Cill Rialaig Residencies 2025

The Irish Writers Centre is delighted to announce its eleventh consecutive year of residencies with Cill Rialaig.

In keeping with Goal 1 and 3 of the Irish Writers Centre’s 2022-2026 Strategy, this programme will support writers to advance their craft and career with confidence and resilience.

About the Residency

Seven writers will be awarded with a ten-day residency opportunity from 15-25 October 2025 (leaving on 25 October) 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.

In addition to their own work, we ask that the seven selected writers put aside approximately two hours at the start and at the end of the residency to meet and discuss a programming or development idea that the Irish Writers Centre might undertake in the future.

Selected writers are also asked to provide a written testimonial of their time spent at the residency.

WRITER STUDIOS IN THE VILLAGE OF CILL RIALAIG, CO. KERRY

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 in English and Irish are welcome.

We particularly encourage applications from people who are D/deaf, LGBTQIA+,  Minority Ethnic, Black & Persons of Colour, Roma, a member of the Travelling Community, and from working class backgrounds.

Contact with the outside world is limited—there are no televisions here, only occasional internet coverage, and the phone signal is dodgy at times. This is truly more retreat than residency—a withdrawal from the joys, challenges, and distractions of daily life. A chance to imagine, to reflect, to write.

– Seána Talbot, Irish Writers Centre Cill Rialaig Residency 2024 awardee

When does it take place?

Wednesday 15 October 2025 until Friday 25 October 2025.

Selection Process

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

How to Apply

Applications should be submitted by email only to the attention of Emily O’Brien at projects@irishwriterscentre.ie with Application for Cill Rialaig 2025 in the subject line.

We will ask you to submit the following into one .PDF or .doc/.docx document:

• 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. See example for Writer’s CV here.
• Clearly labelled samples of recent work (up to two short samples of no more than 1000 words each or 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.  

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

Deadline for Applications

Wednesday 9 July 2025 at midnight.

No late applications will be considered. Applications will be acknowledged by email upon receipt. If you don’t receive a confirmation of receipt within one working day, please contact us to check if your application has gone through.

Due to the volume of applicants we are not in a position to give individual feedback to applicants, unless they have been interviewed, depending on the scheme.

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

Past recipients of the residency include:

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.

2020: Niamh Campbell, Úna-Minh Kavanagh, Lianne O’Hara, Damien Hasson, Justine Carbery, Oisín Kearney, and Carrie-Jade Williams

2019: Marie Breen-Smyth, Sheila Armstrong, June Caldwell, Charleen Hurtubise, Katherine Mezzacappa, Olivia Fitzsimons, and Emily Cooper.

2018: Brendan Mac Evilly, Dominique Cleary, Catherine Ann Cullen, Gerry Boland, Caelainn Hogan, Paula Cunningham and John Fox.

2017: Sue Leonard, Fiona O’Rourke, Breda Wall Ryan, Anna Heussaff, Moyra Donaldson, Aiden O’Reilly, Kelly Creighton.

2016: Louise C.Callaghan, Kate Kavanagh, Martin Malone, Dairena Ní Chinnéide, Nessa O’Mahony, Sydney Weinberg and Adam Wyeth.

2015:  Andrea Carter, Anthony Glavin, Catherine Dunne, Lia Mills, Louise Phillips, Maria McManus, Seán Hardie.