About Me
Gerard Beirne is an Irish author currently living in New Brunswick, Canada. He was appointed as Writer-in-Residence at the University of New Brunswick 2008/2009. He is a Director of the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick and is a Fiction Editor of The Fiddlehead (Canada’s longest living literary magazine).
His novel The Eskimo in the Net was published by Marion Boyars in 2003 and was short-listed for the 2004 Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award. It was selected by the literary editor of The Daily Express as Book of the Year 2004.
“By far the most memorable novel of the year for me was Gerard Beirne’s wonderful The Eskimo in the Net (Marion Boyars ). Nothing else I read in 2003 began with a better opening sentence. “Everything started to go wrong the day we dragged the Eskimo up in the net off Malin Head.” …Wonderful clear prose and sensitive observation in a tough environment make this an outstanding debut work, scandalously ignored by this year’s Man Booker judges.” – Graham Ball (Literary Editor of the Daily Express).
His collection of poetry, Digging My Own Grave (published by Dedalus Press) was runner-up for the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award. His story, Sightings of Bono, was adapted for Irish film featuring Bono (of U2), released on DVD in 2004 & published as a Paprika short (Avvi Stando Bono,) by Scritturapura Editore, Italy .
Beirne’s CD of spoken word poetry - If it’s words you’re after – was released in 2006. He is a past winner of two Sunday Tribune/Hennessey Literary Awards including New Irish Writer of the Year Award. His collaboration, Hum!, commisoned by the Irish National Chamber Orchestra, with classical composer Siobhán Cleary was called a “coup de theatre” by the Irish Times.
In 2009, Oberon Press published his second novel, Turtle.