Áine Ní Ghlinn

Áine Ní Ghlinn (born 1955) is a bilingual Irish journalist, playwright and writer who writes for children, television and radio in Irish. She is also one of the foremost exponents of Irish language poetry.^[1]

Life and work

Ní Ghlinn was born in County Tipperary in 1955. She went to the Presentation Convent in Thurles and then to University College Dublin where she got her degree in Irish and English. She went on to complete her Higher Diploma in Education. She initially worked as a secondary teacher. Ní Ghlinn later went to the London School of Journalism where she gained a Diploma in Journalism. Her M.A. in Creative Writing is from Lancaster University.^[2] Today she writes for RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and RTÉ. She is one of the writers on the TV show Ros na Rún.^[3] She lives in Dublin.

Ní Ghlinn teaches creative writing to all ages, especially in Gaelscoil (i.e. Irish speaking schools.) She leads workshops for teachers on Irish language and literature.^[4] Some of the topics that she covers in her poetry are difficult subjects like the abuse of children or an emigrants journey^[5]

She has won various awards for adult and children's poetry, drama, fiction. She was awarded the 1992 Irish Arts Council Bursary. In 2002 she was awarded the Foras na Gaeilge Award at Seachtain na Scríbhneoirí in Listowel. Then in 2003 she won the Gradam Chlann Lir with Céard tá sa Bhosca? In 2003 She won both the Irish-language prize at the Strokestown poetry festival and the Dun Laoghaire / Rathdown poetry competition. She was shortlisted for the Bisto prize for Brionglóidí & Aistir Eile (2008).

She was awarded Oireachtas prizes for her books, Fuadach (2005), Tromluí (2009) and Úbalonga (2009). In 2010 was awarded an IBBY award. In 2012, she won an Oireachtas prize for her plays for children and her latest novel for teenagers. In 2013 Daideo was also awarded an Oireachtas prize. Daideo also won the Gradam Réics Carlo Irish language Book of the Year in 2014. Nílim ag Iarraidh Dul ar Scoil was shortlisted in the same year.^[6][7]

Bibliography

Further reading

• Migration and identity in 20th Century and contemporary Irish Language literature
• Celtic Culture: Aberdeen breviary-celticism, Volume 1 of Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia, John T. Koch, ABC-CLIO, 2006, ISBN 1851094407, ISBN 9781851094400
• Best of Irish poetry 2007, Maurice Riordan, Colm Breathnach, Southword Editions, 1 January 2006
• The Irish Writer and the World, Declan Kiberd, Cambridge University Press, 11 August 2005

References