Emer FallonKERRY County Council, supported by the Arts Council, has welcomed back Emer Fallon as Writer in Residence for Kerry in 2026.
Emer has successfully developed a strong network of writers and groups across the county and will build on achievements to date to continue to promote access to, participation in and standards of practice in creative writing.
The Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council, Cllr. Michael Foley said: ‘Kerry County Council is a strong supporter of the arts and creative writing is an integral part of culture in Kerry. It is important that we continue to support opportunities for people to explore their own creativity and continue to foster new generations of Kerry writers.’
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As Writer in Residence, Emer Fallon is hoping to connect with writers working on first collections of poetry or fiction or who may be planning to submit to journals and competitions and who would like detailed feedback on their work.
Emer Fallon said: ‘I am very happy to read up to twenty pages of fiction or ten pages of poetry from a writer, so if you’re trying to knock a collection or novel into shape, I’d love to hear from you.’
Highlights from Emer’s 2025 residency include compiling and editing ‘The Way We Lived’, a collection of stories and memories shared by Castleisland Daycare Centre attendees, brought together in a booklet launched earlier this year and witnessing the collaborative poems crafted over a series of workshops by writers from all over Kerry become the focus of five short films screened in Siamsa Tíre for Culture Night and at the Dingle Film Festival in November.
Emer also recommends that everyone have a read of Local Links, a slim but powerful little anthology of work from selected Kerry writers compiled and edited last year, and available on Borrowbox.
She will be visiting schools, offering group workshops and providing feedback to individual writers throughout this year’s residency. She can be contacted at emerwriterinres@gmail.com
The Kerry County Council Arts Service and the Arts Council of Ireland fund the Residency programme.
The Residency programme is a key part of the annual work programme to develop the arts in Kerry.
