Who We Are
Ár Foireann
Our Team
Paul Fitzgerald
Maintenance
Our Patron & Ambassadors
President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins has been patron of the Irish Writers Centre since 2016. Our Ambassadors are all key figures in Irish literature selected across a range of disciplines to help us in furthering the aims and ambitions of the Irish Writers Centre both at home and abroad.
Michael D. Higgins
Patron of the Irish Writers Centre
Since 2016, President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, has been a Patron of the Irish Writers Centre. The President visited the Centre on 13 January 2016, marking what was a memorable inaugural event in our 25th anniversary celebration year. Higgins is an Irish politician, poet, broadcaster and sociologist who has been serving as the ninth president of Ireland since 2011.
John Banville
William John Banville was born in Wexford, Ireland. After college John worked as a clerk for Ireland’s national airline, Aer Lingus, before joining The Irish Press as a sub-editor in 1969. Continuing with journalism for over thirty years, John was Literary Editor at The Irish Times from 1988 to 1999. He is the author of twenty novels, including The Book of Evidence, The Sea, winner of the 2005 Man Booker Prize. In 2011 he was awarded the Franz Kafka Prize. In 2013, John was awarded the Irish Pen Award for Outstanding Achievement in Irish Literature. Most recently, John has written the bestselling crime novels, Snow and April in Spain – both of which were shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger – and The Lock-Up.
Anne Enright
Anne Enright has published novels, short stories, essays, and one non-fiction book. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, her novel The Gathering won the 2007 Man Booker Prize. She has also won the 1991 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, the 2001 Encore Award and the 2008 Irish Novel of the Year. Anne Enright is the first Laureate for Irish Fiction, a post she currently holds. Anne’s writing explores themes such as family relationships, love and sex, Ireland’s difficult past and its modern zeitgeist. Her latest novel, The Wren, The Wren was published in 2023.
Mike McCormack
Mike McCormack is an award-winning novelist and short story writer from Mayo. He is the author of two collections of short stories Getting it in the Head and Forensic Songs, and four novels Crowe’s Requiem, Notes from a Coma, Solar Bones and This Plague of Souls. In 1996 he was awarded the Rooney Prize for Literature and Getting it in the Head was chosen as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. In 2006 Notes from a Coma was shortlisted for the Irish Book of the Year Award. In 2016 Solar Bones was awarded the Goldsmiths Prize and the Bord Gais Energy Irish Novel of the Year and Book of the Year; it was also long-listed for the 2017 Man Booker Prize. In 2018 it was awarded the International Dublin Literary Award. He is a member of Aosdána.
Marian Keyes
Marian Keyes was born in Limerick in 1963, and brought up in Cavan, Cork, Galway and Dublin; she spent her twenties in London, but is now living in Dún Laoghaire. She is the multi-million copy, internationally bestselling author of some of the most widely loved, genre-defying novels of the past thirty years – such as Rachel’s Holiday, Anybody Out There and Grown Ups. In addition to her fifteen previous novels, Marian has also written three collections of journalism, and co-hosts the popular show Now You’re Asking with actress Tara Flynn for BBC Radio 4.
Éilís Ní Dhuibhne
Éilís Ní Dhuibhne Almqvist is a novelist, critic and folklore scholar. Her publications include Midwife to the Fairies, The Inland Ice, and The Pale Gold of Alaska and The Shelterof Neighbours. Among her novels are Cailíni Beaga Ghleann na mBlath, Hurlamaboc, Dunamharu sa Daingean, The Dancers Dancing, and Fox, Swallow Scarecrow, and several scholarly articles on folkloristic topics. Numerous literary awards include The Bisto Book of the Year Award, the Readers’ Association of Ireland Award, the Stewart Parker Award for Drama, the Butler award for Prose from the Irish American Cultural Institute and several Oireachtas awards for novels in Irish. The Dancers Dancing was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction and she was awarded the Irish Pen Award for an Outstanding Contribution to Irish Literature in 2015. Her stories are widely anthologized and translated. Eilis’s most recent books are Selected Stories (Blackstaff, 2023) and Fáinne Geal an Lae (Cló Iar Chonnacht 2023) Éilís is a member of Aosdana and the President of The Folklore of Ireland Society.
Joseph O’Connor
Joseph O’Connor was born in Dublin. He is the author of ten novels, including Cowboys and Indians (short-listed for the Whitbread Prize), The Thrill of it All, Shadow Play, Star of the Sea, and My Father’s House, as well as two collections of short stories, True Believers and Where Have You Been? In 2009 he was the Harman Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Baruch College, City University of New York. In December 2011, he received an honorary Doctorate in Literature from University College Dublin. He received the Irish PEN Award for Outstanding Contribution to Irish Literature in 2012. In 2014 he was appointed Frank McCourt Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Limerick. His latest novel is My Father’s House, published in 2023.
Ciara Ní É
Ciara Ní É is the founder of REIC, a monthly bilingual spoken word and open mic night that features poetry, music, storytelling and rap. As a writer and broadcaster, she has performed her work in Ireland and internationally. She was chosen as one of the Irish Examiner’s ‘100 Women Changing Ireland in 2022’. She was Artist in Residence UCD School of Irish, Celtic Studies & Folklore 2023, the Dublin Fringe Festival in 2022, and DCU in 2020. Her work has been published in the recent anthologies Bone and Marrow/Cnámh agus Smior, Queering the Green and Washing Windows Too, in various journals, and video poems can be found on her YouTube. She is a co-founder of the LGBTQ+ arts collective AerachAiteachGaelach and she has just finished directing her first short film.
Ár mBord
Our Board
The Irish Writers Centre is governed by a voluntary board of Directors. Our board members receive no payments and serve a maximum of two three-year terms.
Breda Brown
Appointed May 2021, elected Chairperson August 2021
Breda Brown is Co founder and Communications Director of Unique Media, a consultancy which provides strategic cross platform communications solutions to clients across a range of sectors. Services include PR, Public Affairs, Media Training, Podcast & Video Production, Digital & Social Media and Event Management. Breda’s work extends to clients such as the An Post Irish Book Awards, where, over the past 15 years, her strategic planning, PR, digital and event management expertise has helped turn the initiative into one of the most significant events in the Irish literary calendar. An absolute book lover, Breda reviews crime novels for the Sunday Independent and also presents the Inside Books podcast. In each episode, she chats to people associated with the world of books – including well-known authors, publishers, editors, agents, critics, booksellers and more. Breda holds an MA in Journalism and BA in Communication Studies, both from Dublin City University.
Susanne Dirks
Appointed April 2019, elected Vice Chairperson April 2021
Susanne Dirks, a native German who relocated to Ireland in 1993, is an international business consultant with over 30 years of experience in translation, localisation, IT, digital marketing, and artificial intelligence. After two decades working with leading technology multinationals across Europe, she founded her own consultancy business , GLOCAFY, in 2013. GLOCAFY specialises in helping export-oriented companies develop strategies for international web presence, offering services such as website localisation, translation and transcreation, international SEO, and digital marketing strategy and implementation for global markets.
Susanne is a certified translator (Staatlich geprüfte Übersetzerin, Erlangen, 1989) with a passion for literature and language. She also holds an MSc in Knowledge-Based Systems (University of Edinburgh, 1993) and a First Class BSc (Hons) in Information Technology (Middlesex University, London, 1992). She has been a board member of the Irish Writers Centre since 2018.
Rosemary Hennigan
Appointed August 2024
Rosemary Hennigan is a writer living in Dublin. She studied law at Trinity College and the University of Pennsylvania, which she attended as a Fulbright Scholar. A qualified solicitor, Rosemary works in the NGO sector where he has specialised in the area of asylum, homelessness, and housing policy. Her first book The Truth Will Out (Orion Fiction) was longlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger award 2023. Her second book The Favorites (Graydon House) was published in North America in November 2023. It was published as The Favourite (Orion Fiction) in Ireland/UK in January 2024.
Lissa Oliver
Appointed April 2024, elected Treasurer 2024
Lissa Oliver is an award-winning journalist specialising in the field of welfare for the horseracing industry, for both equine and participant health and well-being, her works published by the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association and Irish Racehorse Trainers Association, among others. She is also a novelist, her first published novel, Nero: The Last Caesar, based on first century factual biographies of the Roman emperor Nero. She has four horseracing-themed thrillers published by Maverick House, Chantilly Dawns, a No.1 Bestseller on Amazon in March 2019, Grey Motive, Sainte Bastien and the Silver Dagger nominee Gala Day. As well as being a former Chair of the Irish Writers Union, she is on the Board of the Irish Copyright Licensing Agency and is an ETB tutor in creative writing and transformative community education. Lissa is an Irish Writers’ Union nominee to the Irish Writers Centre Board.
Dermot Davis
Appointed April 2019
Dermot Davis is an award-winning author, screenwriter and playwright. His creative output encompasses varied genres and styles with a special focus on human themes and characters transformed by life experience. His published work includes the satirical novel, Brain: The Man Who Wrote the Book That Changed the World which received a Gold Medal in the Reader’s Favorite International Book Award, and was first place winner in the Somerset Awards and the USA Best Book Awards. A recipient of the O.Z Whitehead Playwriting Award, his plays have been produced at Theatre Banshee, Burbank, the Celtic Arts Center, Hollywood and Playwright’s Platform, Boston. As a founding member of Laughing Gravy Theatre he toured the east coast of the US. Laughing Gravy were subsequently invited as a resident theatre group at the prestigious Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Charleston, SC. Dermot is an Irish Writers Centre Members’ nominee to the IWC Board.
Áine Denn
Appointed April 2021
Áine Denn is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in the technology sector, having worked in both the corporate and startup worlds. In 2005, she co-founded Altify (now Upland Altify), a global B2B SaaS company that delivered innovative sales technology. Áine’s Altify journey ended on a high note with the acquisition of Altify by Upland Software (UPLD) at the end of 2019. Today, as a Non-executive Director, mentor, and advisor to businesses in Ireland and the UK, Áine is committed to helping others succeed. She is a credentialed coach and holds a Dip IoD. Áine is a board member of Technology Ireland and the Irish Writers Centre and an advisor to the IMRO Technology Committee. Áine actively supports entrepreneurship as a lead entrepreneur for Going For Growth, an Enterprise Ireland HPSU Founders Forum facilitator, and an Entrepreneur in Residence for the Dogpatch Labs Founders Talent Accelerator. Áine is an avid reader and an enthusiastic Leinster and Ireland rugby supporter.
Tadhg Dorgan
Appointed April 2022
Tadhg Dorgan is a practising barrister, based at the Four Courts Dublin, a native of Mallow Co. Cork, he holds qualifications in law from University College Cork, The Honourable Society of the Kings Inns and Harvard University. After being Called to the Bar he took up practice at the Law Library, where he practices in the area of civil litigation. He has also been called to the Bar of of Northern Ireland, and the Bar of England & Wales (Middle Temple). A co-author of the legal text Damages published by Roundhall which is in its second edition. He is a member of the Council of Kings Inns, Education Committee and Appeals Board.
Emma Gorman
Appointed December 2019
Emma Gorman is Publicity and Brand Partnerships Manager at Tourism Ireland, with responsibility for a wide range of areas, including Publicity strategy across all Tourism Ireland’s international markets, influencer marketing, screen tourism, promotion of festivals, as well as cross-market brand partnerships. She has over 20 years experience in the Tourism Industry, marketing Ireland as a holiday destination overseas. She spent 7 years working for Bord Failte and later Tourism Ireland in Germany in PR and consumer marketing roles, before returning to Dublin to take up a PR role at Tourism Ireland and acting as the lead liaison with Failte Ireland, the Northern Irish Tourist Board and the tourism industry on publicity programmes. She later moved into the digital space, developing and managing Tourism Ireland’s digital and social strategy, search engine marketing, paid content seeding and digital campaigns. Emma has a keen interest in the arts & literature, and has worked with many of Ireland’s arts festivals & associations in her Tourism Ireland roles. For Emma, storytelling is core to the Irish sense of identity & indeed how we are perceived by others. She graduated from Trinity, with a BA in French and German. She later did an MBA with the Open University and a Diploma in Digital Marketing with the Digital Marketing Institute.
Tristan Rosenstock
Appointed April 2022
Tristan Rosenstock works with RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta as a broadcaster and producer where he hosts the station’s flagship arts series An Cúinne Dána. His children’s book Inis Mara was selected for World Book Day 2024 and Inis Mara 2 will be published by LeabhairComhar in autumn 2024. Since 2017 he has been literary editor of the monthly magazine Comhar. Tristan is co-editor along with Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh of Inside Innti: A new Wave in Irish Poetry, published by Cork University Press in 2023. As a musician with traditional group Téada, he has toured all over the world and released 6 albums on the Gael Linn label.
