As the time draws ever closer for the start of Ireland Writing Retreat’s summer week in scenic west Donegal, preparations are underway for fascinating author trainers and intriguing excursions, both by land and by sea. Highlight of the former, retreat organisers are delighted to announce, is Bernie McGill, author of Sleepwalkers, a collection of stories short-listed in 2014 for the Edge Hill short story prize, and of The Butterfly Cabinet (named in 2012 by Downton Abbey creat

Novelists, poets and short-story writers from all across America and Ireland have descended upon Gaoth Dobhair this week to highlight the region’s natural beauty and culture. Part of the annual international ‘Ireland Writing Retreat’ held in the heartland of the Gaeltacht, the writers have travelled from US states as diverse as Wyoming, California, Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan and Newfoundland as well as Belfast and will stay until Sunday. With whiskey being the Muse of many