Aoife K Walsh is new head of MoLI

Aoife K. Walsh has been appointed as the new Head of Exhibitions & Programming at the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI).

A collaboration between University College Dublin and the National Library of Ireland, MoLI is Ireland’s national museum of literature. Located in the original home of UCD on St Stephen’s Green, the museum brings Irish writing to life through immersive exhibitions, public programmes and contemporary commissions.

Walsh joins MoLI from New Island Books, where she served as editorial director, following an extensive career spanning publishing, literary programming, exhibition development and international cultural engagement. She previously worked with Literature Ireland, promoting Irish writers and literature on the global stage through major international book fairs and cultural showcases in Ireland.

David Cleary, director and CEO of MoLI, said: “On behalf of the Board of MoLI, and our founders University College Dublin and the National Library of Ireland, I am delighted to welcome Aoife to the museum.”

Walsh said: “I am delighted to join MoLI, an institution that celebrates the transformative power of literature and the enduring importance of storytelling in our lives.”

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In The Irish Times tomorrow, Martina Evans writes about how her time as a radiographer in London’s Pentonville Prison inspired her latest book, Drunken Driving. John Ware tells Mark Hennessy about his book, Neither Confirm Nor Deny: Lawless Agent Running, the Suppression of Truth, and MI5. And there is a Q&A with Mary Watson about her new thriller, The Lover.

Reviews are Sinéad Gleeson on Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy; Caragh Maxwell on My Greatest Race by Ciara Mageean; Anne Haverty on The Butterfly Season by Lea Korsgaard; Declan O’Driscoll on the best new translations; Paschal Donohoe on Doing Good: How Ethical Capitalism Can Save Liberal Democracy by Markus Gabriel; Pat Carty on Fantastic Kingdom by Helene von Bismarck; Dean Van Nguyen on Tonight the Music Seems So Loud by Sathnam Sanghera; Patrick Holloway on The Ballad of Ronan McCoy by Colin Morgan; Colm McKenna on The End of Everything by M. John Harrison; Lucy Sweeney Byrne on Hey Man by Andrew Meehan; Houman Barekat on The Coast of Everything by Guillermo Stitch; and Paul Clements on local history.

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Irish novelist and Irish Times critic Helen Cullen has curated an online workshop and webinar series for Brunel University of London where she teaches creative writing – the New Writers Programme .

As partners of the Nero New Writers Prize for unpublished writers in Ireland and the UK, the aim of Brunel is to support as many aspiring writers as possible. The workshops will provide craft advice and inspiration, while the webinars offer insights into the publishing industry, demystifying the publishing process for all.

The series includes workshops with award-winning writers: Writing Children’s Fiction with Patrice Lawrence; Writing Narrative Non-Fiction with Sophie Elmhirst; and Anatomy of a Story with Lucy Caldwell, a short story writing workshop.

The webinars focus on paths to publication for writers of adult fiction and non-fiction and children’s fiction with agents and editors from RCW Literary Agency, Phoenix Books, Dialogue Books, International Creative Agency, Faber, Picador, Hachette Children’s, Guppy Books and AM Heath Literary Agency.

The programme kicks off on July 2nd and runs through to August. Please click here to read more and register for your free spot : everyone is welcome.

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Earagail Arts Festival, Letterkenny & Rathmullan, Co Donegal

The Journals Fleadh returns for its third year to gather readers, writers, and editors for a vibrant weekend of conversation, community, and workshops in Letterkenny and the seaside town of Rathmullan in Co Donegal, from Friday to Sunday, July 17th to 19th.

The weekend opens in Letterkenny with an invitation to ‘Meet the Players’, introducing emerging voices from Profiles and The Frustrated Writers’ Group, followed by a conversation with Eimear Ryan of Banshee Press and literary journal, Banshee.

We also hear from prominent literary voices such as essayist and journalist Roisin Kiberd and author Jan Carson. Rounding it out are opportunities to put pen to paper in two workshops, led by writer and The Pig’s Back editor Dean Fee, and poet, editor, and poetry critic Mícheál McCann.

At the heart of the weekend, presented by Earagail Arts Festival & Regional Cultural Centre, and curated by Megan Johnson, is a celebration of Ireland’s thriving literary journal scene, which has supported and shaped the work of so many featured writers.

Journals including Profiles, Tolka, The Stinging Fly, The Pig’s Back, Poetry Ireland Review, Frustrated Writers’ Group, Banshee, The Dublin Review and more will be represented, offering opportunities to meet the people behind the pages, connect, and maybe even take a bracing dip in the sea.

The Human Library, a not-for-profit learning platform which hosts personal conversations desi…