Course Facilitator; Pauline Clooney

Pauline Clooney is an award-winning writer and founder of the Kildare Writing Centre. A former teacher of English, History, and Drama for over 30 years, she now works full-time as a writer and creative writing facilitator, with experience delivering workshops for institutions including the Irish Writers Centre, NUI Maynooth, and numerous festivals across Ireland. Pauline holds an MA in Creative Writing from UCD, an MLitt from NUIM with a thesis on Charlotte Brontë, and a diploma in Creative Writing for Publication.

Her debut novel, Charlotte and Arthur (Merdog Books), a reimagining of Charlotte Brontë’s Irish honeymoon, reflects her scholarly and narrative expertise. Her short fiction has received widespread recognition, most recently winning the 2024 Dingle Literary Festival Short Story Competition. She is a recipient of the Arts Council Agility Award and a former winner of the RTÉ Guide/Penguin Ireland Short Story Competition.

Pauline is a frequent festival speaker, including at the Bradford International Literature Festival and Brontë Society events in Ireland and Japan. She is a member of several professional literary organizations and continues to support emerging voices in Irish fiction through her teaching and mentorship.  

Course Level:

Beginners to advanced

Course Summary:

This one-day workshop will help you get down the bones of a story while also looking at the major aspects of characters, setting, dialogue and description.

The aim is that you will have a first draft to take away to work further on, with the skills to help you.