Swift’s Salon Writers
Lisa Walsh
Pink Himalayan Salted Caramel.
Lisa Walsh is a working class playwright from Ballymun. Her monologue THE LIFT won the best monologue award at the Underground Film Festival 2014. Her debut play, Love In The Wild (2018) was critically acclaimed and toured Ireland. Lisa’s work has been supported by The Abbey New Writers Department, Dr Marina Carr, The Axis Theatre, and The Irish Writers Centre.
Lesley Conroy
The Guy from Work
Lesley Conroy is an IFTA nominated actor & winning writer from Dublin. Her debut play ‘Cleaner’ won the 2020 Scripts Ireland Competition. Supports include DLR Mountain to Sea Bursary, Arts Council Project & Bursary Awards, and Dlr Mill Theatre MAVENS programme for female playwrights.
Aideen Caldwell
Passing Time
My name is Aideen Caldwell and I love to write. I’m a haematology nurse and a mam to three young boys. After completing a Certificate in Creative Writing in Maynooth University, I joined the Hedge School In Moone, Co. Kildare in 2023 and I’ve been there ever since.
Clare Kinsella
Advice to Struggling Modern Poets
Clare Kinsella comes from Gorey, Co. Wexford where she enjoys sea swimming, golf, horse riding and cycling. She also enjoys the creative activities of writing, art, pottery and photography. She has a certificate in Creative Writing from Maynooth University and has recently completed a Certificate of Poetry Course in Carlow College. She was the winner of the Memoir/Personal Essay Competition at The Write by the Sea Literary Festival in 2023 and also won the Annual Ireland’s Own Writer’s Competition in 2024.
She is delighted to be part of the Swift Vanessa Festival.
Teresa Cleary
The Master’s Legacy
Originally from Co Galway, I have lived in Dublin for many years. I completed a Certificate in Creative Writing at NUI Maynooth in 2016. More recently I have completed creative writing courses in The Hedge School, Moone.
I usually write fiction and am currently working on a collection of short stories. I had a memoir piece published in the Ireland’s Own Anthology of Irish Short Stories and Memories 2021.
This piece I am reading today is a memoir piece.
Risteard Fallon
Men of Clay
Richard Fallon is retired, having served as a civil servant at home and abroad. Disappointed that none of his long work on policy and speeches secured the Pulitzer Prize for fiction he has rekindled his love of creative writing in completing the Maynooth Certificate. More recently he has attended the Hedge School at Moone. His current focus is on poetry, autobiography and bringing his ongoing work on a novel to completion.
Carol Rooney
White Wedding
Carol Rooney is a Meath based Dublin born playwright, originally training in performance before working as a director and also producer.
Through her work as a drama facilitator and artist in residence she has worked across many artistic and social environments from schools to prisons. She has written 21 plays for children and young people.
Her play ‘Home’ has recently been produced for radio. Droichead Arts Centre have scheduled her play ‘The Special Event’ as a work in progress in Autumn.
During her current Dublin City Arts Office Incubation residence Carol is workshopping her play ‘Weeds’.
She is currently working on a new play set against the backdrop of Tara Mines, ‘Biting Hard’.
Michael McGrath
Reflections on Hazelhatch
A resident of Celbridge for over 20 years. I’m married to Martina and have a wonderful son Denis, I enjoy writing whenever time allows. I’m a member of the Millwrites creative writing group. My main writing interests are mystery and sci-fi
Geraldine O’Brien
‘Stranger in the House’
Geraldine O’Brien was born in Co Clare but has lived in Celbridge for nearly 30 years. She is a drama facilitator who writes and directs historical site-specific theatre for young people. These include ‘The Ghosts of Tea Lane Graveyard’ in 2020, ‘Under Lady Louisa’s Bonnet’ in the grounds of Castletown Parklands in 2021 (funded by Kildare County Council), ‘Celbridgians‘ in 2022 and ‘Swift’s Secrets’ for the Swift and Vanessa Festival in 2023/2024. She received bursaries for the John Hewitt International Summer School and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre. She is currently working on more contemporary plays ‘Moving Statues’ and ‘From the River to the Sea’.
Arietta Trio
2025 Swift & Vanessa Festival in Celbridge Musical interludes with ‘Arietta’ Hanneke Foley, recorder Maeve Kerney, viola Penny Smith, cello Having discovered our common love of music, we have been playing together for more than twelve years, as a Quartet, a Trio, a Duo, depending on who is available on the day.
‘Arietta’ means ‘little aria’ or ‘little air’. We are about ‘little airs’ and we do hope that you will enjoy the music we have chosen to play this evening. We certainly enjoy playing in an ambience such as this, where our music is part of a cultural evening.
The nature of our program is substantially drawn from the baroque period of Swift and Vanessa. Many will be new to you, but some may sound vaguely familiar!