Testimonials

  • Jan Carson at the University of Stuttgart

    students

     

    Having read some of Jan Carson’s short stories, I was eager to hear her speak. What struck me most about Jan was her incredible wit and clarity. She knows exactly the points she wants to make and articulates them with precision.

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  • Caitriona Lally visiting Cluj and Sibiu in Romania

    students

    As students of Irish literature, we rarely got the chance to meet (not to mention talk to) authors whose works we were studying. It was an incredible opportunity to hear Caitriona Lally talk about herself, about her interests and quirky obsessions with maps and...

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  • Sheila Armstrong and Jan Carson at the Tartalo, Vitoria-Gasteiz

    audience members

     

    Tartalo: II Week of the Fantastic in the Arts, celebrated in Vitoria (Spain) from 4 November to 10 November, was enriched by the particpation of Sheila Armstrong and Jan Carson. They were the protagonists of the Irish Itinerary...

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  • Naoise Dolan visits the University of La Rioja and the Librería Santos Ochoa

    audience member

     

    It was a great pleasure meeting Irish author Naoise Dolan. Her reading and interview at the University of La Rioja with Professor Melania Terrazas Gallego was truly enlightening. It was fascinating hearing Naoise talk about her beliefs and views...

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  • Mary Costello at the 2024 AEDEI Conference

    It was fascinating to hear Costello talking about her work and all that is behind her stories. I am very pleased to have had the chance to see and hear in real life her dark and meaningful words. 

    Noelia Adán Angullo

    ***

    Mary Costello's session at AEDEI 2024 was incredibly...

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  • Lucy Caldwell at the 2024 AEDEI Conference

    It was such a pleasure to have the opportunity to listen to such a talented author, and learning about her writing process and her inspirations was so interesting. I also enjoyed a lot her reading of some of the fragments of her writings, her words felt magically comforting.

    Noelia Adán...

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  • Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin at the University of Vienna

    students

     

    “It was a pleasure to attend Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin's poetry reading and be taken on a journey through the poet's works as she read poems from different stages in her creative career. The vivid imagery of her writings made the words come alive and created an enchanting atmosphere. It...

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  • Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin reading at Charles University Prague

    students

     

    "Unforgettable reading of one of the most witty, energetic, and powerful poets I have had the chance to see and hear in real life. Her poetry conjures up a smile on your face and sends you...

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  • Wendy Erskine at book shop Paard van Troje in Gent

    “Listening to Wendy Erskine during the Irish Itinerary in Ghent has been such a pleasure. Her wit and honesty have charmed us and lead us through the processes of conceiving and writing characters in short stories. Absolutely brilliant!”

    Simona Adinolfi (PhD student)

    photos by Sid...

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  • Wendy Erskine at the Irish College Leuven

    student

    “It was an immense pleasure to have the opportunity to meet and listen to such a talented and promising author. Wendy Erskine was very affable and energetic, and  the event particularly useful not only to gain new insights into texts, but also to get to know the person behind the opera: her...

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  • Emilie Pine at the University of Granada

    students

    “Emilie Pine's warmth and openness left a lasting impression on me. Her willingness to share her personal journey, real emotions, and inner conflicts was truly inspiring and relatable. I was particularly struck by her insight into bridging reality and expressing the non-...

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  • Dermot Bolger at the University of Alcalá

    students

    “Dermot Bolger exceeded all expectations. Engaging in direct dialogue with him provided a captivating insight into his multifaceted world of plays, novels, poems, and radio work. His reflection on writing stories as a means of understanding the world struck a chord with me...

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  • Dermot Bolger visiting Alcalá and Granada

    writer

    "When I spent the first months of strict Covid Lockdown gazing out at a deserted Dublin street, while going back over short stories published or broadcast during the previous three decades, to revise the best of them and finally publish a debut collection of short stories, I...

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  • Emilie Pine visiting Almería and Granada

    writer

    "It was such a pleasure to be invited to read my work and meet with students in Almeria and Granada. When I began writing, I could not imagine that I would have opportunities like these, to spend time with students in Spain who have read what I've written and who are so...

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  • Dermot Bolger visiting the University of Alcalá, Madrid

    students

    "Being able to interact with the author allows one the opportunity to discover part of the process behind his writing. Dermot Bolger is a clever and humorous writer who is conscious of how fast reality can be altered. To him, being an author does not have the aim of achieving...

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  • Jan Carson at the University of Kiel

    MA students

    "Jan Carson's reading was truly impressive and impactful and I gained profound insights into someone who lived through the troubles. Her ability to use writing as a coping mechanism, transforming negativity into something impactful, is truly inspiring. I also think her writing style is very...

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  • Jan Carson at the Carl-von-Ossietzky-Buchhandlung in Flensburg

    audience members

     

    “Hearing Jan Carson read from her books was an absolute joy – the humour and insight that she shares with the audience and readers was a treasure. The insight into the different perspectives allows us to gain a glimpse into lives and ways that are...

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  • Jan Carson at the University of Hamburg

    students and lecturer

    "It was a pleasure to meet Jan Carson in the last session of our university seminar on hotels in literature. I was impressed by how charismatically and casually Carson engaged with our group. After briefly introducing herself to us, she read a variety of excerpts from her yet...

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  • Helen Cullen at the University of Stuttgart

    students

    "The creative writing workshop by Helen Cullen was a truly exciting experience. I'm still surprised when I think about how much I learned in such a short span of time. The writing exercises were a lot more fun and a lot less intimidating than I had feared at first, and her...

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  • Helen Cullen at the University of Siegen

    students

     

    “I really enjoyed Helen's description of motherhood in Ireland. How until today the Irish constitution differs between man and women and patriarchy reveals itself in the system's core. Helen explained how the relationship between Irish mothers and their children creates a lot of...

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  • Helen Cullen at the Literaturhaus Dortmund

    audience members

    Helen Cullen’s reading was a profound experience that stirred introspection and emotion. She showcased brilliance as a writer by questioning my own beliefs through her literature and her presentation of it. Moreover, the reading offered personal insights into Helen Cullen’s writing process,...

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  • Poetry Reading Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh in Bratislava

    students

    Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh sat down with us (first year English language and literature students) in our university café at Comenius University to read us her works of poetry first in English, then in Irish. Not only had some of my classmates never engaged with Irish poetry, but...

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  • Poetry Reading Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh at Centre for Irish Studies Prague

    Student

    It was a treat hearing Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh's poems in Irish, with their individual backstories, and such an amazing concept, to get one poem read in three languages. It really got me thinking about the uniqueness of the experience of the original text and it s translations...

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  • Literary Evening with Pat Boran and Sheila Armstrong, LCIS writers-in-residence

    Student

    "On the evening of October 19th, the Irish College came alive with the enchanting presence of celebrated writers Sheila Armstrong and Pat Boran. The event witnessed a tremendous outpouring of interest from an enthusiastic audience, a testament to the...

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  • Kateřina García and Pádraig Ó Liatháin about their visit to the University of La Rioja

    Musicians & academics

    We had a fantastic experience at the Irish Itinerary Seminar 2023 of the Centre for Irish Studies BANNA/BOND, at the University of La Rioja. The event was excellently organised by Dr Melania Terrazas and her team. Dr Terrazas was a fabulous host, very forthcoming...

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  • SJ McArdle at the Irish College Leuven

    musician

    (c) Photos by Tom Herbots

  • Lucy Caldwell and Anne Enright in conversation

    On a bitterly cold, late November evening we were treated to a warm conversation with two of Ireland's most prominent contemporary, female writers, Anne Enright and Lucy Caldwell. The event, chaired by Professor Hedwig Schwall, saw both writers share their unique insights into what being Irish...

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  • Jan Carson visiting the University of Tübingen

    students

    It was a thoroughly amazing experience to be able to meet, listen and talk to Jan Carson! As our seminar is based on her works and Jan Carson was very approachable – even encouraging difficult questions herself – it proved extremely useful meeting her. On top of that, Jan...

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