Féile Focal: Máire Zepf i gcómhra le Celia de Fréine agus Máire Dinny Wren

Máire Zepf

Myra Zepf was the first Children’s Writing Fellow forthe North of Ireland, based at the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry at Queen's University Belfast. The Co. Down author has written 13 books for children, including picture books, historical fiction and the first verse novel in Irish (Nóinín, Cois Life, 2019). Together with illustrator Andrew Whitson, she has created a picture book series based on the character ‘Rita’ (An tSnáthaid Mhór). Her picture book with illustrator Tarsila Kruse Ná Gabh ar Scoil! (Futa Fata, 2015) has been translated into 7 different languages, including English (Don’t Go to School!, Futa Fata, 2018) and has been awarded an IBBY Honour Award and a Children’s Book Award from the Literacy Association of Ireland. Máire is a two-time winner of the Oireachtas Award for fiction for Lá leis na Lochlannaigh and Nóinín. She has also a translated books to Irish for Oliver Jeffers, (Anseo Atá Muid, Futa Fata, 2018), Malachy Doyle (Muireann agus an Fharraige Fhiáin, An tSnáthaid Mhór, 2018) and Torben Kuhlmann (Lindbergh: Scéal Luchóige a d’Eitil, Futa Fata, 2017). Máire is on a sworn mission to inspire children to write their own stories.

Celia de Fréine

Celia de Fréine writes in many genres in both Irish and English. Born in Newtownards, County Down, she now divides her time between Dublin and Connemara. Awards for her poetry include the Patrick Kavanagh Award and Gradam Litríochta Chló Iar-Chonnacht.To date she has published eight collections, the most recent of which are cuir amach seo dom : riddle me this (Arlen House, 2014), Blood Debts (Scotus Press, 2014) and A lesson in Can’t (Scotus Press, 2014). Her plays have won numerous Oireachtas awards and are performed regularly. Her film and television scripts have won awards in Ireland and America. Ceannródaí (LeabhairCOMHAR, 2018), her biography of Louise Gavan Duffy, won ACIS Duais Leabhar Taighde na Bliana (2019) and was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards (2018) and Gradam Uí Shúilleabháin (2019). Cur i gCéill, her first thriller, was published by LeabhairCOMHAR in 2019.

Máire Dinny Wren

Máire Dinny Wren lives in her native Gaoth Dobhair in Donegal where she writes poetry and short fiction. Prior to returning home in 1999, Máire lived in London for twenty-one years, where she was a member of the Green Ink Writers group. Máire has received numerous awards for her stories, including Duais Fhoras na Gaeilge at The Listowel Writers’ week in 2010 for ‘Ag Téarnamh chun Baile’. A radio adaption of the story ‘Thar an Tairseach’ was broadcast by Drama on One, RTÉ Radio One and was shortlisted for the Prix Europa 2013 award in Berlin for best radio drama. Her poems and short stories have been broadcast on RTÉ One, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, Raidió Fáilte and BBC Radio Ulster and have been published in publications such as Poetry Ireland Review, Irish Pages, Comhar, an tUltach, Feasta and the Winners’ Anthology 2010 of the Listowel Writers’ Week.