Pictures: Cork students explore their creative side with authors

SOME Cork secondary school students yesterday got to set aside the curriculum and escape briefly into a world of creativity.

Students at Ursuline College Blackrock were given the opportunity to meet some well-known writers who shared with them insights into their careers.

The writers gave the students the chance to work directly with them, supporting the younger scribes in generating ideas and helping them to develop their writing skills.

Guests included Madeleine D’Arcy Lane, a fiction writer originally from Macroom.

Her short story collection, Liberty Terrace, won a Florida Authors and Publishers Association (FAPA) prize in the United States and was Cork’s One City, One Book in 2023.

Another guest was Oonagh Kearney, an alumna of Ursuline College Blackrock, and a Cork-based writer and director who has worked across short film, episodic television drama and documentary.

Ms Kearney’s recent short film, Never Kill A Femboy on the First Date, was funded by Virgin Media, and will premiere at the Dublin International Film Festival later this year.

Another guest, author Billy O’Callaghan, has had his work translated into 18 languages.

Leanne Clarke, who is an English teacher at Ursuline College, said creative writing could take any form and can focus on any subject matter.

“It is a method of self-expression which can enable us to unlock our creativity and explore the boundaries of our imaginations,” Ms Clarke said.

“It is often a process of self-discovery. It can help us to better understand ourselves, but also the world around us and the many different kinds of people who inhabit it.” Patrick McBeth, who is principal of Ursuline College Blackrock, said the college places great emphasis on developing creativity and self-expression among its students.

“Our inaugural Creative Writing Day is a unique whole of school event. [These] sessions will enable the girls to find their voices and will enable the girls to find their voices and express themselves with expert and inspirational guidance to hand,” Mr McBeth said.