Contemporary Irish Writing
Scríbhneoireacht Éireannach na Linne Seo
ContemporaryIrishWriting.ie features books written in both English and Irish, ranging from fiction and poetry to memoir, young adult fiction and children’s literature. Each of the 100 entries offers the opportunity to enjoy interviews and conversations with the author, to read reviews and responses to the literary works, and to explore other online resources relating to this dynamic field of contemporary writing. The website is a must-use resource for readers, book club members, teachers and enthusiasts!
The platform is a collaboration between the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) and UCD’s School of English, Drama and Film.
Margaret Kelleher, Professor of Anglo-Irish Literature and Drama, UCD: “ContemporaryIrishWriting.ie aims to address the challenges particular to research and teaching in contemporary writing, including the difficulty of access to some source material, especially for international readers. We seek, through this digital resource, to capture the dynamism of contemporary conversations regarding Irish writing, and to promote not only these 100 titles but also their hundreds of siblings.”
Simon O’Connor, Director, MoLI: “Creating and diversifying access to the treasures of Irish literature is central to MoLI’s mission, driving much of our digital and learning programmes in particular. ContemporaryIrishWriting.ie creates so many opportunities for readers to discover new work, and to deepen their interest in familiar books and writers.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the criteria for inclusion on this site? How were they chosen?
The 100 titles featured here were nominated, firstly, by an international advisory committee whose members teach contemporary Irish literature and, secondly (for the 2019 and 2020 selections) from a nomination process run among MoLI members. Links and resources have been chosen that will bring users of the site to events (such as podcast series, literary festivals, etc) that will in turn connect them to many other writers not directly featured here.
Why is the site limited to 100 contemporary writers? Will more writers be added in the future?
This is only a snapshot of the vitality and diversity that constitutes contemporary Irish writing. The considerable resources needed to create this site and its entries mean that we cannot expand infinitely but we warmly welcome comments and suggestions as to notable omissions and future additions.
I would like to stay informed about and to support emerging Irish writers. How best to do so?
We warmly recommend subscribing to one or more of the dynamic literary journals that publish emerging Irish writers. Here is an alphabetical list with links to their home pages.
An Capall Dorcha
Channel
Crannóg
Cyphers
Banshee
Belfield Literary Review
gorse
Irish Pages
Mandrake
Paper Lanterns
Riverbed Review
ROPES
Southword
The Dublin Review
The Moth
The Stinging Fly
The Tangerine
The Waxed Lemon
The Well Review
Tír na nÓg
Tolka
Winter Papers
Can I make a suggestion?
Yes please! Please email [email protected] with any ideas or comments.
Credits
Project Leader: Professor Margaret Kelleher
UCD Postdoctoral Project Fellow: Dr Jennifer Preston
MoLI Development Team: Benedict Schlepper-Connolly, Luke Fallon, Laura Harvey-Graham, Ian Dunphy
UCD Advisors: Dr Karen Wade, Professor Gerardine Meaney
Developer: Stuart Cusack
Our thanks to: Niall O’Leary, Beatriz Kopschitz Bastos, Claire Bracken, Lucy Collins, Martin Doyle, Anne Fogarty, Sonia Howell, Eamonn Jordan, Eve Kearney, Ken Keating, Celia Keenan, Joe Kelly, Claire Lynch, Maria Mulvany, Máirín Nic Eoin, Ondrej Pilny, Emilie Pine, Emma Radley, Paige Reynolds, Jennie Ryan, Elaina Ryan, Catherine Smith, Nicholas Wolf and MoLI members.
Project funding came from UCD’s Seed Funding and Strategic Initiative Schemes.