Category: Writing News

Film, Past Writers Interviews, Writer Interview, Writers Chat, Writing Life, Writing News

Where Would You Like The Bullet – Aidan Higgins Doc on RTE

A few years ago I was delighted to take part in Neil Donnelly’s documentary on Irish writer Aidan Higgins edited by Seamus Callagy. The documentary premiered in the Irish Film Institute and this week aired on RTE. If you didn’t catch it, watch it here on playback. (I appear briefly in Part Three discussing Dog Days with other Kildare writers)

For more background and information about this documentary take a read of my 2019 Writers Chat with Neil.

Seamus Callagy writes for RTE about his experience on the documentary.

Watching the documentary has prompted me to return and re-read the extensive and expansive prose of Higgins and to explore Alannah Hopkin’s A Very Strange Man: A Memoir of Aidan Higgins.

Image of Dog Days: A Sequel to Donkey’s Years by Aidan Higgins

Collaboration, Writing News

Creative Ireland Bursary Award 2021 (Kildare)

I was delighted to hear the great news that Mantles, a collaborative project between myself and artist Margo McNulty has been awarded a Government of Ireland Creative Ireland Bursary and funding – with gratitude! – from Kildare County Council and Roscommon County Council.


Photograph by Margo McNulty (c) 2021 – Close up of green oak leaves

Mantles explores the themes of heritage and sense of place symbolising Brigid. Through archival artefacts and site visits it aims to create through words and images new representations of Brigid as an archetype of the sacred feminine. We will update our progress on the project page Mantles.

On Reading, Writing Life, Writing News

Life Stories: Non-Fiction

Photograph of the cover of Deborah Levy’s Real Estate and Joan Didion’s Let me tell you what I mean – both covers use shades of red and I am wearing red runners

I have been immersed in fiction and writing but for the next few weeks I am turning my attention to reading about the lives of others in a fab non-fiction selection – I’m almost finished with Solnit’s brilliant memoir.

I will also start into a wonderful collaborative research project with a trip to the archives of the National Library of Ireland. But more on this project later….

Happy Reading to you all!

Photograph of my writing notebook, Rebecca Solnit’s Recollections of my non-existence, Sophie White’s Corpsing, Rachel Kushner’s The Hard Crowd. All non-fiction titles by female authors.