will focus on during the residency.

Note: All of the above should be contained in one single Word doc or PDF attachment. (Incorrect collation may result in ineligibility.)

1. *Only to be completed if applying for the Make a Difference place: a 100 word statement on why you are eligible to be this year’s Make a Difference recipient and how the residency will make a difference to your writing.

Note: Upload your Make a Difference statement in a separate doc or PDF attachment.

You can make your application via Submittable here.

What is Submittable? 

Submittable is an online platform that the Irish Writers Centre uses to collect and review submissions and applications. To submit your application via Submittable, applicants will need to create a Submittable account.

Applications will be acknowledged via an automatic email. If you don’t receive a confirmation of receipt, please contact us (damien@irishwriterscentre.ie) to check if your application has gone through.

Selection process

Applications will be reviewed by an external judging panel for eligibility, expression of intent, quality of writing samples provided, and, if applicable, on their statement of eligibility for the Make a Difference place.

Selection will be made respecting the priority groupings described in the ‘Who Can Apply’ section above.