Announcing the Introductions / Céadlínte Class of 2026!

We are absolutely delighted to announce the fifteen poets who have been selected for our Introductions / Céadlínte Programme 2026!

This bilingual programme offers early career poets, an opportunity to showcase their work through workshops and performance. It also provides participants with the opportunity to have their work published through an e-publication which Poetry Ireland / Éigse Éireann will produce and release.

We will also be hosting a special performance with the poets as part of the Dublin Book Festival in the coming months.

Check out the bios of this year's selected poets below.

Díol áthais dúinn an cúigear a roghnaíodh do chlár Introductions / Céadlínte 2026 a fhógairt!

Cuireann an clár dátheangach seo deis ar fáil d’fhilí atá i dtús a ngairme a gcuid saothair a chur i láthair i gceardlanna agus ar stáitse, agus cuirtear saothar leo i gcló i ríomhleabhar de chuid Éigse Éireann.

Déanfar ócáid mhór a reáchtáil le lucht Céadlínte mar chuid d’Fhéile Leabhar Bhaile Cliath amach sa bhliain.

Tá beathaisnéisí ár gcuid filí le feiceáil thíos.

Courtney Darby 

Courtney Darby was longlisted for the National Poetry Competition, shortlisted for the Belvedere New Writing Prize, and received the Maria Edgeworth Highly Commended prize. Her work appears in Poetry Ireland Review, The Storms, The Waxed Lemon, Abridged Magazine, Skylight 47, among others. She has showcased her poetry at Cúirt and was a featured poet on Lime Square Poets. She was awarded the Freedom to Write from the John Hewitt Society and Irish PEN, and a Galway City Council Creative Practitioner Bursary.

Pauline Flynn 

Pauline Flynn lives and works in West Wicklow. A painter and poet, her practice moves fluidly between image and language. She began writing poetry while completing the UCD master's in creative writing, graduating in 2010. In the same year, she was shortlisted for the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award. Her work has since appeared in a wide range of literary journals, including Poetry Ireland Review (Eavan Boland Special Issue), The High Window (where she served as Resident Artist/Poet across four issues), Skylight 47, The Lonely Crowd, The Waxed Lemon, Orbis 181, Light: A Journal of Photography and Poetry, Silver Birch Press, The Blue Nib, Drawn to the Light, Sixteen, and others. 

Jessie Magee 

Jessie Magee’s poetry appears in Banshee, Artemesia Arts, Icarus and the Fish anthology. Her work was commended for the Moth Poetry Prize and shortlisted for New Irish Writing and the Red Line Poetry Competition. She was longlisted for ignitionpress Poetry Pamphlet Prize 2026 and selected for the Irish Writers’ Centre National Mentoring Programme 2026. She lives in north Mayo. 

Kevin MacAlan 

Kevin MacAlan lives in Co Waterford. He has an MA in creative writing, and has contributed to numerous journals in Ireland, the rest of Europe, and the USA. He was shortlisted for The National Poetry Competition in 2023, The Fish Poetry Prize in 2024, The Yeovil Literary Prize in 2025, and the Fish Poetry Prize and Yeovil Literary Prize in 2026. 

Joshua Beatty 

Joshua Beatty is from Ellesmere Port and lives in Belfast. He holds an MA in Poetry from the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen's University Belfast, and while at Queen's was an editor of The Apiary. Through the Irish Writers Centre he was a Young Writer Delegate to the Belfast Book Festival 2025, and in 2026 was a New Voices North Awardee. His work appears, or is forthcoming, in Howl, Eascair, and Poetry Ireland Review. 

Mai Ishikawa 

Mai Ishikawa is a Japanese poet, translator, theatre-maker, performer based in Dublin. She has translated several plays into Japanese for full productions, including The Playboy of the Western World by JM Synge. Her poems appeared in Poetry Ireland Review, The Stony Thursday Book, Banshee, Channel, Ink Sweat & Tears, Beginnings Over and Over (published by Dedalus Press, curated by Leeanne Quinn) and elsewhere. Her experimental theatre piece Constriction premiered at Dublin Fringe Festival 2025. Recently, she performed in The Madonna of Asia by Choy-Ping Ní Chléirigh-Ng at the New Theatre Dublin. 

Órfhlaith Nic Airt 

Órfhlaith Nic Airt is a poet from Sligo. She was shortlisted for The Bridport Poetry Prize. Her poems can be found in Crannóg, Ink Sweat and Tears, and Skylight 47, amongst others. She is currently working on her first pamphlet. 

Eoin Kelly 

Eoin Kelly is a poet and library assistant from Dun Laoghaire. He holds a BA in English Literature and Philosophy from Trinity College Dublin and an MA in Poetry from Queen's University Belfast. He was selected for the Dedalus Mentorship Programme in 2026. His work has been published in Poetry Ireland Review, 14 Poems' Bi+ Lines Anthology, Icarus, Abridged and elsewhere.  

Joseph McGinty 

Joseph McGinty was born in London and moved to Achill, Co. Mayo as a child. He completed his BA in English and Music at UCD, and later his MA in Poetry at Queen’s University Belfast. His work has been included in publications such Howl, The Apiary, and The UCD Caveat Lector. 

Olivia Heggarty 

Olivia Heggarty lives in Belfast. Her poems have been published in Poetry Ireland Review, Banshee, Propel, Skylight 47, Honest Ulsterman, Abridged, Ink Swear and Tears and other publications. She completed her MA in Poetry at the Seamus Heaney Centre in Belfast, where she was awarded the Ireland Chair of Poetry Student Prize. 

Orlaith Ni Icí 

Is léachtóir le Gaeilge í Orlaith Ni Icí in Ollscoil na Banríona Béal Feirste. Foilsíodh a cuid filíochta in Éigse Éireann, An Dearcán, Aneas, Comhar & Washing Windows V.  

Feargal Ó Dubhghaill 

Scríobhann Feargal Ó Dubhghaill filíocht agus prós (ficsean agus neamhfhicsean) i nGaeilge agus i mBéarla. Tá a shaothar le léamh go forleathan agus bíonn sé le cloisteáil ó am go ham ar an raidió. Bhain sé áit ar an ngearrliosta amach i roinnt comórtas scríbhneoireachta, ina measc Gradam Hennessy/New Irish Writing, agus d’fhoilsigh sé úrscéal gairid, Cathair an Tíogair, le LeabhairComhar. Bhain sé céim M.Litt amach i gColáiste na hOllscoile Baile Átha Cliath lena thráchtas An Mise Ceart: An Creideamh i nDialanna agus i nDánta Luatha Sheáin Uí Ríordáin 1940-1952. 

Callan Ó Cléirigh 

Dia daoibh a chlann! Is mise Callan agus tá ríméad orm páirt a ghlacadh sa scéim seo. Mar fhile nua is deis iontach í le mo chuid scríbhneoireacht a fhorbairt. Músclaíodh mo shuim sa teanga an chéad lá ariamh agus mé i mo chónaí i nGaeltacht Inis Meáin. Tá tionchar mór ag teanga, traidisiúin agus seanchas an oileáin ar mo chuid scríbhneoireachta, cé nár thosaigh mé le scríobh na filíochta ach dhá bliain ó shin nuair a d’fhág mé an t-oileán don ollscoil. Táim sa tríú bliain in COBÁC faoi láthair, áit a bhfuil Teanga, Litríocht agus Aistriúchán na Gaeilge á staidéar agam.  

Seirce Mhac Conghail 

Is scríbhneoir ildánach iad Seirce Mhac Conghail as Baile Átha Cliath. Tá obair dá gcuid foilsithe i mBéarla agus i nGaeilge sna hirisí Howl New Irish Writing, New Critique, Blue Marble Review, agus iris nach iad. Chomh maith leis an scríbhneoireacht, is áisitheoir ceardlainne cruthaitheacha iad a oibríonn go mórmhór trí Ghaeilge. 

Eoin P. Ó Murchú 

File, scríbhneoir agus aistritheoir liteartha é Eoin P. Ó Murchú. Bíonn a chuid filíochta le léamh  in Comhar, Éigse Éireann, agus An Dearcán chomh maith le foilseacháin eile. Is féidir a chuid filíochta a chlos ag imeachtaí filíochta ar fud na tíre agus tá físdánta leis le feiceáil ar youtube. Ba mhaith leis cnuasach filíochta a fhoilsiú.