Sue Divin
Sue wrote poetry as a teenager, and considered journalism, but instead studied European Studies. After taking an MA, she taught in secondary schools in Derry for seven years. “I loved teaching teenagers, but I…
John Patrick McHugh
John Patrick moved a lot as a young child, living in Tipperary, Mitchellstown, Mallow and Macroom before settling in Galway aged 12. “Achill was my concrete place,” he says, remembering time spent there with his grandparents….
Ericka Waller
An avid reader, Ericka devoured books from the library. “If I didn’t like the ending of a book, I would rewrite it,” she says. “I was good at rhyming poetry, and I wrote songs for…
Catherine Talbot
Catherine is a lifelong prolific reader. “As a child, I loved libraries, and I was always interested in the lives of writers.” After school Catherine started a marketing course, but disliking it, began working in the…
Trish Kearney
After school, Trish became a nurse – working for five years after she qualified. “I went to Australia, and when I came home I got married. The following year I had my first daughter and stayed…
Laura McKenna
An avid reader, Laura loved poetry as a child. “I was always writing, and I entered a few competitions,” she says. Early in her career as a doctor, Laura worked in a Dublin drug treatment centre….
Charlotte McConaghy
As a child, Charlotte lived in 21 different houses – moving constantly, around Australia. “Reading became my anchor. My mum suggested I should write a book. I started at 14, and three years later the book…
Kerri Ni Dochartaigh.
Kerri started writing a journal, aged 5, and she has been writing one ever since. After a trauma filled childhood in Derry, (Kerri’s family was burnt out, then hounded out,) followed by University in Dublin, Kerri…
Sharon Dempsey
Sharon started her writing career in journalism. “I took an MA in London, then I Moved to Cardiff, stayed for 10 years, and had my first two children.” She freelanced in journalism and also in PR….
Una Mannion
Although Una has always been a prolific reader, it wasn’t until she was an adult that she felt a hunger to write. “That came at 20,” she says. “But I took another 20 years to actually…
Allie Reynolds
An outdoor child, Allie started snowboarding when she was 20. “I went to a dry slope.” Afterwards university, Allie took a TEFAL course in Barcelona. “I went to Andorra to snowboard every weekend, and I spent…
Rachel Ryan
Rachel has always wanted to be a novelist. She wrote her first book, running to 16 chapters, when she was at primary school. “I was always into imaginary worlds,” she says. After University, Rachel hopped from…