Literature Ireland runs a small programme of residencies for Irish writers. These residencies give the writer space and time to work on their own creative projects. The writer has the opportunity to visit a country outside of Ireland, engage with the culture and local literary scene. Each residency is presented in partnership with exceptional cultural organisations and festivals across the world.
Rob Doyle © Katie Freeney
Rob Doyle travelled to Belgrade, Serbia to become the inaugural Writer in-Residence at the Belgrade Irish Festival. The residency was a three-way partnership between Literature Ireland, the Belgrade Irish Festival and the Krokodil Creative Centre. The timing of the residency, coinciding with the festival, gave Rob a unique opportunity to spend time thinking and writing while exploring the multicultural city of Belgrade and to meet with local and international writers and artists.
This new residency offered Rob Doyle a unique opportunity to engage with the rich cultural offerings of the city of Belgrade, one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world. Rob found the residency to be hugely beneficial and enriching, saying:
“The Belgrade residency was what I can only describe as a resounding success, at least in the sense that I had a hugely enriching time of it over there. Jas [Kaminksy] who runs the Belgrade Irish Festival is a first-rate guy - a friend now, really - and he and his crew are doing wonders in terms of forging links between two cultures I wouldn't have readily associated with one another. …I'm hopeful that Serbian editions of my books might come of the trip, as they put on a “publishers’ breakfast” for me at the Krokodil Cultural Centre.”
Each year two writers, who are Irish or normally resident in Ireland, are selected to spend a month in the beautiful Centre Culturel Irlandais (CCI) in the Latin Quarter of Paris. This residency is one of Literature Ireland’s longest partnerships. It provides a valuable and unique opportunity for Irish writers to spend time writing in a new and stimulating environment. The residency also offers the writers the opportunity to network with fellow artists from Ireland, especially across genres. The writers participate in the community and events in the Centre, and have the opportunity to meet artists from France and across the world while residing in Paris.