Ukrainian-Irish Literary Project Launches in Dublin

A three-day literary workshop for emerging Ukrainian writers currently living in Ireland will be held in Dublin from September 11–13. Participants will be mentored by Ukrainian war writers and veterans travelling to Ireland specifically for the workshop, as well as by Irish authors.

The workshop is part of Bridging the Distance: Ukrainian and Irish Literary Voices, a project by the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Ireland, Ukrainian and Irish PEN, with support from the Culture Helps Solidarity programme.

The project aims to support the integration of emerging Ukrainian writers into the Irish literary scene while reconnecting them with fellow Ukrainian writers in Ukraine. The organisers also hope that the project’s activities and outcomes will lay a solid foundation for future collaborations and contribute to strengthening Ukrainian-Irish cultural ties.

Following the workshop, all participants will work collectively on a collection of original essays exploring the challenges and threats facing Europe and the wider world. The book will subsequently be published and promoted in both Ireland and Ukraine.

The workshop will also feature two public events with Ukrainian war writers:

• September 11: Performative readings of two contemporary Ukrainian plays — Victoria’s Little Secrets by Alina Sarnatska and The Woman with the Fridge by Marta Shyiko — will take place.
• September 12: The Reality of a Soldier: Through Humor and Irony — a meeting with Yevhen Shybalov and Dmytro Krapyvenko — will take place. During the event, they will share their personal military experiences and present their books, The Game of Numbers and Everything in Three Letters, to the local Ukrainian community and Irish audiences.

Both events will be held at Trinity College Dublin.

Culture Helps Solidarity / Культура допомагає: Солідарність is a project co-funded by the European Union and implemented by the European Cultural Foundation (Netherlands), Insha Osvita (Ukraine), zusa (Germany), and the VETERANKA Movement (Ukraine).