Gerard Beirne is an

Irish author Irish literature comprises writings in the Irish, Latin, English and Scots ( Ulster Scots) languages on the island of Ireland. The earliest recorded Irish writing dates from the 7th century and was produced by monks writing in both Latin an ...

and

literary editor A literary editor is an editor in a newspaper, magazine or similar publication who deals with aspects concerning literature and books, especially reviews.

. He is a fiction editor for ''

The Fiddlehead ''The Fiddlehead'' is a Canadian literary magazine, published four times annually at the University of New Brunswick. It is the oldest Canadian literary magazine which is still in circulation. History and profile ''The Fiddlehead'' was establis ...

'' and curates the online magazine ''The Irish Literary Times''. In 2008, Beirne served as

Writer in Residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

at the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Americ ...

, where he taught creative writing. Beirne currently teaches at the

Atlantic Technological University Atlantic Technological University (also known as Atlantic TU or ATU; ga, Ollscoil Teicneolaíochta an Atlantaigh; OTA) is a technological university in the west and north-west of Ireland. It was formally established on 1 April 2022 as a merge ...

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

Awards and Honours

In 1996, Beirne was awarded two Hennessey Literary Awards, "New Irish Writer of the Year" and "Best Emerging Fiction Writer". His debut novel ''The Eskimo in the Net'' was short-listed for the 2004

Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award The Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award is an annual award for Irish authors of fiction, established in 1995. It was previously known as the Kerry Ingredients Book of the Year Award (1995–2000), the Kerry Ingredients Irish Fiction Award ( ...

and was selected as Book of the Year by the

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

. In 1997, ''Digging My Own Grave'' was runner-up for the

Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award The Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award is an Irish poetry award for a collection of poems by an author who has not previously been published in collected form. It is confined to poets born on the island of Ireland, or who have Irish nationality, or are ...

. In 2000,

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...

starred in a short film adaptation of Beirne's story "Sightings of Bono." Beirne's collaboration with composer

Siobhán Cleary Siobhán Cleary (born 10 May 1970) is an Irish composer. Her most successful compositions have been her orchestral works ''Alchemy'' and ''Cokaygne'' and her choral piece ''Theophilus Thistle and the Myth of Miss Muffett''. Her opera ''Vampirell ...

, ''Hum'', was called "a theatrical tour de force" by ''

The 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 ...

''. Beirne's first short story collection, ''In a Time of Drought and Hunger'' was shortlisted for the 2016

Danuta Gleed Literary Award The Danuta Gleed Literary Award is a Canadian national literary prize, awarded since 1998. It recognizes the best debut short fiction collection by a Canadian author in English language. The annual prize was founded by John Gleed in honour of his ...

."Short-story award short list revealed"
''

Winnipeg Free Press The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well as ...

'', June 11, 2016. That same year, he was shortlisted for the

Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards The Irish Book Awards are Irish literary awards given annually to books and authors in various categories. In 2018 An Post took over sponsorship of the awards from Bord Gais Energy. It is the only literary award supported by all-Irish bookstores. ...

for his short story "What a River Remembers of its Course."

Selected works

Novels

* ''The Eskimo in the Net.'' London:

Marion Boyars Marion Ursula Boyars, ''née'' Asmus (26 October 1927 – 1 February 1999), was a British book publisher who in 1975 founded her own imprint, Marion Boyars Publishers. Biography She was born Marion Asmus in New York, daughter of German publisher ...

, 2003. * ''Turtle.'' Ottawa:

Oberon Oberon () is a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fair ...

, 2009. * ''Charlie Tallulah.'' Ottawa: Oberon, 2013.

Short Story Collections

* ''In a Time of Drought and Hunger.'' Ottawa: Oberon, 2015.

Poetry

* ''Digging My Own Grave.'' Dublin: Dedalus, 1997. * ''Games of Chance: A Gambler's Manual.'' Ottawa: Oberon, 2011.

Theatre and Film

* ''Hum!'' with

. Commissioned by

Irish Chamber Orchestra The Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO) is an Irish classical music ensemble, administratively based at the University of Limerick. János Fürst founded the ICO in 1963. The ICO consisted only of strings as its regular ensemble for many years, adding wi ...

1998. Revived by the

RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO; previously known as RTÉ Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra) is the largest professional orchestra in Ireland. Housed at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, since January 2022, it used ...

in 2020. * ''Sightings of Bono.'' Parallel Productions, 2000. Starring

References

External links

Gerard Beirne.com
— official website. {{DEFAULTSORT:Beirne, Gerard Living people 20th-century Irish novelists 20th-century Irish male writers Irish male novelists 20th-century Irish poets University of New Brunswick faculty Place of birth missing (living people) 1962 births Irish male poets 21st-century Irish novelists 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Irish poets 20th-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian poets Canadian male poets Canadian male novelists Canadian male short story writers 21st-century Canadian short story writers Irish male short story writers 21st-century Irish short story writers Irish emigrants to Canada 20th-century Canadian short story writers 21st-century Canadian male writers