Celia de Fréine
Encyclopedia
Celia de Fréine is a poet
, playwright
, screenwriter
and librettist who writes in Irish
and English.
, County Down
. At an early age she moved with her family to Dublin, maintaining strong links with her extended family in the North
. she was educated at University College Dublin
and Lancaster University
. She has worked as a Civil Servant and as a teacher and now divides her time between Dublin and Connemara
.
, 2001) was awarded Duais Aitheantais Ghradam Litríochta Chló Iar-Chonnachta in 1999. It has been translated to Romanian
by Christian Tamas (Ars Longa, Romania
2003) and to Bulgarian
by Vergil Nemchev (Orpheus Press, Bulgaria 2003).
.
Her poetry has been widely anthologised and has won many additional awards, including the Patrick Kavanagh Award(1994) and British Comparative Literature Association Translation Award (1999).
In 2000 Nára Turas é in Aistear was produced by Amharclann de hÍde at The New Theatre, Dublin and at the Galway Town Hall Theatre.
In 2004 Anraith Neantóige was produced by Aisling Ghéar at Theatre Space @ the Mint, at the Dublin Theatre Festival Fringe and toured nationwide.
Anraith Neantóige was awarded Duais an Oireachtais for best full-length play in 2003; in 2005 Cóirín na dTonn won the same award as did Tearmann in 2006. Tearmann was also awarded Duais Fhoras na Gaeilge at Listowel Writers’ Week in the same year. These three plays were published in a collection, entitled Mná Dána by Arlen House in 2009.
Also in 2009 the Abbey Theatre
commissioned her short play Casadh which was given a rehearsed reading at the Peacock Theatre
in Dublin and at An Chultúrlann in Belfast as part of the Gach Áit Eile series.
In 1982 Brian Merriman
's The Midnight Court, which she translated and dramatised was produced by the Dublin Shakespeare Society at The Studio, Nth. Gt. George’s St., Dublin. In 2007 the same company produced a revised version at Theatre 36, Dublin as part of their centenary celebrations.
Other productions include:
developed a series of short films based on her poems. These include Lorg / Quest, Seal / Sojourn, Cluiche / Game and Beatha / Life.
Lorg/ Quest, was screened at the Irish Film Institute
during the 2007 Imram Festival of Literature, 2007. It received its US premiere at the Atlanta Indo-American Film Festival in 2008. Seal / Sojourn was screened at this festival also, having premiered at the New Jersey Independent South Asian Cine Fest earlier the same year. Cluiche / Game premiered at the Ranelagh Arts Festival-Minicinefest also in 2008.
In October, 2009 the world premiere of Marathon, which she wrote in association with Biju Viswanath
, took place during the New York International Film Festival, scooping awards for best screenplay and best cinematography.
. Music was composed by Fergus Johnston and the libretto by Celia de Fréine.
Fiacha Fola, Cló Iar-Chonnachta, Connemara, 2004
Scarecrows at Newtownards, Scotus Press, Dublin, 2005
Mná Dána, Arlen House, Galway, 2009
imram : odyssey, Arlen House, Galway 2010.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and librettist who writes in Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
and English.
Background
Celia de Fréine was born in NewtownardsNewtownards
Newtownards is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town in the Borough of Ards. According to the 2001 Census, it has a population of 27,821 people in...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
. At an early age she moved with her family to Dublin, maintaining strong links with her extended family in the North
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. she was educated at University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
and Lancaster University
Lancaster University
Lancaster University, officially The University of Lancaster, is a leading research-intensive British university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established by Royal Charter in 1964 and initially based in St Leonard's Gate until moving to a purpose-built 300 acre campus at...
. She has worked as a Civil Servant and as a teacher and now divides her time between Dublin and Connemara
Connemara
Connemara is a district in the west of Ireland consisting of a broad peninsula between Killary Harbour and Kilkieran Bay in the west of County Galway.-Overview:...
.
Faoi Chabáistí is Ríonacha
Her first collection Faoi Chabáistí is Ríonacha (Cló Iar-ChonnachtaCló Iar-Chonnachta
Cló Iar-Chonnachta is an Irish language book publisher and traditional Irish music label founded in 1985 by the writer Micheál Ó Conghaile. The company has, to date, released over 150 music albums and some 300 books, predominantly in Irish. Ó Conghaile's motivation in establishing the company was...
, 2001) was awarded Duais Aitheantais Ghradam Litríochta Chló Iar-Chonnachta in 1999. It has been translated to Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
by Christian Tamas (Ars Longa, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
2003) and to Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
by Vergil Nemchev (Orpheus Press, Bulgaria 2003).
"As for the world of de Freine's poems, it is unmistakeable once you are in it. It is like surrealismSurrealismSurrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
without any intrusive special effects which might have taken it out of the everyday of experience. Gender is turned inside out..." Bernard O'Donoghue
"And most of these poems have stunning closures that, with well-planned oxymora, waylay the reader's expectations, just as a poem ought." New Hibernia Review
Fiacha Fola
Her second collection Fiacha Fola (Cló Iar-Chonnachta, 2004), which gives an account of the Anti-D scandal in Ireland, was awarded Gradam Litríochta Chló Iar-Chonnacht in 2004.
"In this incredibly powerful collection, Celia de Fréine has given us an absolute page-turner. Fiacha Fola is the best collection of poetry I have read this year." Aine Ni Ghlinn
Scarecrows at Newtownards
Her first collection in English Scarecrows at Newtownards was published by Scotus Press in 2005.
"Bravery, cowardice, risk, trust - de Fréine surveys the disputed frontier of male and female territories with a lucid, ironic but finally humane eye. The death of poetry, I heard someone say. Not with books like this around. More like the death of criticism if poetry like this is not widely praised and recognised." Books Ireland
Other Collections and Awards
In 2010 Arlen House published a bilingual collection imram : odyssey which takes its cue from the imram genre of Irish Literature and was inspired by a visit to SloveniaSlovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
.
Her poetry has been widely anthologised and has won many additional awards, including the Patrick Kavanagh Award(1994) and British Comparative Literature Association Translation Award (1999).
Plays
Celia de Fréine's plays have been widely produced and won many awards.In 2000 Nára Turas é in Aistear was produced by Amharclann de hÍde at The New Theatre, Dublin and at the Galway Town Hall Theatre.
In 2004 Anraith Neantóige was produced by Aisling Ghéar at Theatre Space @ the Mint, at the Dublin Theatre Festival Fringe and toured nationwide.
"Chruthaigh de Fréine go minic go raibh ar a cumas friotal filíochta a chur ar mhothúcháin mná agus is é baois agus barbarthacht na cogaíochta agus dearcadh na mban ina leith is ábhar do Anraith Neantóige. Tá beirt bhan ina gcónaí le chéile in áit iargúlta ar an sliabh, áit a shíleann siad bheith measartha slán ó na buamaí atá ag titim mórthimpeall orthu. Tagann fear óg aníos ón chathair chucu ó am go céile chun bia a thabhairt dóibh agus siamsaíocht a chur ar fáil." Máiréad Ní Chinnéide, The Irish Times.
Anraith Neantóige was awarded Duais an Oireachtais for best full-length play in 2003; in 2005 Cóirín na dTonn won the same award as did Tearmann in 2006. Tearmann was also awarded Duais Fhoras na Gaeilge at Listowel Writers’ Week in the same year. These three plays were published in a collection, entitled Mná Dána by Arlen House in 2009.
Also in 2009 the Abbey Theatre
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...
commissioned her short play Casadh which was given a rehearsed reading at the Peacock Theatre
Peacock Theatre
The Peacock Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Portugal Street, near Aldwych. The 999-seat house is owned by, and comprises part of the London School of Economics and Political Science campus, who utilise the theatre for lectures, public talks, conferences,...
in Dublin and at An Chultúrlann in Belfast as part of the Gach Áit Eile series.
In 1982 Brian Merriman
Brian Merriman
Brian Merriman or in Irish Brian Mac Giolla Meidhre was an Irish language poet and teacher. His single surviving work of substance, the 1000-line long Cúirt An Mheán Oíche is widely regarded as the greatest comic poem in the history of Irish literature.-Merriman's life:Merriman appears to have...
's The Midnight Court, which she translated and dramatised was produced by the Dublin Shakespeare Society at The Studio, Nth. Gt. George’s St., Dublin. In 2007 the same company produced a revised version at Theatre 36, Dublin as part of their centenary celebrations.
Other productions include:
- Were Man But Constant (from Shakespeare’s comedies), The Studio, Nth. Gt. George’s St., Dublin, 1982.
- The Courting of Emer, Temple BarTemple BarTemple Bar may refer to:* The Temple Bar, a spot in London* Temple Bar, Dublin, a cultural quarter in Dublin city* Temple Bar, Ceredigion, a village in Wales* Temple Bar Magazine, British literary magazine published 1860 to 1906...
Studios, Dublin, 1985. - Diarmuid agus Gráinne, Halla Uí Dhonnabháin Rossa, Dublin, 1986.
- I Have Seen The Stars, Dublin Theatre FestvialFringe, 1988.
- Holloway 1918, (Rehearsed Reading), An Béal Bocht, Dublin, 1989.
- Two Girls in Silk Kimonos, (Rehearsed Reading), Peacock Theatre, Dublin, 1991.
Films
In 2007 filmmaker Biju ViswanathBiju Viswanath
Biju Viswanath is an Award-winning international Film Director and Director of Photography.Viswanath works in a wide range of genres: Thriller, Mystery, Horror and Romance...
developed a series of short films based on her poems. These include Lorg / Quest, Seal / Sojourn, Cluiche / Game and Beatha / Life.
Lorg/ Quest, was screened at the Irish Film Institute
Irish Film Institute
The Irish Film Institute is both a film theatre and a national body that supports Irish Film heritage. It maintains an archive of Irish films and provides education in film culture. It shows independent and foreign language films overlooked by commercial multiplexes at its cinema in the Temple Bar...
during the 2007 Imram Festival of Literature, 2007. It received its US premiere at the Atlanta Indo-American Film Festival in 2008. Seal / Sojourn was screened at this festival also, having premiered at the New Jersey Independent South Asian Cine Fest earlier the same year. Cluiche / Game premiered at the Ranelagh Arts Festival-Minicinefest also in 2008.
In October, 2009 the world premiere of Marathon, which she wrote in association with Biju Viswanath
Biju Viswanath
Biju Viswanath is an Award-winning international Film Director and Director of Photography.Viswanath works in a wide range of genres: Thriller, Mystery, Horror and Romance...
, took place during the New York International Film Festival, scooping awards for best screenplay and best cinematography.
Libretti
In 2009 Living Opera, in association with Opera Ireland, presented a showcase performance of the opera The Earl of Kildare at the Mermaid Arts Centre in BrayBray
Bray is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside resort, with a population of 31,901 making it the fourth largest in Ireland as of the 2006 census...
. Music was composed by Fergus Johnston and the libretto by Celia de Fréine.
Television
Celia de Fréine was a scriptwriter for the TG4 series Ros na Rún between 1997 and 1999. The first script which she wrote was shortlisted for the Celtic Film and Television Festival in 1998.Publications
Faoi Chabáistí is Ríonacha: Cló Iar-Chonnachta 2000; (Romanian translation) Ars Longa, Romania 2003; (Bulgarian translation) Orpheus Press, Sofia.Fiacha Fola, Cló Iar-Chonnachta, Connemara, 2004
Scarecrows at Newtownards, Scotus Press, Dublin, 2005
Mná Dána, Arlen House, Galway, 2009
imram : odyssey, Arlen House, Galway 2010.
Podcasts
You can hear an exclusive interview ith Celia and hear her reading from her work at *http://www.podcasts.ie/featured-writers/featured-poets/celia-de-freine" in exclusive recordings made during February 2010Awards
- Patrick Kavanagh Award, 1994
- Comórtas Filíochta Dhún Laoghaire (Dán Gaeilge), 1996
- Sparánacht sa Litríocht (An Chomhairle Ealaíon), 1997
- British Comparative Literature Association Translation Award, 1999
- Duais Aitheantais Ghradam Litríochta Chló Iar-Chonnachta, 1999
- Sparánacht sa Litríocht (An Chomhairle Ealaíon), 2000
- Smurfit/Lá International Poetry Award Samhain Festival (Dán Gaeilge), 2003
- Duais an Oireachtais (Award for play Anraith Neantóige), 2003
- Gradam Litríochta Chló Iar-Chonnachta, 2004
- Duais an Oireachtais (Award for play Cóirín na dTonn), 2005
- Duais an Oireachtais(Award for play Tearmann), 2006
- Duais Fhoras na Gaeilge Listowel Writers’ Week (for Tearmann), 2006
- Best screenplay (with Biju Viswanath) at the New York International Film Festival, 2009.
Reviews and Articles
- http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2006/0114/1134117226067.html
- http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2004/1016/1097739400360.html
- http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/anteangabheo/2004/1013/10970566216.html
- http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2004/1012/1097056617673.html
- http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/anteangabheo/2004/0915/1091051936836.html
- http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/anteangabheo/2004/0908/1091051924417.html
- http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/anteangabheo/2004/0512/1084325384907.html
- http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/anteangabheo/2003/1008/1065568108737.html
- http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/1999/1220/99122000009.html
- http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2009/0131/1232923377992.html
- http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2009/0627/1224249633566.html
- Oxford Concise Companion to Irish Literature – Welch, Oxford University Press, 2000
- The Big Issue. Issue 9 Vol p. 35
External links
- www.celiadefreine.com
- www.scotuspress.com
- www.abbeytheatre.ie
- www.operaireland.ie
- www.fergusjohnston.com
- www.marathonthemovie.com
- www.rosnarun.com
- www.antoireachtas.ie
- www.aislingghear.com
- www.dublinshakespearesociety.ie
- www.kennys.ie
- www.nyfilmvideo.com
- www.cic.ie
- www.bijuviswanath.com
- {http://www.podcasts.ie/featured-writers/featured-poets/celia-de-freine]