Other events from our Writer in Residence

Malinski Audible Launch @ Whale Theatre

Thursday, 21st May 8pm

Our Writer in Residence Siofra O'Donovan is launching her novel "Malinski in the Whale Theatre".

First published in Ireland and later in Poland, Malinski returns in a new Audible edition at a moment when its themes feel strikingly contemporary. Excerpts from the book will be performed live by its author and Wicklow resident, Siofra O'Donovan and actor, Gerry Cannon followed by a conversation and Q&A facilitated by Andrea Splendori.

The novel begins in Lviv–once Polish Lvov and now in Ukraine– where two brothers are separated by war. As the Nazis advance, young Henryk persuades his mother to return to the family home rather than flee west. It is a decision that will shape both their lives. After the fall of communism fifty years later, Henry and Stanislav meet again.

Narrated for Audible by Gerry Cannon and recorded by BitSixteen studios, this evening evokes the consequences of war: exile, dispossession, fractured memory, and the ways in which history continues to inhabit ordinary lives.

Malinski was widely acclaimed on publication, with praise from The Irish Times, Irish Independent, The Irish Examiner, The Warsaw Voice and Rzeczpospolita.

Click here for Booking

Memoir Writing Workshop with Liosa McNamara and Siofra O'Donovan

Postponed until autumn

This Workshop takes place in Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow

- The Art of Memoir Writing
- Character Arcs and Narrative Structure in Memoir
- The Hero's Journey- a perfect template for Memoirs
And much more!

Liosa Mac is a writer, ghostwriter, and screenwriter whose work centres on turning lived experience into story. A Master’s graduate in both screenwriting and journalism, she developed a research focus on memory and nostalgia that underpins her approach to memoir, which she calls “memory archaeology.” Working with publishers internationally, authors she has collaborated with have consistently appeared on bestseller lists, including Oprah’s Book Club.

Siofra O'Donovan is an author of novels, memoir, travel writing and historical biography. Her acclaimed novel Malinski draws on her time living and working in Poland after the fall of communism, while her later research in the Indian Himalaya informed memoirs including Lost in Shambhala (Seagull Press) and Pema and the Yak (pilgrims books) She has worked as a freelance journalist for The Irish Times and The Irish Examiner, held multiple international residencies, and received Arts Council of Ireland bursaries. Her recent historical biography Yours ’Til Hell Freezes (Currach Books, 2020)is a biography of Kevin Barry, praised by The Irish Times, The Irish Independent, and RTÉ’s History Show. O’Donovan teaches Creative Writing at BIFE in Bray, contributes to national writing programmes, and is known for her clear approach to story craft, often drawing on the hero’s journey as outlined by Joseph Campbell.
She was recently appointed Writer in Residence at Dorlindon Forest Sanctuary in Wicklow.

Cost: 130 Euro
Bookings: shisheb@gmail.com