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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 in translation, representing all 24 official languages of the European Union.

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.

Writers: John Banville, Kevin Barry, Sara Baume, Garrett Carr, Jan Carson, Mary Costello, Naoise Dolan, Anne Enright, Wendy Erskine, Seán Farrell, Elaine Feeney, Nicole Flattery, Vona Groarke, Louise Kennedy, Ferdia Lennon, Paul Lynch, Louise Nealon, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin, Micheál Ó Conghaile, Darach Ó Scolaí, Elske Rahill and Colm Tóibín.

Further information about Cultúr 2026.

John Banville (b. 1945) is a novelist and critic from Co. Wexford. He won the Booker Prize in 2005. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of his work into 28 languages.
Kevin Barry (b. 1969) is the author or four novels and three short-story collections, and is co-editor of the annual Irish arts journal Winter Papers. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of his work into 15 languages.
Sara Baume (b. 1984) is a writer and visual artist based in Cork. She is the author of three novels and two works of non-fiction. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of her work into Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, Serbian and Spanish.
Garrett Carr (b. 1975) is a writer from Co. Donegal. His debut novel, The Boy from the Sea, was published in 2025. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of his work into Dutch, Greek and Italian.
Jan Carson (b. 1980) is the author of four novels, three short-story collections and two micro-fiction collections. She lives in East Belfast. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of her work into 9 languages.
Mary Costello (b. 1963) is a novelist and short-story writer from the west of Ireland. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of her work into Dutch, French, Serbian and Vietnamese.
Naoise Dolan (b. 1992) is a novelist from Dublin. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of her work into Croatian, Danish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese and Romanian.
Anne Enright (b. 1962) is a novelist, short-story writer and essayist from Dublin. She was awarded the Booker Prize in 2007. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of her work into 22 languages.
Wendy Erskine (b. 1968) is the author of two prize-winning collections of short stories and a novel. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of her work into Arabic and Italian.
Seán Farrell (b. 1982) is a writer and literary editor based in Sligo. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of his work into Italian.
Elaine Feeney (b. 1979) is a writer and lecturer from Co. Galway. She writes poetry, fiction, drama and non-fiction. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of her work into Czech, Dutch and German.
Nicole Flattery (b. 1989) is a writer and critic from Co. Westmeath. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of her work into German, Slovenian and Spanish.
Vona Groarke (b. 1964) is a poet and non-fiction writer from Co. Longford. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of her work into Czech, Estonian, Maltese and Romanian.
Louise Kennedy (b. 1967) is a novelist and short-story writer from Co. Down, now based in Co. Sligo. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of her work into Estonian, Finnish, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Swedish and Ukrainian.
Ferdia Lennon (b. 1988) was born and raised in Dublin. His debut novel, Glorious Exploits, was published in 2024. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of his work into Dutch, French, Greek, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Spanish and Turkish.
Paul Lynch (b. 1977) is the author of five acclaimed novels. He won the Booker Prize in 2023. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of his work into 16 languages.
Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin (b. 1961) is a writer of fiction, non-fiction, screenplays and songs for both children and adults, predominantly in the Irish language. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of his work into Estonian, German and Serbian.
Louise Nealon (b. 1991) is a writer from Co. Kildare. She currently lives in Belfast, where she is working on her third novel. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of her work into German, Italian and Polish.
Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin (b. 1942) is one of Ireland’s foremost poets. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of her work into Estonian, French, Hungarian and Italian.
Doireann Ní Ghríofa (b. 1981) is an award-winning poet and the author of two works of prose. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of her work into 14 languages.
Micheál Ó Conghaile (b. 1962) is a writer from Connemara. In 1985, he established Cló Iar-Chonnacht, which has since become one of the leading Irish-language book publishers. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of his work into 7 languages.
Darach Ó Scolaí (b. 1963) is an Irish-language writer and translator from Connemara. Literature Ireland has supported Darach in the translation of several works from French to Irish.
Elske Rahill (b. 1982) is a writer based in Sligo. She is the author or two novels and a short-story collection. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of her work into Bulgarian.
Colm Tóibín (b. 1955) is a novelist and critic from Co. Wexford. He has published numerous works of fiction and non-fiction, including travelogues, essays and criticism. Literature Ireland has supported the translation of his work into 31 languages.

Conor Horgan

Conor Horgan is an award-winning visual artist, photographer and filmmaker. Acclaimed for his portraiture, his socially engaged practice includes landscape and still life and is regularly exhibited nationally and internationally. His work is concerned with identity, vulnerability, trust and the need for meaningful connections to self, others and the natural world.

He won the 2026 Taylor Wessing Irish Photo Prize for EDGE, a project about homeless International Protection applicants in Dublin. Other works from this series were shown in ARCHIPELAGO, a landmark photography show in the Royal Hibernian Academy (2025) and Right Here, Right Now in Rua Red (2025), as well as shortlisted for Photo Museum Ireland’s inaugural International Open Awards (2025) and featured in a ten-page portfolio in Source Photographic Review (2026).

Solo exhibitions include Post-State (Royal Hibernian Academy, 2022), Portraits (Gallery of Photography,1995) and Unpublished Dublin (Little Museum of Dublin, 2014). En résidence, his permanent installation of portraits of artists-in-residence, hangs in the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris. He has two upcoming exhibitions of portraits: An Act of Love (Rua Red, 2026) and Public Portraits (Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Municipal Gallery, 2027). His portraits are in the National Gallery, OPW State Art and David Kronn collections, along with many private collections.

Other International exhibitions showing his work include Talamh (Momentum Fine Art, Miami, 2026), The Royal Ulster Academy Annual Open (multiple years) and Changing States: Ireland in the 21st Century (Haus am Kleistpark, Berlin, 2024), the largest group exhibition of Irish photography ever staged outside Ireland. Two of his portraits of women in the Criminal Justice System were exhibited in Someone’s Daughter (Photo London, 2022).

Portrait commissions include Vogue UK, Harpers & Queen, Condé Nast Traveller, Elle and the official portrait of President Mary Robinson. His published work includes contributions to Winter Papers (2015, 2023) and Sunday Miscellany: A Selection, 2018-2023 (2023). His photobooks are New York City (2012) and So Far (2015). His filmography includes eleven films as director, five as screenwriter, four as cinematographer, two as editor, seven as an actor and one as producer. He has lived and worked in London, Berlin, Hamburg, Paris, Greece and Morocco, and is currently based in Dublin.