Meet the Writers 2020

1 - Paddy Bushe

Irish Language, Irish Writing, Poetry

Welcome to Day 1 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Paddy Bushe. Born in...

2 - Caoilinn Hughes

Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel

Welcome to Day 2 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Caoilinn Hughes. Caoilinn Hughes...

3 - Alan McMonagle

Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel

Welcome to Day 3 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Alan McMonagle. Alan McMonagle lives...

4 - Frances Macken

Debut, Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel

Welcome to Day 4 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Frances Macken. Frances Macken...

5 - Bebe Ashley

Debut, Irish Writing, Poetry

Welcome to Day 5 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Bebe Ashley. Bebe Ashley...

6 - Seán Hewitt

Debut, Irish Writing, Poetry

Welcome to Day 6 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Seán Hewitt. Seán Hewitt...

7 - Gráinne Murphy

Cork, Debut, Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel

Welcome to Day 7 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Gráinne Murphy. Gráinne Murphy...

8 - Marianne Lee

Debut, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel, West Cork

Welcome to Day 8 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Marianne Lee. Marianne Lee...

9 - Kevin Barry

Fiction, Irish Writing, Short Stories

Kevin Barry is co-editor of Winter Papers as well as being the author of three novels and three short story...

10 - Helena Close

Children, Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel, Young Adults

Welcome to Day 10 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Helena Close. Limerick City...

11 - Stephen Sexton

Debut, Irish Writing, Poetry

Welcome to Day 11 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Stephen Sexton. Stephen Sexton’s...

12 - Michelle Gallen

Debut, Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel

Welcome to Day 12 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Michelle Gallen. Michelle Gallen...

13 - Cauvery Madhavan

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel

Welcome to Day 13 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Cauvery Madhavan. Cauvery Madhavan...

14 - Oein DeBhairduin

Debut, Fiction, Irish Writing, Short Stories

Welcome to Day 14 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Oein DeBhairduin. Oein DeBhairduin...

15 - Enda Wyley

Irish Writing, Poetry

Welcome to Day 15 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Enda Wyley. Enda Wyley...

16 - Patrick Freyne

Debut, Essays, Irish Writing, Non-Fiction

Welcome to Day 16 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Patrick Freyne. Patrick Freyne...

17 - Alice Lyons

Debut, Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel

Welcome to Day 17 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Alice Lyons. Alice Lyons...

18 - Colin Barrett

Fiction, Irish Writing, Short Stories

Welcome to Day 18 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Colin Barrett. Colin Barrett...

19 - Niamh Campbell

Debut, Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel

Welcome to Day 19 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Niamh Campbell. Niamh Campbell’s...

20 - Tim MacGabhann

Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel

Welcome to Day 20 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Tim MacGabhann. Tim MacGabhann...

21 - Chiamaka Enyi-Amadi

Fiction, Irish Writing, Short Stories

Welcome to Day 21 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Chiamaka Enyi-Amadi. Chiamaka Enyi-Amadi...

22 - John Connell

Irish Writing, Memoir, Non-Fiction

Welcome to Day 22 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is John Connell. John Connell’s...

23 - Sarah Crossan

Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel

Welcome to Day 23 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Sarah Crossan. Sarah Crossan...

24 - Eoin Colfer

Children, Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel

Welcome to Day 24 of our West Cork Literary Festival Advent Calendar. Our author today is Eoin Colfer. Eoin Colfer...

Federico Andornino

Editor, Professional Development

Federico Andornino is Editorial Director at Weidenfeld & Nicolson, the literary imprint of the Orion Publishing Group, where he commissions...

Rachel Andrews

Essays, Memoir, Professional Development, Workshop

Rachel Andrews’ essays and criticism have appeared or are forthcoming in outlets including the London Review of Books, n+1, Brick literary journal, the Stinging Fly, Longreads, Gorse, Banshee, the...

Sara Baume

Cork, Essays, Memoir, Non-Fiction

Sara Baume grew up in County Cork and studied fine art at Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design before...

Kate Burke

Agent, Local & Irish Writers, Professional Development

Kate Burke was born in Dublin but grew up in Brussels. She joined Blake Friedmann as Senior Agent in January...

Children’s Books Ireland

Children, Young Adults

Children’s Books Ireland (CBI) is the national children's books organisation of Ireland. Through their many activities and events they aim...

Jane Clarke

Irish Writing, Poetry

Jane Clarke is the author of two poetry collections, The River and When the Tree Falls (Bloodaxe Books 2015 & 2019),...

Tadhg Coakley

Cork, Crime, Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel

Tadhg Coakley is from Mallow and lives in Cork city. His debut novel The First Sunday in September was shortlisted...

Juno Dawson

Juno Dawson is the multi award-winning author of 12 books, including the best-selling CLEAN, Meat Market and adult memoir, The...

Sinéad Gleeson

Irish Writing, Non-Fiction, Novel

Sinéad Gleeson’s essays have been published by Granta, Winter Papers and Gorse, and broadcast by BBC and RTÉ. Her debut essay collection Constellations: Reflections from...

Maeve Higgins

Comedy, Cork, Essays, Non-Fiction

Maeve Higgins is a contributing writer for the New York Times and the host of the hit podcast Maeve in...

Leslie Jamison

Essays, Non-Fiction

Widely considered one of the defining voices of her generation, Leslie Jamison is the author of the New York Times...

Cynan Jones

Fiction, Novel, Professional Development, Short Stories, Workshop

Cynan Jones was born in 1975 near Aberaeron, Wales where he now lives and works. He is the author of...

Dave Lordan

Irish Writing, Professional Development, West Cork, Workshop, Young Adults

Dave Lordan is a multi-genre writer, performer, editor, and pathbreaking multimedia educator with four acclaimed books & twenty years experience in...

Una Mannion

Fiction, Irish Writing, Short Stories

Originally from Philadelphia, Una Mannion is a writer and teacher based in County Sligo. She has won numerous prizes for...

Kelly McCaughrain

Kelly McCaughrain is a YA writer from Belfast. Her first novel, Flying Tips for Flightless Birds won the Children’s Books Ireland...

John Patrick McHugh

Essays, Irish Writing, Short Stories

John Patrick McHugh is from Galway. His work has appeared in The Tangerine, Banshee, Granta, Winter Papers 2 and 6,...

Paul McVeigh

Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel, Professional Development, Short Stories, Workshop

Paul McVeigh's debut novel, The Good Son, won The Polari First Novel Prize and The McCrea Literary Award and was shortlisted...

Oonagh Montague

Cork, Fiction, Irish Writing, Short Stories

Oonagh Montague is a writer from Cork. She was the editor of Arts Ireland for five years. She is also...

Elizabeth Rose Murray

Children, Irish Writing, Professional Development, West Cork, Workshop, Young Adults

Elizabeth Rose Murray writes novels for children and young adults and short fiction. Her books include The Book of Learning –...

Claire Nelson

Debut, Memoir, Non-Fiction, Professional Development, Travel, Workshop

Claire Nelson is a New Zealander who spent more than a decade in London working in food and travel journalism,...

Doireann Ní Ghríofa

Essays, Irish Writing, Poetry

Doireann Ní Ghríofa is a bilingual writer whose books explore birth, death, desire, and domesticity. Doireann’s awards include a Lannan...

Louise O'Neill

Crime, Fiction, Irish Writing, Novel

Louise O’Neill is the feminist powerhouse and outspoken voice for change whose novels Only Ever Yours and Asking for It...

Nadine O'Regan

Nadine O'Regan is an award-winning arts journalist and broadcaster. Editor of the Business Post Magazine and head of podcasting with...

Julie O’Leary

Since graduating in 2007, Julie has worked extensively as a facilitator and director for a range of companies both nationally...

Catherine Ryan Howard

Cork, Crime, Irish Writing, Novel, Workshop

Cork author Catherine Ryan Howard published her debut novel, Distress Signals, in 2016. It was a bestseller on both sides...

Deirdre Sullivan

Deirdre Sullivan is an award-winning writer from Galway. As well as the Primrose Leary trilogy (Prim Improper, Improper Order and...