Mary O’Donnell has worked professionally as a writer of poetry and fiction for over thirty years, as well as being a creative writing teacher at Maynooth University, Galway University, UCC, on Carlow University Pittsburgh’s MA course in Creative Writing, and at Dublin’s IWC. She has published seventeen books since 1990, most recently the chapbook Outsiders, Always, from Southword Editions, Cork. The first of her four novels, The Light Makers, was an Irish bestseller and her poetry and stories are frequently taught on university courses.

A collection of essays on O’Donnell’s work—Giving Shape to the Moment: the Art of Mary O’Donnell—appeared during 2018 with contributions by Spanish and Irish academics and writers. As a writer, she is grateful to have been able to pursue the calling she truly loves. She received a PhD in Creative Writing from UCC in 2019 and since 2001 she has been honoured by membership of Ireland’s affiliation of artists, Aosdána.

Photo credit: Mark Reddy