Two major names in Irish literature – the Ireland Professor of Poetry, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, and the 2015 Irish Pen Award-winning writer, Eilís Ní Dhuibhne – are coming to UCC next week.   They will read together at the Creative Zone, Boole Library, on Tuesday, November 8, at 6pm, in the first event of the School of English reading series this academic year. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Cork-born Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin is the author of numerous poetry collections, including Acts and Monuments (1966), winner of the Patrick Kavanagh Award, The Sun-Fish (2010) which was awarded the International Griffin Poetry Award, and The Boys of Blue Hill (2015) which was shortlisted for the Forward Prize.  She is Emerita Professor of English at TCD, the founding editor of the poetry journal Cyphers and in November 2016 begins her tenure as Ireland Professor of Poetry. http://irelandchairofpoetry.org/

Eilís Ní Dhuibhne  http://www.eilisnidhuibhne.com is a bilingual novelist, short story writer and playwright. She is the author of four novels – including the Orange Prize short-listed The Dancers Dancing – six collection of short stories, six novels in Irish and six children’s books. Among her awards are a Bisto Book of the Year for her children’s fiction, the Readers’ Association of Ireland Award and the Stewart Parker Award. She teaches on the MA in Creative Writing at UCD and was awarded the Pen Award for Outstanding Contribution to Irish Literature in 2015.

Both writers will be giving master classes while they’re on campus. Eiléan will lecture to MA poetry students on Tuesday, November 8,  in the Cork Enterprise Centre  (CEC G06)  at 10 a.m. and Eilís will be talking to creative writing and English students about her novel, The Dancers Dancing, in the Cavanagh Pharmacy Building (CPB LG08) on Wednesday, November 9 at 12 noon.