28/08/2026
Offaly County Council Arts Office is delighted to announce the recipients of the 2026 Birr Writers' Residency, welcoming award-winning author, editor and broadcaster Sinéad Gleeson, alongside Aoife O'Connor, John Paul Davies, Catherine Chanter and Paul Van Sickle to Birr this September and October.
The Birr Writers' Residency provides professional writers with dedicated time and space to focus on their creative practice in the unique setting of Brendan House, a historic period residence in the heart of Birr. Supported by Offaly County Council Arts Office since 2014, the residency offers writers the opportunity to work in a tranquil and inspiring environment while experiencing the rich cultural and heritage life of County Offaly.
The 2026 residency recipients represent a diverse range of literary disciplines and achievements:
Sinéad Gleeson is the award-winning author of Constellations: Reflections from Life, which won Non-Fiction Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards and the Dalkey Literary Award for Emerging Writer. Her debut novel Hagstone was published in 2024 and was subsequently longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award and shortlisted for the John McGahern Book Prize
Aoife O'Connor is a Dublin-based playwright and poet whose debut play In Vitro enjoyed a sell-out run at Bewley's Café Theatre. A recipient of the Irish Writers Centre Bursary and Mermaid Theatre Gap Days Award, she holds an MFA in Creative Writing from DCU
John Paul Davies, originally from Birkenhead and now living in County Meath, is a former winner of the RTÉ Guide/Penguin Ireland Story Award and the Letheon Poetry Prize. His work has appeared in journals and anthologies across Ireland, the UK and the United States.
Catherine Chanter is an award-winning author whose debut novel The Well was published in twelve countries and is studied internationally as a significant work of climate fiction. She is currently developing a new poetry collection exploring her Irish heritage.
Paul Van Sickle is a Dublin-based writer whose work has appeared in The Stinging Fly, Sans Press, Belfield Literary Review and other publications. They are currently completing a short story collection and drafting a new play.
Offaly Arts Office is delighted to support these accomplished writers through a residency that provides meaningful opportunities for creative development and reflection. The residency reflects the Arts Office's ongoing commitment to supporting artists at all stages of their careers and fostering literary excellence in County Offaly.
We look forward to welcoming the writers to Birr during the September and October residency periods and to meeting them as they spend time developing their work in this inspiring heritage town. We are proud to support writers in such a meaningful way and look forward to seeing how their time in Birr contributes to the next chapter of their creative journeys.
The Birr Writers' Residency is supported by Offaly County Council Arts Office in partnership with Brendan House, Birr.
Offaly County Council Offaly Independent Irish Writers Centre Poetry Ireland / Éigse Éireann Birr Vintage Week & Arts Festival
