Shane Tivenan has been announced as this year’s Yeats Thoor Ballylee Literary Artist in Residence. The residency will take place at The Studio at Thoor Ballylee from 31 July to 14 August.
Growing up close to Athlone Town, County Roscommon, Shane studied Cultural Anthropology at Maynooth University. He has previously won the RTÉ Short Story Prize, the John McGahern Award, and was selected for the Irish Writers Centre Evolution Programme for 2025. His fiction has appeared in The Stinging Fly, The London Magazine, Prototype, and has been broadcast on RTÉ Radio One.
Last year, Shane’s first book, To Avenge a Dead Glacier, was published by Lilliput Press. Exploring themes of environmentalism, human connection, and modern life through the lens of rural Irish outsiders, it was described by the Irish Times as ‘A vital and visionary debut’. In the Irish Independent, Rick O’Shea described it as ‘A showstopper of a short story collection’.
In advance of the residency, Shane said:
“It’s a real pleasure to be selected for the Thoor Ballylee Literary Residency. I look forward to writing in the serene surroundings of the Tower, and to engaging with the community in and around Ballylee.”
Board Member Peggy Monahan, who is coordinating the residency, added:
“We are delighted to welcome Shane Tivenan as our 2026 literary artist in residence. Shane is a rising literary talent, with his recent debut short story collection exploring societal norms and the complexities of modern life when lived as an outsider. We hope his time at Thoor Ballylee will help to inspire his next project.”
The residency will include public events, and a creative workshop. Details to be announced via the Yeats Thoor Ballylee Society website and social media.
The Yeats Thoor Ballylee Society Artist in Residence Programme is supported by Galway County Council Arts Office.
