What inspires us – Seamus Heaney QUOTES FOR WRITERS
‘Inspiration…it’s a large ancient word. It means something that tempts you, that suggests you could go ahead – a little flicker of energy. It doesn’t need to be dramatic, just … Continue reading
How to write sound – putting an accent on the page
The way we use language differs depending on whether we are speaking it or writing it and that difference has to come across on the page. But what about how … Continue reading
Happy Halloween – an Irish festival
Halloween dates back at least two thousand years to the Celtic festival of Samhain marking the start of winter, a cold, dark and dangerous time. It began at sunset on … Continue reading
Free International short story competition
The RTE Guide/Penguin Ireland Short Story Competition is now open for entries. Winning stories will be published in the RTE Guide. (For those who don’t know, RTE is Ireland’s television … Continue reading
Happy St Patrick’s Day
Beannachtai La Fheile Phadraig I chose this particular photograph because it has the feel of an Irish day and I love the rain coloured mountains in the background. Two gifts … Continue reading
If you want to write a dystopia start with this map…
This fictional map shows what the British Isles might look like in 2100 if sea levels rise and are 100 meters higher than they were in 2000. The artist/cartographer Jay … Continue reading
My Writing Process – Blog Tour
First of all, a big thank you to Laura Wilkinson for suggesting that I take part in this tour. Laura writes two very different types of fiction – erotic romance … Continue reading
Writers need talent and a thick skin – Donal Ryan calls himself a model for stubbornness
Donal Ryan emailed to thank me for my post yesterday about the 47 rejections he endured before his first novel The Spinning Heart was finally accepted by The Lilliput Press. … Continue reading
Quotes for writers (and people who like quotes) Seamus Heaney
I can’t think of a case where poems changed the world, but what they do is they change people’s understanding of what’s going on in the world – Seamus Heaney … Continue reading
Ever wondered where you might bury a body? Crime Writing Course in Dublin might help you make up your mind
The Irish Centre in Parnell Square, Dublin are running a week long crime writing course starting on July 29th with author Arlene Hunt. Organisers say this is a writing-heavy, intensive … Continue reading
DO YOU KNOW what connects infants and poets?
Infans comes from the Latin for unspeaking. The infant is the one who can’t speak and Seamus Heaney argues that all good poems are gathered in silence. Here he is … Continue reading
DID YOU KNOW the Irish have a word for it…
DAY DAPPLE is an old Irish term for the time of day when a person can no longer be distinguished from a bush. Source QI 1227 Facts also used in … Continue reading
Watch an Irish Winter Solstice
Tomorrow Friday 21st December 2012 at 8.45am (GMT) you can watch the dawn sunshine of the shortest day of the year light up the interior of an ancient temple on … Continue reading
The book I really want to read: London Irish Fictions
Tony Murray has just brought out the first book-length study of the literature of the Irish in London. In LONDON IRISH FICTIONS he looks at over 30 Irish novels, short … Continue reading
BRIDGET WHELAN writer 