Fred Johnston and Re Ó Laighleis for Ennis Book Festival

clare | arts and media | event notice Wednesday February 17, 2010 15:30 by Western Writers' Centre - The Western Writers' Centre - Ionad Scribhneoirí Chaitlin Maude 087.2178138

Scéal Eile Bookshop, Ennis, is the venue, Saturday, March 6th, 3. 30pm

Ré O Laighléis is a native of Sallynoggin, Co Dublin. A graduate of the University of Galway (1978), he has postgraduate degrees in education from St Patrick's College, Dublin and Boston College, Massachusetts. He taught in Galway for twelve years.

Fred Johnston, novelist, translator, founder of Galway's Cúirt festival and of 'The Forge at Gort,' is the recipient of numerous grants and bursaries and in 1972, the Hennessy Literary Award.

Fred Johnston

Fred Johnston, founder with Peter Sheridan and Neil Jordan of the old Irish Writers' Co-operative in the Seventies, writes and publishes his poetry only in French these days, but will read from earlier work as well. Several years ago, he was writer in residence to the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco. His novel, 'The Neon Rose,' is set in the Paris legal world; his most recent published work is 'Northern Lights,' the poetry of French poet, Colette Wittorski.

Since 1992, O Laighléis has been a full-time writer and lives in the Burren, Co Clare. Six of his plays were awarded the All Ireland Schools Drama title and he is a three-times winner of the Aodh O Ruairc Commemorative Drama Award. His Aistear Intinne (COISCEIM, 1996), is written for drama teachers and children.

He is best known, as a writer of novels and short stories. He is published in English and Italian, and is the biggerst selling contemporary writer in the Irish language. He writes for both the adult and teenage reader, and has been awarded numerous Oireachtas literary awards in the various genres. He is twice winner of The Bisto Book of the Year Merit Award. On the international front, he is the recipient of the 1995 NAMLLA Award (North American Minority Languages Literary Award) and the 1997 White Ravens Literary Award.