Tag: Creative Ireland Award

Book launch, Collaboration, Writing Life, Writing News

MANTLES: Encountering Brigid (Arlen House: 2021, Dublin)

Cover of Mantles: Encountering Brigid. Art work showing rolling hills in various shades of green, by Margo McNulty.

I’m delighted to announce that Mantles: Encountering Brigid (Arlen House: 2021, Dublin) is published! It is currently exclusively stocked by Maynooth Bookshop (shortlisted for Irish bookshop of the year in the Irish Book Awards, winner of the Leinster category) – buy it here.

Margo and I are delighted with the critical praise so far:

“….thoughtful, evocative…the book is a rich meditation on folklore, tradition and contemporary experience.” Lia Mills, author of Another Alice

“This book will inspire many others to search out and walk in Brigit’s footsteps.” Mary Condren, ThD. author of The Serpent and the Goddess, and National Director, Woman Spirit Ireland.

“The interweaving of artworks by Margo McNulty with the writings of Shauna Gilligan can only be compared with the overlapping plaited strands of Brigit the Goddess and Brigid the Saint.” Clodagh Doyle, Keeper, Irish Folklife Division, National Museum of Ireland, Country Life, Mayo.

We were delighted to partake in Samhain @ Sult in Kildare Town on Wednesday 24th November, the first public reading from Mantles. It was wonderful to read surrounded by such inspiring artwork by Sult Collective and to be accompanied by live music from James Blennerhassett. We hope to mark the publication with another event soon!

This publication forms the final part of the Creative Ireland funded collaboration between myself and artist Margo McNulty.

We are grateful to Alan Hayes at Arlen House, our publishers, and Kildare County Council and Roscommon County Council, our funders.

Collaboration, Writers with Artists, Writing News, Writing Workshops

KRF 2021: MANTLES Webinar

Kildare Readers Festival Logo

This year I was awarded a Creative Ireland Bursary (Kildare County Council) with Margo McNulty (Roscommon County Council), to work on our collaboration Mantles which explored Brigid through place, symbols, artefacts and heritage.

On Tuesday October 5th at 2pm, Margo and I talk with Clodagh Doyle (Keeper, Irish Folklife Division, National Museum of Ireland), about our extensive research including the use of public archives and artefacts, and our image and word making. Margo will discuss some of her images in detail and I will give two short readings from my writing on Brigid.

Please join us – sign up for this FREE event: Kildare Readers Festival Eventbrite

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.