Longford's Eoin secures All-Ireland Creative Writing final spot
From medicinal chemistry to creative writing is somewhat of a leap, but one that Scholarship student Eoin Corcoran, from Cahanagh, Longford made with ease.
Eoin has been selected as a finalist for the All-Ireland Scholarships Creative Writing Competition 2023.
The competition's judging panel includes international bestselling author Joseph O’Connor and Ireland’s first Prix Jean Monnet winner for European Literature Donal Ryan.
The AIS Creative Writing Competition, now in its third year, is open to all members of the All-Ireland Scholarships Alumni Association. The categories included fiction, non-fiction and op-ed, with a maximum word count of 2,000 words.
Finalist Eoin received his All-Ireland Scholarship in 2015 and went on to complete a bachelor’s degree in Medicinal Chemistry at Trinity College. Following that, he studied for a postgraduate diploma in Business and now works as a chemical engineer in the water treatment industry.
His competition entry, Flatmates, is his first foray into competitive writing: “I’ve always enjoyed writing in some way, but never committed to it. In recent months, I had begun to look for opportunities to exercise my writing skills, so the AIS creative writing competition seemed to come at the right moment.”
Professor Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, head of Creative Writing at UL and chair of the judging panel, said of the short: “There's an excellently well-drawn protagonist, a strong voice and a real sense of place that immerses the reader and keeps them connected to the unfolding story.”
Eoin was presented with his award at a special ceremony in Adare Manor on Tuesday, April 25 last.