Kildare County Council Arts Service, in partnership with Maynooth University, supports a Writer in Residence programme that brings writers of established reputation into close engagement with students and the wider community. The residency marks a decade‑long collaboration between Maynooth University and Kildare County Council, reflecting a shared commitment to supporting literary practice, creative development and public engagement.
Based at Maynooth University, the Writer in Residence is hosted for a twelve‑month period and is supported to balance their own creative work with a programme of engagement that includes working with students, readers and local communities. The role typically involves an average commitment of six hours per week and provides writers with dedicated time and space to advance current or new writing projects.
The residency offers students and the public the opportunity to engage directly with writers of distinction through workshops, readings, talks and collaborative activity, while also supporting writers at a key stage in their professional practice. Previous Writers in Residence at Maynooth University have included Aingeala Flannery, Catherine Prasifka, Fíona Scarlett, Paul Lynch, Christodoulos Makris, Eoin McNamee, Annemarie Ní Churreáin, Sue Rainsford, Susan Tomaselli and Joanna Walsh, representing a wide range of voices and literary approaches across poetry and prose.
The Writer in Residence receives a residency fee / award of €30,000 for the twelve-month residency, along with access to university facilities and professional support throughout the residency period. The programme also creates valuable connections between higher education, the arts and the wider public, contributing to Kildare County Council’s wider cultural and literary landscape.