Arts Council Writer in Residence / Fellowship Scheme

About this scheme

The Arts Council Writer in Residence / Fellowship Scheme places mid-career and established writers in residencies at a number of partner Irish universities for a calendar year, providing a stimulating environment and a degree of financial support (up to a maximum award of €30,000) to allow them to concentrate on their own creative practice. In return, the residency brings energy and dynamism to the host university, giving students and faculty the opportunity to engage with a practising writer through activities such as workshops, mentoring, public-facing literary events, and collaboration across university departments. Current partner universities include Dublin City University (with both a general and an Irish-language Writer in Residence), Maynooth University, University of Galway, Trinity College Dublin (Writer Fellow), University College Cork, and University College Dublin. The scheme welcomes applications reflecting the diversity of Irish society, aiming to enrich each university's creative writing environment through varied voices and creative approaches. Applications are submitted via the Arts Council's Online Services for the specific university residency of interest.

Who can apply

• Applicant must be an individual mid-career or established writer resident in the Republic of Ireland
• Applicant must work in an eligible literary field, such as prose fiction (including graphic fiction/novels), poetry, creative non-fiction, children's fiction, or children's poetry
• Applicant must demonstrate a substantial publishing track record with an independent, recognised publisher (e.g. a full collection or a picture book); the scheme is aimed at writers with an established professional publishing record rather than those at the very start of their careers
• Writers who undertook an Arts Council/university residency in the immediately preceding year are not eligible to apply for the following year's fellowship
• Applicant applies for a residency at a specific partner university, each of which may have its own guidelines and slightly different focus

How to apply

1. 1Choose the specific university residency to apply for (e.g. Dublin City University, DCU Irish-language residency, Maynooth University, University of Galway, Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork, or University College Dublin)
2. 2Register for or log in to an Arts Council Online Services (OLS) account
3. 3Download and read the relevant university's residency guidelines in full (typically published around two weeks before the round opens)
4. 4Complete the application form, providing evidence of your publishing track record and a proposal/vision for how you would use the residency
5. 5Gather and prepare any required supporting material
6. 6Submit the completed application through Online Services before the published deadline
7. 7The Arts Council and the partner university assess eligible applications and communicate the decision by email