Eoin McGee
Eoin has always loved numbers. And, inspired by Ellen O’Rourke, his business teacher at school, he went on to study the subject at college. After that he joined Irish Life – a company he had cause…
Louise Fein
Louise’s father was a lawyer who was prevented from practicing by Hitler. In England, as a refugee, he started a family business. “He never talked about the experience,” says Louise. “But he refused to speak German…
Tamsin Calidas
Tamsin has always been drawn to the arts. “As a child I expressed myself in art and music – it was an escape from a difficult childhood. I loved words. One of my first memories was…
Dara McAnulty
Dara has always been passionate about the natural world. “I remember, when I was very small, watching pigeons for hours. My interest developed from there.” At just 16, Dara has long been recognised for his knowledge…
Laura Imai Messina
As a child, Laura read Fairy Tales and books by the Bronte’s; “And my mother introduced us to the Famous Five and the Secret Seven by Enid Blyton. I loved them!” Laura kept a diary, and…
Kathleen MacMahon
Back in 2016, Kathleen MacMahon holidayed, as usual, with her family on the Costa Brava. Afterwards, whilst her husband flew home, she took a train to Antibes with their twin teenage daughters. She wanted to start…
Caragh Bell
Caragh Bell simply loves writing. She adores her characters – enjoys talking about them, and misses them when, having written, The End, she has to bid them farewell. But that comes as no surprise to the…
Susannah Dickie
A voracious reader, Susannah got her love of books from her grandmother; but as a child she wanted to be an artist with celebrity status. “I started writing prose poetry at university,” she says. “The poems…
Liadan Hynes.
Liadán has always wanted to write – English was her best subject, but being shy, she hated it when her work was read out in front of the class. She wanted to be a journalist, but…
Twelve Things I learned at the 2019 West Cork Literary Festival.
With the 2020 festival cancelled, I’m wishing I was in Bantry, and am remembering last year. Roll on July 2021! HERE ARE THE 12 THINGS I LEARNED: 1. John Boyne auditioned for Boyzone – and only…
Giles Dawnay
During university holidays Giles worked for an adventure company. He taught in Kenya, before setting up a division in Peru. He returned often, leading mountaineering expeditions. And after graduation, he worked in Ghana, then Fiji, as…
Niamh Campbell
At 7, Niamh asked for a real typewriter for Christmas. “I paid for my own ribbons and had to conserve ink. I’ve always known I’d be a writer, but it’s hard to write well. It took…