Caitríona Ní Chléirchín & Laoighseach Ní Choistealbha

A reading by two exceptional Irish language poets, both of whom, together with distinct lyrical and bilingual powers, possess a compelling ecological leaning.

A channeller of the authority and range of Máire Mhac an tSaoi, Monaghan native Caitríona Ní Chléirchín has developed a body of work defined by a personal lexicon that unites a beguiling autobiographical approach with fresh emotional complexity and control. A bilingual selection of her poems, The Talk of the Town, with translations by Peter Fallon, was published by Gallery Press in 2020. Widely recognised as a poet prior to the publication last year of her debut book, Solas Geimhridh agus Dánta Eile, Laoighseach Ni Choistealbha writes engrossingly and deceptively readable poems that capitalise on the experiential richness of Irish phrasing, while infusing emotive and narrative strength that represents a breakthrough in contemporary poetry and a bright signal from the Donegal and Connemara traditions.

This poetry event, in memory of Michael Hartnett, takes place in partnership with Poetry Ireland.

More about Caitríona Ní Chléirchín

Caitríona Ní Chléirchín is an award-winning poet, lecturer, academic and critic. She wrote her Ph.D. dissertation on contemporary poetry in Irish. She lectures at Dublin City University. A widely published critic, she co-edited a Léachtaí Cholm Chille volume devoted to the Innti poets. Her books include the collections Crithloinnir (2010) and An Bhrídeach Sí (2014), both from Coiscéim. A selection of her poems in Irish and in translation is included in the Gallery Press anthology Calling Cards (2018); she has also published a bilingual selected edition, with translations by Peter Fallon titled The Talk of the Town (2020).

More about Laoighseach Ní Choistealbha

Laoighseach Ní Choistealbha was born in 1994 and raised in the Lagan area of East Donegal. She now lives in the Conamara Gaeltacht. Her poems have been published widely in journals, including Poetry Ireland Review, An Capall Dorcha, Comhar, Aneas,

and HOWL. Her first collection Solas Geimhridh agus Dánta Eile was published last year by Barzaz. She won the Foras na Gaeilge Award at Writers’ Week in 2023.

Listowel Writer's Week: where readers celebrate, and writers find their flow

Listowel Writer's Week is Ireland's oldest literary festival, and one of its most prestigious. Famously hospitable, the beautiful North Kerry town of Listowel is internationally renowned as a wellspring of literary inspiration and heritage. The 2024 Listowel Writer's Week Festival programme, exploring the theme Mother Nature, has been curated by the poet Martin Dyar.

See writersweek.ie for more details and the full 2024 festival programme

Disclaimer. Please be aware that many events at Listowel Writer's Week will be recorded and photographed for promotional and archival purposes. Your presence constitutes consent to be filmed and photographed. Thank you.