Deirdre Brennan | |
|---|---|
 Brennan in 2020 | |
| Born | 1934 Dublin |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
| Occupation(s) | Poet, author, playwright, translator |
Deirdre Brennan (born 1934) is a bilingual Irish poet, playwright and short story writer who writes both in the Irish language and in English. [1] [2]
Brennan was born in Dublin and was raised in County Tipperary where she attended schools in Clonmel and Thurles. [1] [3] She studied English and Latin at University College Dublin, then undertaking a Higher Diploma in Education. She moved to Carlow in 1965. [4]
Brennan taught at St Patrick's College, Carlow. [5] She began writing in Irish after co-founding the Éigse Carlow Arts Festival [1] [6] in 1979. [7] [8] [9] She has published sixteen books to date, including twelve collections of poetry. She was awarded an Oireachtas Prize for Ag Mealladh Réalta, and won the Farmgate Café National Poetry Award in 2023 with Medea's Cauldron. [4] [10] [11] [12]
She collaborated with writers Máighréad Medbh and Nuala Ní Chonchúir on Divas! (2003), a volume of poetry, which was launched during Éigse by Olivia O'Leary. [13] Her poem At Home was included in The Works anthology of women's poetry, Women's Work VII. [14] Her poetry is included in The Great Book of Ireland, [15] The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing, Volume 5, [16] Eating her Wedding Dress (Ragged Sky Press, 2009), [17] Catullus Gaelach, edited by Pádraig Ó Laighin (Coiscéim, 2010), [18] and is widely anthologised. Brennan's work is featured on the Irish post primary curricula and in the courses and textbooks of Royal Irish Academy of Music. [19]
Her two collections of short fiction were published as An Banana Bean Sí agus Scéalta Eile (Coiscéim, 2009) and Staying Thin for Daddy (Arlen House, 2014). Her short stories have appeared in The Irish Times , Passages, Anois , Comhar , Feasta , Lá and Foinse and have featured on Cork Campus Radio, RTÉ Radio 1, as well as a six-part drama series, Go to Blazes. Her work is represented in Nua Scéalta, selected by Séan Ó Mainnín (Cló Iar-Chonnacht, 2005), Twisted Truths, selected by Brian Ó Conchubhair (Cló Iar-Chonnacht, 2011), Thar Toinn, selected by Micheál Ó hAodha (Coiscéim, 2015). [20]
Brennan served as chair and secretary of the Éigse festival during its early years. She was also a founder member of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Carlow, serving as chair and secretary. [20]
Although Irish has been used as a literary language for more than 1,500 years, and modern literature in Irish dates – as in most European languages – to the 16th century, modern Irish literature owes much of its popularity to the 19th century Gaelic Revival, a cultural and language revival movement, and to the efforts of more recent poets and writers. In an act of literary decolonization common to many other peoples seeking self-determination, writers in Irish have taken the advice of Patrick Pearse and have combined influences from both their own literary history and the whole of world literature. Writers in Modern Irish have accordingly produced some of the most interesting literature to come out of Ireland, while being both supplemented and influenced by poetry and prose composed in the Irish language outside Ireland.
Ulster Irish is the variety of Irish spoken in the province of Ulster. It "occupies a central position in the Gaelic world made up of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man". Ulster Irish thus has much in common with Scottish Gaelic and Manx. Within Ulster there have historically been two main sub-dialects: West Ulster and East Ulster. The Western dialect is spoken in parts of County Donegal and once was spoken in parts of neighbouring counties, hence the name 'Donegal Irish'. The Eastern dialect was spoken in most of the rest of Ulster and northern parts of counties Louth and Meath.
Connacht Irish is the dialect of the Irish language spoken in the province of Connacht. Gaeltacht regions in Connacht are found in Counties Mayo and Galway. Connacht Irish is also spoken in the Meath Gealtacht Ráth Chairn and Baile Ghib. The dialects of Irish in Connacht are extremely diverse, with the pronunciation, forms and lexicon being different even within each county.
Munster Irish is the dialect of the Irish language spoken in the province of Munster. Gaeltacht regions in Munster are found in the Gaeltachtaí of the Dingle Peninsula in west County Kerry, in the Iveragh Peninsula in south Kerry, in Cape Clear Island off the coast of west County Cork, in Muskerry West; Cúil Aodha, Ballingeary, Ballyvourney, Kilnamartyra, and Renaree of central County Cork; and in an Rinn and an Sean Phobal in Gaeltacht na nDéise in west County Waterford.
Gabriel Rosenstock is an Irish writer who works chiefly in the Irish language. A member of Aosdána, he is a poet, playwright, haikuist, tankaist, essayist, and author/translator of over 180 books, mostly in Irish. Born in Kilfinane, County Limerick, he currently resides in Dublin.
Louis de Paor is a well-known poet in the Irish language. Born in Cork in 1961 and educated at Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh, de Paor edited the Irish-language journal Innti, founded in 1970 by Michael Davitt, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Liam Ó Muirthile and Gabriel Rosenstock. He was awarded a PhD in Modern Irish from the National University of Ireland in 1986 for his thesis on Máirtín Ó Cadhain.
Pádraig Ó Snodaigh is an Irish language activist, poet, writer and publisher. He worked for the Irish Electricity Supply Board, and later in the National Museum of Ireland. He is a former president of Conradh na Gaeilge, the Gaelic League.
Tomás Mac Síomóin was an Irish doctoral graduate of Cornell University, New York, who worked as a biological researcher and university lecturer in the US and Ireland. He worked as a journalist, as editor of the newspaper Anois and for many years was editor of the literary and current affairs magazine, Comhar. He wrote in Irish and published both poetry and fiction in that language.
Comhar is a prominent literary journal in the Irish language, published by the company Comhar Teoranta. It was founded in 1942, and has published work by some of the most notable writers in Irish, including Máirtín Ó Cadhain, Seán Ó Ríordáin, Máirtín Ó Direáin, Máire Mhac an tSaoi and Brendan Behan. Comhar also publishes books in Irish.
León Ó Broin was an Irish civil servant, known as a writer and playwright. He wrote many plays, stories and historical works in both Irish and English.
Celia de Fréine is a poet, playwright, screenwriter and librettist who writes in Irish and English.
Cathal Ó Searcaigh, is a modern Irish language poet. His work has been widely translated, anthologised and studied. "His confident internationalism", according to Theo Dorgan, has channelled "new modes, new possibilities, into the writing of Irish language poetry in our time".
Pádraig Ó Siadhail was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1957, and now lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is a scholar and writer and has published prolifically in the Irish language.
Pádraic Breathnach is an Irish short story writer and novelist who writes in the Irish language. He was born in Moycullen, County Galway and now lives in Limerick. He has won a number of Oireachtas prizes. He was also awarded The Butler Literary Award by The Irish American Cultural Institute in 1992. In 1972 he joined the school of Celtic Studies at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.
Áine Ní Ghlinn is a bilingual Irish journalist, poet, playwright and children's writer. She was Laureate na nÓg, 2020—2023, the first to write exclusively in Irish.
Meidhbhín Ní Úrdail is an Irish academic. She is Professor in Modern Irish at University College Dublin. She also worked at the school of Celtic Studies at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies from 2001 to 2002. Ní Úrdail's areas of research include the Irish manuscript tradition; Ireland's vernacular written tradition from medieval times to the nineteenth century; narrative discourse and historical representation; the complementary relationship between script and print in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Ireland; and contemporary Irish writing and its heritage. On 16 March 2021, she was elected a member of the Royal Irish Academy and was admitted on 21 May 2021.
Máighréad Medbh is an Irish writer and poet.
Sinéad Ní Uallacháin is an Irish journalist, actress, artist, podcaster, continuity announcer and radio presenter.
Alan TitleyMRIA is an Irish-language novelist, translator, playwright and professor. He also wrote columns under the name Crobhingne.
Mícheál Ó hUanacháin is an Irish poet and journalist from Dublin, Ireland. He worked as a reporter and broadcaster for RTÉ until his retirement in 2009.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
