Celia de Fréine (born 1948) is a poet, playwright, screenwriter and

libretti A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major l ...

st who writes in

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and English.

Background

Celia de Fréine was born in Newtownards, County Down. At an early age she moved with her family to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, maintaining strong links with her extended family in the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

. she was educated at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 33,284 student ...

and Lancaster University. She worked as a civil servant and as a teacher, and now divides her time between Dublin and

Connemara Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...

Poetry

De Fréine has published six collections of poetry.

''Faoi Chabáistí is Ríonacha''

Her first collection ''Faoi Chabáistí is Ríonacha'' ( Cló Iar-Chonnachta, 2001) was awarded ''Duais Aitheantais Ghradam Litríochta Chló Iar-Chonnachta'' in 1999. It has been translated to

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language *** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language ** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...

by Christian Tamas (Ars Longa,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

2003) and to

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

by Vergil Nemchev (Orpheus Press, Bulgaria 2003).

"''As for the world of de Freine's poems, it is unmistakeable once you are in it. It is like surrealism without any intrusive special effects which might have taken it out of the everyday of experience. Gender is turned inside out.''.." Bernard O'Donoghue()

"''And most of these poems have stunning closures that, with well-planned oxymora, waylay the reader's expectations, just as a poem ought''." New Hibernia Review

''Fiacha Fola''

Her second collection, ''Fiacha Fola'' (Cló Iar-Chonnachta, 2004), which gives an account of the Anti-D scandal in Ireland, was awarded ''Gradam Litríochta Chló Iar-Chonnacht'' in 2004.

"''In this incredibly powerful collection, Celia de Fréine has given us an absolute page-turner. Fiacha Fola is the best collection of poetry I have read this year."'' Aine Ni Ghlinn

''Scarecrows at Newtownards''

Her first collection in English ''Scarecrows at Newtownards'' was published by Scotus Press in 2005.

"''Bravery, cowardice, risk, trust – de Fréine surveys the disputed frontier of male and female territories with a lucid, ironic but finally humane eye. The death of poetry, I heard someone say. Not with books like this around. More like the death of criticism if poetry like this is not widely praised and recognised."'' Books Ireland

''imram : odyssey''

In 2010 Arlen House published a bilingual collection ''imram : odyssey'' which takes its cue from the imram genre of Irish Literature and was inspired by a visit to

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

''Aibítir Aoise : Alphabet of an Age''

Published by Arlen House in 2011, ''Aibítir Aoise : Alphabet of an Age'', draws on a Polish genre that invites the author to discuss what (s)he has observed during his/her life. Usually written in prose, de Fréine has adapted it to poetic form.

''cuir amach seo dom : riddle me this''

Published by Arlen House in 2014. The title poem of this collection, which de Fréine wrote while in Slovenia, takes its cue from the riddle, a traditional Slovene form. Also included in the collection are the sequences ''The Lady and the Unicorn : An Bhean Uasal is an tAonadharcach'' and ''Monsanto'', written in Paris and Portugal respectively.

Other collections and awards

De Fréine's poetry has been widely anthologised and has won many additional awards, including the Patrick Kavanagh Award (1994) and British Comparative Literature Association Translation Award (1999).

Plays

De Fréine's plays have been widely produced and won many awards. In 2000, ''Nára Turas é in Aistear'' was produced by Amharclann de hÍde at The New Theatre, Dublin, and at the Galway Town Hall Theatre. In 2004, Anraith Neantóige was produced by Aisling Ghéar at Theatre Space @ the Mint, at the Dublin Theatre Festival Fringe and toured nationwide.

"''Chruthaigh de Fréine go minic go raibh ar a cumas friotal filíochta a chur ar mhothúcháin mná agus is é baois agus barbarthacht na cogaíochta agus dearcadh na mban ina leith is ábhar do Anraith Neantóige. Tá beirt bhan ina gcónaí le chéile in áit iargúlta ar an sliabh, áit a shíleann siad bheith measartha slán ó na buamaí atá ag titim mórthimpeall orthu. Tagann fear óg aníos ón chathair chucu ó am go céile chun bia a thabhairt dóibh agus siamsaíocht a chur ar fáil.''" Máiréad Ní Chinnéide, ''The Irish Times''.Máiréad Ní Chinnéide
''
Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'', 13 October 2004.

''Anraith Neantóige '' was awarded ''Duais an Oireachtais'' for best full-length play in 2003; in 2005 ''Cóirín na dTonn'' won the same award as did ''Tearmann'' in 2006. ''Tearmann'' was also awarded ''Duais Fhoras na Gaeilge'' at

Listowel Listowel ( ; , IPA: �lʲɪsˠˈt̪ˠuəhəlʲ is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,820 according to the CSO Census 2016. Desc ...

Writers' Week in the same year. These three plays were published in a collection, entitled ''Mná Dána'' by Arlen House in 2009. Also in 2009 the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the p ...

commissioned her short play ''Casadh'' which was given a rehearsed reading at the

Peacock Theatre The Peacock Theatre (previously the Royalty Theatre) is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Portugal Street, near Aldwych. The 999-seat house is owned by, and comprises part of the London School of Economics and Politica ...

in Dublin and at An Chultúrlann in Belfast as part of the Gach Áit Eile series. In 2013, ''Beholden'' was given a rehearsed reading at the

National Gallery of Ireland The National Gallery of Ireland ( ga, Gailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann) houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on ...

and the Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire, and in 2012 ''Present'' was given a rehearsed reading at the Pavilion Theatre, as part of Pavilion Playwrights 8 X 10. ''Stamen'' was given a rehearsed reading as part of 8 x 10 Sex in 2014. In 1982, Brian Merriman's '' The Midnight Court'', which she translated and dramatised was produced by the Dublin

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

Society at The Studio, North Great George's Street, Dublin. In 2007 the same company produced a revised version at Theatre 36, Dublin as part of their centenary celebrations. In 2012, Arlen House published three of de Fréine's plays in book form: ''Desire: Meanmarc''; ''Cúirt an Mheán Oíche : The Midnight Court''; and, ''Plight: Cruachás''. This series of plays deals with Brian Merriman and his '' The Midnight Court''. Other productions include: *''Were Man But Constant'' (from

's comedies), The Studio, North Great George's Street, Dublin, 1982. *''The Courting of Emer'', Temple Bar Studios, Dublin, 1985. *''Diarmuid agus Gráinne'', Halla Uí Dhonnabháin Rossa, Dublin, 1986. *''I Have Seen The Stars'', Dublin Theatre FestivalFringe, 1988. *''Holloway 1918'', (Rehearsed Reading), An Béal Bocht, Dublin, 1989. *''Two Girls in Silk Kimonos'', (Rehearsed Reading), Peacock Theatre, Dublin, 1991.

Films

In 2007 filmmaker

Biju Viswanath Biju Viswanath is an Indian film director, director of photography, film editor and screenwriter. Across various genres, he has made numerous films in different languages, notably, English, Tamil, Malayalam, Irish, Swahili & Urdu. He has als ...

developed a series of short films based on her poems. These include ''Lorg / Quest'', ''Seal / Sojourn'', ''Cluiche / Game'' and ''Beatha / Life.'' ''Lorg/ Quest'', was screened at the

Irish Film Institute The Irish Film Institute (IFI; ), formerly the Irish Film Centre, is both an arthouse cinema and a national body that supports Irish film heritage. The IFI presents film festivals, retrospectives and curated seasons, along with independent, ...

during the 2007 Imram Festival of Literature, 2007. It received its US premiere at the Atlanta Indo-American Film Festival in 2008. ''Seal / Sojourn'' was screened at this festival also, having premiered at the New Jersey Independent South Asian Cine Fest earlier the same year. ''Cluiche / Game'' premiered at the Ranelagh Arts Festival-Minicinefest also in 2008. In October 2009 the world premiere of ''Marathon'', which she wrote in association with Viswanath, took place during the New York International Film Festival, scooping awards for best screenplay and best cinematography.

Libretti

In 2009, Living Opera, in association with Opera Ireland, presented a showcase performance of the opera ''The

Earl of Kildare Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

'' at the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray. Music was composed by Fergus Johnston and the libretto by de Fréine.

Television

Celia de Fréine was a scriptwriter for the TG4 series ''Ros na Rún'' between 1997 and 1999. The first script which she wrote was shortlisted for the Celtic Film and Television Festival in 1998.

Translation

De Fréine has translated many European poets into

and English, including: Rainer Maria Rilke, Xohana Torres, and

Catullus Gaius Valerius Catullus (; 84 - 54 BCE), often referred to simply as Catullus (, ), was a Latin poet of the late Roman Republic who wrote chiefly in the neoteric style of poetry, focusing on personal life rather than classical heroes. His ...

, as well as the

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

poets,

Ramesh Parekh Ramesh Parekh (1940-2006) was a Gujarati poet and lyricist from Gujarat, India. He was one of the most popular poets of modern Gujarati poetry. Though government servant by profession, he had deep interest in literature and music. He contributed ...

Dileep Jhaveri Dileep Manubhai Jhaveri ( gu, દિલીપ મનુભાઈ ઝવેરી) is a Gujarati language poet, translator, playwright, editor and physician from Mumbai, India. Biography Jhaveri was born on 3 April 1943 in Mumbai, India to Ma ...

, and Kamal Vora.

Publications

* ''Faoi Chabáistí is Ríonacha'': Cló Iar-Chonnachta 2000; (Romanian translation) Ars Longa, Romania 2003; (Bulgarian translation) Orpheus Press, Sofia. * ''Fiacha Fola'', Cló Iar-Chonnachta, Connemara, 2004 * ''Scarecrows at Newtownards'', Scotus Press, Dublin, 2005 * ''Mná Dána'', Arlen House, Galway, 2009 * ''imram : odyssey'', Arlen House, Galway, 2010. * ''Aibítir Aoise : Alphabet of an Age'', Arlen House, Galway, 2011. * ''Desire: Meanmarc'', Arlen House, Galway, 2012. * ''Cúirt an Mheán Oíche : The Midnight Court'', Arlen House, Galway, 2012. * ''Plight: Cruachás'', Arlen House, Galway, 2012. * ''cuir amach seo dom : riddle me this'', Arlen House, Galway, 2014.

Non-fiction

* ''The Decline and Rise of Irish'', Irish Writers’ Centre Italo-Irish Literary Exchange brochure, 2013. * ''Women Playwrights, Whither?'', published in Creation, Publishing, and Criticism (Peter Lang), 2010. * ''Writing Poetry in Irish'', published in Poetry, Reading it, Writing it, Publishing it (Salmon Poetry), 2009. * ''A Soap for TnaG: "Writing Ros na Rún"'', (New Hibernia Review Vol 3, No 1, Spring 1999). * ''On the Border of Memory: Childhood in a Divided Ireland'' (New Hibernia Review Vol 8, No 1, Spring 2004).

Fiction

* ''Prime Cut'' (short story), shortlisted for the Ian St James Award and published in ''The New Writer'' (April 1999). * ''Birthday Present'', (short story) was published in the anthology ''Noir by Noir West'' (Arlen House, 2014).

Awards

* Patrick Kavanagh Award, 1994 *Comórtas Filíochta Dhún Laoghaire (Dán Gaeilge), 1996 *Sparánacht sa Litríocht (An Chomhairle Ealaíon), 1997 *British Comparative Literature Association Translation Award, 1999 *Duais Aitheantais Ghradam Litríochta Chló Iar-Chonnachta, 1999 *Sparánacht sa Litríocht (An Chomhairle Ealaíon), 2000 *Smurfit/Lá International Poetry Award Samhain Festival (Dán Gaeilge), 2003 *Duais an Oireachtais (Award for play Anraith Neantóige), 2003 *Gradam Litríochta Chló Iar-Chonnachta, 2004 *Duais an Oireachtais (Award for play Cóirín na dTonn), 2005 *Duais an Oireachtais(Award for play Tearmann), 2006 *Duais Fhoras na Gaeilge Listowel Writers' Week (for Tearmann), 2006 *Best screenplay (with Biju Viswanath) at the

New York International Film Festival New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, 2009. *Best international short (with Biju Viswanath) at the

, 2010. *Duais an Oireachtais(Award for play Meanmarc), 2010 *Duais an Oireachtais (script teilifíse, Cuir i gCás), 2011 *Sparánacht sa Litríocht (An Chomhairle Ealaíon), 2013

References

Sources

*''Oxford Concise Companion to Irish Literature'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2000
22 October: Walking the Walk-Political Activism
frontlinedefenders.org. Accessed 3 December 2022.

External links

www.celiadefreine.comwww.scotuspress.comwww.abbeytheatre.iewww.operaireland.iewww.fergusjohnston.comwww.marathonthemovie.comwww.rosnarun.comwww.antoireachtas.iewww.aislingghear.comwww.dublinshakespearesociety.iewww.kennys.iewww.nyfilmvideo.comwww.cic.iewww.bijuviswanath.comInterview, February 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freine, Celia De Irish women poets Living people 1948 births Writers from County Galway People from Newtownards Writers from Dublin (city) Irish librettists Opera librettists Women opera librettists Alumni of University College Dublin Alumni of Lancaster University 20th-century Irish poets 20th-century Irish women writers 21st-century Irish poets 21st-century Irish women writers 20th-century Irish translators 21st-century Irish translators Writers from County Down