Ireland has long been celebrated around the world for its literary tradition, its unique relationship with language, and its writers’ talent for remaking genres.
Even in the context of that heritage, the past few years have been special. The island of Ireland is experiencing a new golden age of fiction, with writers from both the north and the south earning critical praise and prestigious awards in recent years.
A new initiative at the University of Notre Dame is connecting the energy of the Irish literature scene with faculty and students on campus.
The Irish Writers Initiative — jointly funded by the Keough School of Global Affairs’ Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies and the College of Arts & Letters — will bring a prominent writer-in-residence and critic-in-residence to Notre Dame every academic year.
- Michael Magee, whose debut novel Close to Home (2023) has won several prestigious awards, is the initiative’s first writer-in-residence. He arrived at Notre Dame this fall and will be on campus for the full 2025-26 academic year.
- Radvan Markus, a scholar of Irish-language literature and a faculty member at Charles University in Prague, is the initiative’s first critic-in-residence. He will be at Notre Dame for the spring 2026 semester.
The new initiative is spearheaded by Keough-Naughton Institute faculty fellows Clíona Ní Riordáin, the Thomas J. and Kathleen M. O’Donnell Chair in Irish Language and Literature in the Department of English, and Barry McCrea, the Donald R. Keough Family Professor of Irish Studies and Professor of English.
“Irish literature is leading the way at the moment,” Ní Riordáin said. “You have people thinking critically about the role Ireland plays in the world and how Ireland, as a post-colonial country, acts as a connector between the globalized South and Europe. It occupies an in-between space, and that’s what gives its literature such force and such appeal.”
McCrea added, “Irish literature plays a major role in the ecosystem of world literature, and Notre Dame is an influential institution within Irish literature; so the Keough-Naughton Institute’s focus on Irish writers is a key part of its global reach. Having an Irish writer and Irish critic on campus every year will further consolidate South Bend as a major literary hub.”
Magee’s first novel, Close to Home, is set in west Belfast, where he grew up, and deals with questions of class and conflict through the experiences of a young man who returns to his old neighborhood after graduating from college. The book is remarkable for its distinctive voice and humor and has received numerous awards, including the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, the John McGahern Prize, and the Nero Book Award for Debut Fiction. It was the Waterstones Irish Book of the Year and has been translated into eight languages.
Magee is now working on his second novel.
“This residency is an opportunity I couldn’t possibly refuse,” Magee said. “Being able to work on a beautiful campus like Notre Dame is ideal. And I get to meet other writers, and meet students and see what they’re writing. I’ve got a novel curiosity about other people and their work, so it energizes me in all sorts of ways.”
“Irish literature plays a major role in the ecosystem of world literature ... ”
Markus teaches courses on modern Irish, old Irish, and Irish studies at Charles University in Prague. He has authored and co-edited several books, including the monograph Carnabhal na Marbh: Cré na Cille agus Litríocht an Domhain (Carnival of the Dead: Cré na Cille and World Literature), which was published in 2023 and received the American Conference for Irish Studies Prize for Books in the Irish Language, and the Czech translation of Ó Cadhain’s Cré na Cille (2017), which received the prestigious Magnesia Litera award.
During his residency, Markus will mainly work on a research project concerning representations of nature in Irish-language literature.
“I feel greatly honored by the offer of the fellowship, and excited about the opportunity to focus on my research, making use of the copious Irish studies resources available in Notre Dame’s Hesburgh Libraries,” Markus said. “I especially look forward to meeting old friends and making new ones, and exchanging ideas with staff and students alike.”
Both Magee and Markus will participate in public events as part of their residencies.
A public conversation with Magee is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, in Decio Faculty Hall.
Originally published by at irishstudies.nd.edu on November 17, 2025.