Éilís Ní Dhuibhne was born in Dublin She was awarded a PhD in Irish Folklore from UCD in 1982, and is best known as a writer of fiction. Author of novels, short stories, memoir and drama, her most recent books include Twelve Thousand Days: A Memoir (shortlisted for the Michel Déon Award 2020) and Little Red and Other Stories (Blackstaff 2020), Selected Stories (Blackstaff 2023), Milseog an tSamhraidh (Cló Iar Chonnacht 2023), and Look! It’s a Woman Writer! (Arlen House, 2021). She has been the recipient of many literary awards In autumn 2020 she held the Burns Scholarship at Boston College. She is a member of Aosdána, and President of the Folklore of Ireland Society. Following in the footsteps of Anne Enright (2015), Sebastian Barry (2018) and Colm Toibín (2021), Éilis Ní Dhuibhne was appointed as Laureate for Irish Fiction last year. 

“Ni Dhuibhne's writing is marvellous, building layers of impression until a complex, vital and truefalse picture of liberation is revealed.” — The Irish Times 

Sarah Gilmartin is a writer, arts journalist and critic who reviews fiction for The Irish Times.

The Irish PEN Freedom to Write event has become a regular fixture in the John Hewitt International Summer school programme. Irish PEN events explore themes such as conflict, censorship, displacement, translation and the lived experiences of writers under repressive regimes. The focus is on the challenges to writers of living in contentious, restrictive circumstances, often under threat of imprisonment or losing their lives. The message ultimately is one of hope, courage and resilience, and the power of literature to preserve ideals of humanity. 

We are proud to present this year’s speaker, prominent international Human Rights Lawyer and barrister Caoilfhionn Gallagher, KC, who is also Special Rapporteur on Child Protection in Ireland. Ms. Gallagher has worked on many high-profile cases involving threats to, and punitive measures directed at, writers and journalists around the world, including Maria Ressa and Jimmy Lai.