Gillies Macbain
Gillies Macbain lives in a castle in Tipperary – or at least in the tower of one, since Cranagh castle itself burnt down. He bought his first, crumbling pile – a mansion in County Monaghan when…
Beth Morrey
Beth has always wanted to write. Aged 5, she wrote a long story about Icarus. And though she tried to write during her twenties, she wasn’t ready. And besides she hadn’t the time. “After university, I…
Ronan Hession
Rónán discovered books when he read his way through the Intercert list. He wrote poetry, and articles for the school magazine, but from his mid-teens became immersed in music. “I released three albums as Mumblin’ Deaf…
Helen Cox
Helen has always wanted to write, but her parents encouraged her to study something more practical, so she settled on psychology, but followed it with an MA in Creative Writing. After college she moved to London…
Niall Williams
As a writer, Niall Williams doesn’t conform to the norm. Where most write several drafts, getting the words written, then getting them right, Niall completes his novels in one draft alone. He doesn’t have a special…
Vera Twomey
An only child who grew up on a farm, Vera loved the outdoors. “I was interested in camogie, and I’d read anything. I loved writing too, and had two short stories published when I was at…
Isabel Vincent
When Isabel Vincent’s friend Valerie asked her to look in on her father, Edward, and have dinner with him, she didn’t know what to expect. She knew the nonagenarian was depressed – that his wife had…
Úna-Minh Kavanagh
Úna-Minh was born creative. “I’ve always loved the radio, and I used to create my own plays and stories.” Brought up in an Irish heritage, Úna-Minh is passionate about the Irish language. Graduating from DCU, she…
Catherine Chung
Catherine always wanted to be a poet. But, with no creative writing programmes on offer at her university, she studied mathematics instead. “I fell in love with maths. It’s so poetic. But literature felt like my…
Maura McElhone
Eldest child of a journalist and a pharmacist, Maura loved the Arts at school. “We had a drama festival and a musical every year.” She took drama A ‘level and played the fiddle in a traditional…
Stacey Halls
Stacey wrote and illustrated story books as a child and gave them away as presents. “I took a favourite Enid Blyton story and put myself in it. It wasn’t creative – it was plagiarism.” Daughter of…
Ken O’Sullivan
Spending all his childhood summers, fishing, on Fenit Island, Ken has always felt at one with the sea. “I connected with it; with the seasons and the tide.” He also loved music. And when he left…