Súil Amach | An Outward Eye
From July, in the European Parliament in Brussels, Súil Amach | An Outward Eye will present portraits of leading contemporary Irish writers.
Taking inspiration from the Irish proverb “An té a bhíonn siúlach, bíonn scéalach” (Those who travel have stories to tell), this exhibition brings together 24 portraits of contemporary Irish writers, commissioned by Literature Ireland and photographed by Conor Horgan. Alongside the portraits will be a display of Irish literature by all 24 authors, representing all 24 official European languages.
Each portrait places a writer in a setting that holds personal or creative significance, from homeplaces to landscapes to everyday urban spaces that reflect their imaginative worlds.
Irish literature is widely translated into the languages of Europe, carrying stories shaped both at home and abroad into new contexts, where they are read, reinterpreted, and shared again.
Selected for their distinctive voices and international reach, the writers featured here are both rooted in Irish experience and widely read across different cultural contexts. Their work reflects journeys – literary, linguistic, and physical – shaped through translation, movement, and exchange.
The portraits are accompanied by a display of Irish books by the writers in European translations, which can be taken home from the European Parliament to be read and enjoyed.
At its heart, the exhibition is a celebration of writing as connection – where stories are not fixed in one place, but continually carried, shared, and reimagined.
These striking portraits offer a moment of insight into the faces of some of Ireland's most ground-breaking and original literary artists.
The full set of portraits will be revealed at the launch of the exhibition.
Writers: Naoise Dolan, Ferdia Lennon
