Welcome to the Munster

Literature Centre

Founded in 1993, the Munster Literature Centre (Ionad Litríochta an Deiscirt) is a non-profit arts organisation dedicated to the promotion and celebration of literature, especially that of Munster. To this end, we organise festivals, workshops, readings and competitions. Our publishing section, Southword Editions, publishes a biannual journal, poetry collections and short stories. We actively seek to support new and emerging writers and are assisted in our efforts through funding from Cork City Council, Cork County Council and the Arts Council of Ireland.

Originally located in Sullivan's Quay, the centre moved to its current premises in the Frank O'Connor House (the author's birthplace) at 84 Douglas Street, in 2003.

In 2000, the Munster Literature Centre organised the first Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival, an event dedicated to the celebration of the short story and named for one of Cork's most beloved authors. The festival showcases readings, literary forums and workshops. Following continued growth and additional funding, the Cork City - Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award was introduced in 2005, coinciding with Cork's designation as that year's European Capital of Culture. The award is now recognised as the single biggest prize for a short story collection in the world and is presented at the end of the festival.

In 2002, the Munster Literature Centre introduced the Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Prize, an annual short story competition dedicated to one of Ireland's most accomplished story writers and theorists. This too is presented during the FOC festival. The centre also hosts the Cork Spring Literary Festival each year.

Workshops are held by featured authors in both autumn and spring, allowing the general public to receive creative guidance in an intimate setting for a minimal fee. In addition, the centre sponsors a Writer in Residence each year.

We invite you to browse our website for further information regarding our events, Munster literature, and other literary information. Should you have any queries, we would be happy to hear from you.

THEO DORGAN

Born in Cork, 1953. Poet, prose writer, editor, scriptwriter, translator and sailor. His most recent work includes Greek (Dedalus, 2010), a volume of poetry, and Time on the Ocean: Sailing From Cape Horn to Cape Town (New Island Press, 2010), a memoir. Other poetry collections include The Ordinary House of Love (Galway, Salmon Poetry, 1991), Rosa Mundi (Salmon Poetry, 1995) and Sappho’s Daughter (Dublin, Wave Train Press 1998). He has also published selected poems in Italian, La Case ai Margini del Mundo, (Faenza, Moby Dick, 1999), and a Spanish translation of Sappho’s Daughter, La Hija de Safo (Madrid, Poesía Hiperión, 2001). In 2005 Dorgan participated in a translation project run by Southword Publications during Cork's year as European Capital of Culture, producing Songs of Earth and Light, translations of the Slovenian poet Barbara Korun (in collaboration with the poet and Ana Jelnikar).

He has edited The Great Book of Ireland (with Gene Lambert, 1991), Revising the Rising (with Máirín Ní Dhonnachadha, 1991), Irish Poetry Since Kavanagh (Dublin, Four Courts Press, 1996), Watching the River Flow (with Noel Duffy, Dublin, Poetry Ireland/Éigse Éireann, 1999), The Great Book of Gaelic (wiith Malcolm Maclean, Edinburgh, Canongate, 2002) and The Book of Uncommon Prayer (Dublin, Penguin Ireland, 2007).
He was the Series Editor of European Poetry Translation Network publications and Director of the collective translation seminars from which the books arose.

He has worked extensively as a broadcaster of literary programmes on both radio and television. He was presenter of Poetry Now on RTÉ Radio 1, and later presented RTÉ's TV books programme, Imprint. He also served as Co-Director of the Cork Film Festival from 1986 until 1989 (along with Mick Hannigan). He became Director of Poetry Ireland in 1989 and served in this position until 2000. He is a member of Aosdána and was appointed to The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon in 2003. He also served on the Board of Cork European Capital of Culture 2005.

Among his awards are the Listowel Prize for Poetry, 1992. He lives in Dublin.

Author Links

Poem by Dorgan & reviews of his work in Southword Journal

Bio and poems at Poetry International Web

Dorgan at Dedalus Press

Address: by Theo Dorgan to UCC Graduating Students

Sailing for Home (extract)

Cork Spring
Poetry Festival

15 - 18 February 2012

Read Southword Journal

Issue 21 now online!

Poetry International.org

MLC produces the Irish section of this prestigious poetry site.
Current poets: Caitríona Ní Chléirchín, Greg Delanty,
Katie Donovan, & Michael O'Loughlin.
www.poetryinternational.org

The Gregory O'Donoghue
International
Poetry Competition

Now closed. Thanks to
everyone who
entered!

Best Irish Poetry in English 2010

Visit our bookstore here.

Festivals

The Munster Literature Centre hosts two annual festivals. The larger Cork City - Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival takes place each September, while the Cork Spring Literary Festival, with varying themes, is presented each spring. Further information is available on our drop down menus.

MLC Workshops

Workshops run in spring & autumn. Check back in October 2011 for more details!

Munster Literature Centre

Create your badge

Frank O'Connor House, 84 Douglas Street, Cork, Ireland.

Tel. (353) 021 4312955 Email munsterlit@eircom.net