Acclaimed writer and UCD graduate Éilís Ní Dhuibhne named new Laureate for Irish Fiction
Dr Ní Dhuibhne pictured at the National Folklore Collection at UCD; behind are books from the collection of her late husband, Bo Almqvist, Professor of Irish Folklore at UCD between 1972 and 1995 | Credit: Vincent Hoban
Novelist and playwright Éilís Ní Dhuibhne plans to explore what makes a good story during her time as the newest Laureate for Irish Fiction.
Awarded the (opens in a new window)honour by the Arts Council, the graduate ofUniversity College Dublinand influential lecturer in Creative Writing at the UCD School of English, Drama and Film said she was keen to be “active and creative” in the public role, expressing a desire to represent readers and writers.
“Writing is something you do in privacy and solitude of course, but it always has an obvious public face,” she said.
“It moves from the inside of the writer’s head, from their room or laptop or whatever, to the book or the screen. Writers belong to their own community, and to the community of writers. All my life I have been meeting writers at book launches, classes, festivals, and in the writers’ group I’ve belonged to for almost forty years.
“The Laureateship is mainly a public role. The role allows time for writing – I think that would be essential. But it’s about reaching out, and representing reading and writing, readers and writers. So I am pondering ways of fulfilling this public side of the role, and have come up with dozens of ideas.”
Dr Ní Dhuibhne will be the fourth Laureate for Irish Fiction (2025 – 2028), following Colm Toíbín (2022-2024),Sebastian Barry (2018-2021)and the inaugural Laureate, Anne Enright (2015-2018), who is the Professor of Creative Writing at the UCD School of English, Drama and Film.
A graduate of UCD, while attending the University the Dublin native studied Pure English for her BA, Middle English and Old Irish for her Masters, and earned a PhD in Folklore.
She published her first story 'Green Fuse' in the Irish Press during her third year of her undergraduate studies.
As well as lecturing in Creative Writing, her time at UCD also included working as a folklorist with the Urban Folklore project in the National Folklore Collection.
The Arts Council said it was proud to award Dr Ní Dhuibhne the honour, stating that her novels and short stories, published in both English and Irish, had rightly earned her critical acclaim and a devoted readership.
“We know she will bring remarkable vitality and deep understanding to the role of Laureate for Irish Fiction, building on the great work of her predecessors,” said Maura McGrath, Chair of the Arts Council.
“Éilís Ní Dhuibhne as Laureate for Irish Fiction… [is] a welcome opportunity to acknowledge and highlight a remarkable writing career, encompassing short stories, novels and non-fiction and also to celebrate her valuable contribution to Gaelic via her bi-lingual prose,” said Mariella Frostrup, member of the international selection panel.
“Her recent collected short stories, novels and non-fiction profoundly speak to the female experience while dealing with universal themes of aspiration, disappointment, love, jealousy, hope and human inadequacy – often with a hefty ladle of humour thrown in! As a teacher of creative writing, she’s shown a deft ability to inspire writers and readers alike, adding to her credentials for this new public-facing role.
“I’m delighted that her wonderful books will now be introduced to an even wider audience and very much looking forward to the programme of activity that she will lead during her term as Laureate.”
An initiative of the Arts Council, and initially established in partnership with University College Dublin, New York University, and the Irish Times, the honour acknowledges the contribution of fiction writers to Irish artistic and cultural life.
It aims to encourage new generation of writers, promote Irish literature nationally and internationally, and encourage the public to engage with high-quality Irish fiction.
As the new Laureate, Dr Ní Dhuibhne will be in conversation with Niall MacMonagle at a free public event in the National Library in Dublin on Tuesday 16 September.
Booking is available on the Arts Council’s (opens in a new window)website, alongside further details about the Laureate’s plans for their term.
In The Media
- (opens in a new window)RTE Radio One, Today with Claire Byrne
- (opens in a new window)RTE News
- (opens in a new window)The Irish Times
- (opens in a new window)HotPress
Text By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations