Following the success of the WEB anthology Tearing Stripes off Zebras (edited by Nessa O’Mahony and published by Arlen House), DLR and Ballyogan Libraries will host some members of the WEB Women’s Writing Group in an 8-week programme of creative writing workshops exploring memoir, the craft of writing, the Irish language, poetry, prose.
I’m delighted to be giving a workshop “The Domestic in Poetry and Prose” in Ballyogan Library on September 11th. All Welcome!
I’m honoured to be Poet of the Month for August over at The Lonely Crowd. Many thanks to editor Dr John Lavin for accepting my three poems. Read about my process here.
The first poem, “Self-Butchery In Two Parts”, looks at changing bodies, surgery, and personal V medical approaches to health. You can listen to me reading the poem on the same page.
The second poem, “Daughter, Frizzante (In Padova)“ explores my changing relationship with my adult daughter, and contemplates the roles of mothers and daughters separated by geography.
Finally, the third poem, “Rule of Thirds” touches again on my interest in female relationships. Here I move beyond my own life and attempt to step into “incarceration time” (where the day is set out in thirds) by imagining a fictional imprisoned mother’s wishes for her free daughter, on the cusp of adolescence.
To have an entire week free from everyday obligations and distractions, a week dedicated to thinking and talking about writing…and in gorgeous surrounds, with delicious and healthy food, and to be able to engage in new writing and editing is such a rarity. It was great also to connect with other creatives in a variety of disciplines, and an honour to visit some of the visual artists in their studios and see stunning work in progress. I am most grateful to Jack Harte, The Irish Writers Centre and Anna and her team at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig for this award – the gift of a week immersed in creativity.
Below are a few photos from walks around the house, grounds, and lake.
Photograph of the bell, wall, and flowers at the entrance to the house, the name plate to the fore. Photograph by Shauna Gilligan (c) 2025. Photograph of the house in the evening – with some lights on in the house and grass to the fore. Photograph by Shauna Gilligan (c) 2025.Photograph of the hallway and stairs through the mirror with a beautiful green house plant to the fore. Photograph by Shauna Gilligan (c) 2025.Close up of a yellow (sun) flower in bloom in the gardens of the Tyrone Guthrie Centre. Photograph by Shauna Gilligan (c) 2025.View of the beautiful Annaghmakerrig Lake from just outside the house Shauna Gilligan (c) 2025. A glimpse of some of the treasures in the Tyrone Guthrie library, a beautiful room which overlooks the lake. Photograph by Shauna Gilligan (c) 2025.Close up of lilac foxglove. Photograph by Shauna Gilligan (c) 2025.
Shauna Gilligan Writer 