LIMERICK Writers’ Centre has announced the inauguration of The Gerald Griffin Competition for First Original Adult Fiction.
The competition will take place as part of a new novel writing course given by poet and novelist Ciarán O’Driscoll.
Aspiring authors are invited to submit 1,500 to 2,000 words as a prerequisite for participating in the upcoming novel writing course, to be conducted over four Saturdays in February 2024, in Limerick.
After the submissions are assessed, 10 writers will be invited to join the course, with a participation fee of €70.
During the course, Ciarán O’Driscoll will provide mentorship, guiding participants in all aspects of writing fiction, with the end goal for each participant to craft a compelling 10,000 word manuscript.
Following the course, six selected participants will be invited to submit a completed work (25,000 words minimum) for adjudication.
The writer of the most promising novel/novella, as judged by Ciarán O’Driscoll and an external invited judge, will have their work published by Limerick Writers’ Centre towards the end of 2024, as part of their community publishing programme.
The closing date for initial submissions (no fee payable) is Friday January 26, 2024.
The competition is named after one of Limerick’s most illustrious writers, Gerald Griffin (1803-1840). Novelist, poet, and playwright, he was the author of ‘The Collegians’, which was based on the gripping story of The Colleen Bawn, involving the murder of a young Irish Catholic girl (Ellen Hanley) by a Protestant Anglo-Irish man (John Scanlon).
The book later became a literary sensation and inspired a stage play, a musical adaptation, and a silent movie ‘Lily of Killarney’.
Griffin’s novel, which transposed its setting from Limerick to Killarney, played a pivotal role in propelling the Killarney tourist industry.
For more information on the initiative visit LimerickWritersCentre.com or email
limerickwriterscentre@gmail.com.
