Who We Are

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.

Breda Brown

Appointed May 2021, elected Chairperson August 2021

Breda Brown, Co-founder of Unique Media, was appointed Chair in October 2021. A trusted strategic communications advisor and former journalist, she is a passionate advocate for literature. She is well known for her work with the An Post Irish Book Awards, her ‘Inside Books’ podcast and her Sunday Independent crime fiction reviews.

Anne Fleck-Byrne

Appointed April 2025, elected Vice Chairperson July 2025

Anne Fleck-Byrne is a Chartered Director with over 30 years’ senior leadership experience across healthcare, aviation and the voluntary sector. A former Managing Director and co-founder of Drakelands Nursing Home Ltd, Anne has served in multiple non-executive roles, including on the board of Nursing Homes Ireland. An active supporter of the arts, she contributes to literary and film festivals and champions emerging talent through fundraising initiatives.

Maria Dickenson

Appointed April 2025, elected Secretary July 2025

Maria Dickenson has dedicated her 30-year career to the Irish book trade. Most recently Managing Director of Dubray and previously headed up book buying at Eason, Maria brings exceptional industry knowledge and a strong network. She serves on the board of the Irish Book Awards and has held several senior voluntary positions with the Booksellers Association of UK and Ireland.

Brian McEnery

Appointed June 2025, elected Treasurer June 2025

Brian McEnery is Managing Partner at BDO Ireland, with leadership experience in corporate finance, restructuring, and healthcare. In addition, he has also held a number of key positions including Worldwide President of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chair of HIQA and Board Member & Chair of the Audit Committee of NAMA.

Patrick Barrett

Appointed April 2025

Patrick Barrett is a practising barrister with a strong focus on governance, regulatory compliance, and public service. A graduate of King’s Inns and University College Cork, Patrick has a broad legal practice and volunteers with FLAC. He has authored a number of legal publications and brings sharp analytical insight and legal clarity to board-level decision-making.

Helen Connealy

Appointed April 2025

Helen Connealy is a seasoned CEO who has led numerous not-for-profit organisations through transformational change. Currently completing a Masters in Creative Writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University Belfast, she is also a leadership coach and accredited Strengths Profiler. Helen is passionate about literature, philanthropy and creating social impact.

Gráinne Daly

Appointed June 2025

Dr Gráinne Daly is a creative writing scholar and published writer, with a PhD in Creative Writing. She offers an academic and literary perspective, with particular expertise in sport in literature, as well as experience of teaching at university level. She is a recipient of the Maeve Binchy Travel Award.

Áine Denn

Appointed April 2021

Áine Denn is an experienced non-executive director and advisor with a strong background in scaling businesses. She previously co-founded Altify, a global B2B SaaS company that delivered innovative sales technology, which was acquired by Upland Software in 2019. Áine now mentors and advises a range of businesses and is known for her active support of entrepreneurship. As well as serving on the Board of the Irish Writers Centre, where she is Chair of the Governance Sub-Committee, Áine also serves on the board of Technology Ireland and is an advisor to the IMRO Technology Committee.

Rosemary Hennigan

Appointed August 2024

Rosemary Hennigan is an author and solicitor based in Dublin. Her debut novel The Truth Will Out was longlisted for the CWA John Creasy Dagger Award 2023. Her second novel The Favourite was published last year (published in North America as The Favorites). A Fulbright Scholar and graduate of Trinity College Dublin and the University of Pennsylvania, Rosemary works in the NGO sector, specialising in asylum, refugee rights, and housing policy.

Brendan McDonald

Appointed April 2025

Brendan McDonald is Vice President of Engineering & Green Economy with IDA Ireland, based in Paris. With a legal background and extensive experience in foreign direct investment and regional development, Brendan brings an international perspective and strategic vision to the Centre. He is also the author of four children’s titles and is currently writing a novel for adults.