Donegal's Annemarie Ní Churreáin named as UCD’s Writer in Residence for 2025

Poet Annemarie Ní Churreáin has been named by the Arts Council as UCD’s Writer in Residence for 2025.

Ní Churreáin, who comes from the Cloich Cheann Fhaola, has published three books: Bloodroot (2017), Town (2018) and The Poison Glen (2021). She is also Poetry Editor at The Stinging Fly magazine.

She received the Arts Council’s Next Generation Artist Award in 2016, and was a co-recipient of its inaugural Markievicz Award in 2019.

“As a poet, I’m attracted to the culture of care enshrined into literature and to writing as an act of discovery,” said Ní Churreáin.

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“UCD offers a vibrant space to continue my discoveries through language and to be of service to others who are on that same journey. I’m looking forward to working alongside some of the most talented staff, students and researchers in the country.”

Ní Churreáin is one of nine new Arts Council artists in residence announced across Irish universities for 2025, with each residency worth €30,000. She will have access to a dedicated workspace on campus.

The artists in residence come from various disciplines across literature, film and traditional arts. They join the six artists and organisations previously awarded residencies in higher education institutes for the 2024-2025 academic year, with a focus on children and young people’s arts.

“The Artist in Residence programmes help embed creativity in education, providing critical support to artists as they advance their practice, while also creating vibrant opportunities for students and staff to engage directly with professional artistic expression,” said Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council, at an event held on 20 January to celebrate these partnerships.

“They make for a profound exchange that inspires and uplifts both the artistic and academic communities.”

Last year’s UCD Writer in Residence was author Colin Barrett, whose debut novel Wild Houses was longlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize. Barrett is a graduate of UCD’s MA in Creative Writing.