Nessa O’Mahony is an Irish poet and a freelance teacher and writer.

Life and work

Born in

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

, she was educated in St Louis High School, Rathmines before going on to

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 collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

to study English. She was a recipient of the Mary Colum Award for being the highest placed female student in English Literature for the BA in 1984. O'Mahony worked as a journalist in RTÉ Aertel and Lafferty Publications, before switching to public relations with roles in the Irish Insurance Federation and

Arts Council (Ireland) The Arts Council (sometimes called the Arts Council of Ireland; legally ga, An Chomhairle Ealaíon) is the independent "Irish government agency for developing the arts." About It was established in 1951 by the Government of Ireland, to encour ...

, where she was Head of Public Affairs (1999-2002). She began writing poetry in 1994. She published her first collection of poems, Bar Talk, in 1999, and was a regular presenter on the radio show Writers Inc. Anna Livia FM from 1997 to 1999. She returned to full-time education in 2002, completing a Masters in Creative Writing at the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

(2003) and a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing at the

University of Wales Bangor , former_names = University College of North Wales (1884–1996) University of Wales, Bangor (1996–2007) , image = File:Arms_of_Bangor_University.svg , image_size = 250px , caption = Arms ...

in 2006. Since then she has won awards for her poetry, worked as assistant Editor of UK literary journal Orbis, tutors for the Open Education department at

Dublin City University Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) ( ga, Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a university based on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. Created as the ''National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin'' in 1975, it enrolled its f ...

and teaches workshops on poetry and writing through a number of venues including the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

. Her works have been translated into several languages and published across the world. She lives in Rathfarnham.

Awards and bursaries

* 1996 Joint winner of the Kerry International Summer School Poetry Competition * 1997 National Women's Poetry Competition * shortlisted Patrick Kavanagh Prize * shortlisted Hennessy Literature Awards * 2004, 2011 and 2018 Awarded an Arts Council of Ireland literature bursary * 2005 Simba Gill Fellowship * 2007 Artists’ bursary from South Dublin County Council * Artist in residence at the John Hume Institute for Global Irish Studies at University College Dublin

Criticism

Novelist

Joseph O'Connor Joseph Victor O'Connor (born 20 September 1963) is an Irish novelist. His 2002 historical novel '' Star of the Sea'' was an international number one bestseller. Before success as an author, he was a journalist with the ''Sunday Tribune'' newspa ...

(''In Sight of Home'') :

‘a moving, powerful and richly pleasurable read, audaciously imagined and achieved’

Poet

Tess Gallagher Tess Gallagher (born 1943) is an American poet, essayist, and short story writer. Among her many honors were a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts award, Maxine Cu ...

(''Her Father’s Daughter'') :

‘words are her witching sticks and she employs them with beautiful, engaging intent, the better to make present what has preceded and what approaches.’

Bibliography

* Bar Talk (Italics Press, 1999) * Trapping a Ghost (Bluechrome, 2005) * In Sight of Home(Salmon, 2009) * Her Father's Daughter (Salmon, 2014) * The Branchman (Arlen House, 2018) * The Hollow Woman on the Island (Salmon, 2019) Co-editions * Eavan Boland. Inside History (with Dr. Siobhán Campbell) (Arlen House 2016) * Metamorphic. 21st century poets respond to Ovid (with Paul Munden) (Recent Work Press 2017)

References

External links

Official website biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:OMahony, Nessa Living people Alumni of the University of East Anglia Irish women poets 20th-century Irish poets 20th-century Irish women writers 21st-century Irish poets 21st-century Irish women writers Writers from Dublin (city) Year of birth missing (living people) People educated at St Louis High School, Rathmines Alumni of University College Dublin