Irish Writers Centre

Irish Writers Centre Support and development organisation for writers in Ireland. Programmes | Resources | Courses | Events | Novel Fair 📚Arts Council supported.

The Irish Writers Centre has long been a hub of literary activity in Dublin, supporting established and aspiring writers throughout Ireland from its base at the heart of Dublin's cultural quarter. It is a non-profit organisation run by strong women and strange men. It aims to promote the literature and writers in Ireland. Our Charity Registration Number is: CHY 19738

The Centre was founded in 198

7 and since it was doors opened in 1991, it has welcomed many award winning writers through its doors, including Nobel, Costa, Man Booker, IMPAC, and Pulitzer Prize winners. It has also served as an important platform for breakthrough talent, with many young writers giving their first public readings here. Through a diverse programme of creative writing workshops, seminars, lectures and readings, the Centre nurtures emerging talent and fosters relationships between writers and their Irish audience. Our creative writing students benefit from the guidance and insight of successful poets, novelists, and short story writers who themselves have been published.

Just announced as part of our Black History Month programme (October), Nandi Jola will lead a special workshop for membe...
26/08/2026

Just announced as part of our Black History Month programme (October), Nandi Jola will lead a special workshop for members of the global majority.

Finding your tribe is not always easy. Feeling left out of the literary scene, or not quite sure of your story because of language or cultural barriers? This workshop is for you. You'll explore poems, prose and short stories by global majority writers: work that transcends borders.

Nandi Jola is a South African-born writer, UK Game Changer in the Arts 2024, and guest editor of Trumpet (Poetry Ireland). She has published the poetry collection Home Is Neither Here Nor There, and had her work included in numerous anthologies and permanent displays at the Ulster Museum and Crescent Arts Centre. Nandi has been a creative writing facilitator for over a decade.

Find out more, and book your spot: https://irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/creative-writing-workshop-for-members-of-the-global-majority-with-nandi-jola/

25/08/2026

The FIILI Association is delighted to announce that this year, for the first time, the Festival of Italian and Irish Literature in Ireland (FIILI 2026) is hosting a Masterclass in Creative Writing, facilitated by award-winning writer Paul McVeigh.

Paul McVeigh’s debut novel, The Good Son, won The Polari First Book Prize and The McCrea Literary Award. His short stories have been in anthologies, journals and newspapers, and read on BBC Radio, RTE Radio, as well as, Sky ARTS. His debut story collection, I Hear You, was published in March 2025. His writing has been translated into eight languages.

What's The Big Idea? – Workshop in Creative Writing
How do you combine the personal with political? How do you capture an era or generation? How can you bring conflict onto to the page? You'll look at techniques to tackle these difficult subjects and techniques to make them come alive on the page.

This event will be held at Regent House, Trinity College Dublin at 10am on the 26th September 2026. It is sponsored by the Irish Writers Centre and organised in collaboration with the FIILI Associaton and the Festival of Italian and Irish Literature in Ireland.

The FIILI Association has made every effort to keep the fee for this Workshop as low as possible. Places are €40 each, and booking is via Eventbrite by following this link: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/1998386659293?aff=oddtdtcreator

Have a story you want to tell? This course, with Jean O'Brien, will help you tell it.Perhaps you have already begun to w...
20/08/2026

Have a story you want to tell? This course, with Jean O'Brien, will help you tell it.

Perhaps you have already begun to write a little or have been thinking about it. Poetry, the short story, flash fiction and memoir will be explored, and you can try your hand at any or all of these in a friendly and encouraging atmosphere.

Jean O’Brien has facilitated many creative writing workshops in prisons, schools, community groups, universities and festivals. An award-winning writer, she received a Kavanagh Fellowship in 2017. She was the Writer in Residence in the Centre Culturel Irelandais in Paris last November. She has six books to her name, and holds an M.Phil in creative writing from Trinity College Dublin.

https://irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/eight-week-starter-kit-with-jean-obrien-2/

Join acclaimed poet Victoria Kennefick on a poetic odyssey through time and space. In this 8-week course, read poems acr...
20/08/2026

Join acclaimed poet Victoria Kennefick on a poetic odyssey through time and space.

In this 8-week course, read poems across different eras, from the ancient to the contemporary, and discover how the concept of time has dramatically changed. Explore how the mechanics of poetry echo this phenomenon, and write poems that investigate and reveal our own relationship with time.

Expect lively discussion, stimulating poems and a host of generative prompts and creative invitations – the kernels of your future poetry!

https://irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/the-poem-as-time-machine-with-victoria-kennefick/

The Irish Writers Centre is excited to announce our exciting programme of events in celebration of Black History Month t...
20/08/2026

The Irish Writers Centre is excited to announce our exciting programme of events in celebration of Black History Month this October! 🍂

✨We’ll kick off with the return of our open mic night series ‘Takin the Mic’, on Thursday 15th October from 6:30-8:00pm. For this event, we welcome emerging Black writers of all genres and forms to submit via the application at the link in our bio, and 10 will be selected to share their work to an audience at our home on Parnell Square. The event will be MC'd by multidisciplinary artist Dafe Orugbo 🎤

✨The following Thursday, 22nd October, head across the square with us to number 11 for our collaborative showcase with Poetry Ireland! For the second-year running, we’ll spotlight Ireland’s Black writing talent, beginning from 6:30pm. Watch this space for updates on the lineup and booking details!

✨Finally, on Saturday 24th October poet, storyteller and playwright Nandi Jola will facilitate a creative writing workshop for writers with a Global Majority background from 2:00-5:00pm. Attendees will explore stories and poetry by global majority writers, and the event is suitable to writers of all levels.

Check the link in our bio for more information on our programme & to get tickets📚

Paul Duane has been making films for thirty years. His accolades include an appearance on Variety's annual 10 Directors ...
20/08/2026

Paul Duane has been making films for thirty years. His accolades include an appearance on Variety's annual 10 Directors to Watch list, IFTA nominations and various festival screenings. He also co-created the award-winning drama series Amber & Secret Diary of a Call Girl. His most recent film is the folk-horror feature All You Need Is Death, and he is currently developing the forthcoming Para with Finepoint Films (Kneecap) and XYZ Films (Mandy/The Raid).

Join him for a crash course in building an idea into a finished script! You'll focus on the discipline of taking an idea, however vague or unformed it might be, and turning it into a detailed and compelling script.

https://irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/growing-your-idea-from-thought-to-script-with-paul-duane-3/

Join acclaimed writer Kevin Connolly to find out how to research your non-fiction project. This might be a memoir, or an...
20/08/2026

Join acclaimed writer Kevin Connolly to find out how to research your non-fiction project. This might be a memoir, or another work of narrative non-fiction.

This course will guide you through the various stages of your research by exploring a wealth of sources, both physical and digital, which will help you gather the information you need on your subject.

https://irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/digging-up-the-bones-research-for-non-fiction-and-memoir-and-an-introduction-to-genealogy-with-kevin-connolly-6/

Are you drawn to writing stories that centre on female characters and experience? Do you want to write swoon-worthy roma...
19/08/2026

Are you drawn to writing stories that centre on female characters and experience? Do you want to write swoon-worthy romances? Then this course is for you! From small town romance to issue-led books to escapist reads, cover them all in this online course.

Your tutor and editor will be Tara Loder, who has years of experience as an editor working for big five publishers and digital first imprints. By the end of course you’ll have 5000 polished words, shaped by an experienced commissioning editor.

https://irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/writing-romance-fiction-with-tara-loder/

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19 Parnell Square
Dublin
D1

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