The Atlantis Collective (including MA in Writing 07-08 students Colm Brady, Patricia Byrne, Aideen Henry, Paul McMahon, Conor Montague, Dara O Foghlu, Maire Robinson) launched their third collection Eat The Swans at Cuirt 2010.  Their second collection, Faceless Monsters and their first collection,  A Town Called Fiction, were launched at Cuirt.  For more information see  http://www.atlantiscollective.com/

Cuirt 2010: Launch of Three Times Daily, a collection of New Voices in Poetry, Fiction and Non-Fiction from the MA in Writing, NUI Galway.

GENERAL:

Ensemble collective WaterDonkey Theatre Company (MA in Drama students 07-08) is pleased to announce its third major performance and debut of the original devised work, Pigeon Racing: Advanced Techniques.  Following the success of their groundbreaking first work, Heart, and the original installment show Please Help, My Friend is Trapped in a Tiny City, Pigeon Racing builds on their concept of creating theatre which is both a unique experience and a new perspective on performance .  The show runs from 13^th-16^th May, 2009 in the Town Hall Studio, Galway. 

Mephisto Theatre Company (Eoghan Cleary, Bernard Higgins, Joan King, Tara McKevitt, Emma O'Grady (MA in Drama and Theatre Studies 2007), Zita Monahan (MADT 2008), Patrick Hynes, Caroline Lynch, Padraig Meehan (MA in Writing 2007)). Since forming in 2006 they have staged 14 productions, and have toured in Ireland and the UK to critical acclaim. They develop & stage new writing, produce both established & lesser-known texts and also devise performance art. http://www.mephistotheatre.org/


Dragonfly (Siobhan Donnellan, Shona McCarthy, Fiachra Ó Dhubhghaill, MA in Drama & Theatre 2005-06), Following Dragonfly's success with their award-winning first play Married to the Sea which toured to New York, Edinburgh and nationwide, they are delighted to bring their second play to the Dublin Fringe Festival for its world premiere.  Dragonfly will be premiering Reptilian at the Dublin Fringe Festival from the 16th to 21st of September, 2008 at 6:15pm at Filmbase, Temple Bar.
http://www.dragonflytheatre.ie/ 


Mephisto perform  Work (Slash) Death by Padraig Meehan (MA in Writing, 2006-07) from Feb 20th-23rd at Limerick's Unfringed Festival and from March 5th-9th 2008 at the Town Hall Studio, Galway.

Vendetta Theatre Company  (including Shane Cullen, Bernard Higgins, MA in Drama & Theatre 05-06) presents  The Complete Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) at the Town Hall Theatre Studio, Galway, 17-19 May, 2007, having sold out their first run at the theatre in March. Armed with a host of random props, and colourful costumes, these boys are out to make Shakespeare 'cool' again. 

Cups & Crowns Theatre Company (Fiona McDonagh, Gillian Kelly, Nora NicConUltaigh, MA in Drama & Theatre Studies 02-03): provides a bilingual Theatre in Education service to schools in the west of Ireland and offers drama facilitation services to the wider community with a special emphasis on marginalized groups. Productions include 2 Clowns Wanted (2005) and School Ties (2005, directed by Urusla Smullen, MA in Drama & Theatre Studies, 02-03)
http://www.cupsandcrowns.ie/index.htm

Tyger Theatre Company (Jessica Curtis, MA in Drama & Theatre Studies 03-04): productions include Christian O'Reilly's (MA in Writing 04-05) play The Avenue in Kerry under the Per Cent for Art Scheme, 2005 and productions in Dublin Fringe 04, Dominica Festival Galway 03, Unfringed Festival Limerick 05. They presented The Rainstorm, Noel Duffy's (MA Writing 03-04) first full length play in the Dublin Fringe Festival 2006.
 
Catastrophe Theatre Company (Josh Tobiessen, MA in Drama & Theatre Studies 00-01): productions include Bag of Piranhas (Dublin Fringe Festival, 2002), Up the Yard (Galway Arts Festival, 2003 and Spraoi Festival, Waterford, 2004) and Parallel Parking (Galway Arts Festival 2004).  Tobiessen's play Election Day was produced by New York off-Broadway theatre company The Second Stage Theater Company in 2007. 
Catastrophe Theatre, in collaboration with Chrysalis Dance, presented Love and other disguises directed by Paul Hayes (MA in Drama & Theatre Studies 2000-01) in 2008.

Water to Wine Theatre Co, in conjunction with White Castle Gabriel Dooley Ltd, presents Who By Fire, lyrics and music by Leonard Cohen, written and directed by John MacKenna. Who By Fire is a life-affirming story of love, survival and hope set against the background of Auschwitz concentrartion camp. For tour details see local press.
Cast includes Margaret McBride (MA in Drama & Theatre 2004-05).

_{Individual Awards/Achievements:}

Click here for Student & Graduate Publications http://www.nuigalway.ie/english/studentandgraduatepublications.html

The Return Journey & Our Friends Electric: Two Novellas (2011) by Noel Duffy (MA in Writing 2003-04) has been published by Ward Wood Publishing.

Tara McKevitt (MA in Drama, 2007) won the PJ O’Connor RTE Radio Drama Award, ' Grenades',  with RTE. The play was broadcast on RTE on Sunday July 11, 2010, and details are available on this link: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/drama/

Shona McCarthy (MA in Drama, 2005-06), winner Fishamble New Writing Award 2007.

Flosca:  is an exciting new publishing enterprise founded by writers for writers. Their mission is to provide outlets for new work by writers in Ireland and abroad. Initially, this aim will be fulfilled through the Flosca Short Story Competition and the Flosca Irish Language Poetry Competition, Comórtas Filíocht. Flosca is made up of fifteen writers who met while attending NUI Galway’s MA in Writing programme. They joined forces to create Flosca Teoranta in 2006 with the support of Údarás na Gaeltachta.  http://www.flosca.com/

Partricia Byrne (MA in Writing 2007-08) won third prize in the 2007 Flosca Short Story Competition for her short story  Raw-Red.

Alan McMonagle (MA in Writing 2006-07) has been long-listed for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award 2009 for his collection of short stories Liar, Liar.

Aoife Casby (MA in Writing 2005-06) has been shortlisted for a 2008 Hennessy Literary Award for Poetry and longlisted for the Fish Short Story 2008.

Alan McMonagle's (MA in Writing, 06-07) short story, The Wake, was runner up in the 2006 Sean O Faolain competition.

Hedy Gibbons's (MA in Writing, 06-07) short story, Shipwreck, came fourth in the Dromineer Literary Festival. A collection of Hedy's shorter fiction, Written in Stone, was featured on RTE Lyric FM's The Quiet Quarter.

Kerstin Mierke and Bridgette Rowland (MA in Literature & Publishing, 2004-05) have published their book 'Would you like to be buried with my people?' (Nonsuch Publishing), a light-hearted look at Irish wedding traditions.


Munster Literature competition, the Fish, the South Tipperary Arts Award long-list and  William Trevor Short Story Competition short-list: Susan Lanigan, MA in Writing (2002-03).

Paul Soye's (MA in Writing 2004-05)  play In Irons broadcast Sunday, 18th February, 2007 at 8pm on Sunday Playhouse, RTE 1.  Pat Laffan and Anne Marie Horan star, Aidan Matthews produces.

Winner, RTE PJ O'Connor Radio Award 2006: Philip Doherty, MA in Drama & Theatre Studies 03-04

Winner, Brendan Kennelly/Sunday Tribune Poetry Competition 2004: Gerry Hanberry, MA in Writing 02-03

Winner, The Firewords Award for 2005 and The Publications Assistance Award from Galway County Council for 2006: Marion Moynihan, MA in Writing 02-03

Identified in Trees (Marram Press, 2006) , poetry collection by Sandra Bunting (MA in Writing 02- 03). Sandra is also co-editor of Tribe Vibes and on the editorial board of Crannog magazine.

The Moon's Daughter (Doghouse Publishers, 2006), poetry collection by Marion Moynihan, MA in Writing 02-03.

Mary Modern (Random House, New York, to be published in 2007), a novel by Camille DeAngelis, MA in Writing 04-05. Crown will publsh Camille's forthcoming novel in 2009.

PROJECT '06 Events:

Wild Fields: Sheridan’s Wine Bar  An evening of literary collaboration featuring several writers from the 2005-06 MA in Writing programme at NUIG who will explore the theme through poetry, prose and music.
Tyger Theatre Company: The Dead, A Rose & a Beer Too Many, by Seán T.Ó Meallaigh.  World premiere.

Cabaret in the Crane: Entertaining and spontaneous blend of poetry, music, drama and film, featuring some of Galway’s best writers and performers, including Stephen Shields and Sandra Bunting (both MA in Writing 02-03).

Heartshapes -  theatrical pieces written, directed and performed by graduates of the MA in Drama & Theatre Studies, NUIG, 2006, including Salvaging, Mary Hegarty's Last Dance, Rose, Numb on the Outside, Eve and Annabelle Rusk.

Galway Arts Festival Events 2006:

Cups & Crowns Theatre Company: Creative Exchange: A 5-day multi-disciplinary art event for children, based on the exhibitions on show at Galway Arts Centre.

Cumha go Hora: A collaboration of Traditional Irish and Contemporary Folk Song.  Featuring the voice of Mary McPartlan (MA in Drama & Theatre Studies, 2004-05) with String Arrangements by Gary O’Brian; the show includes new songs by Vincent Woods set to music by Máirtin O’Connor.