Earlier the year ‘Il Bravo Figlio’ the Italian translation of ‘The Good Son’ was published leading to my invitation to the Festival of Italian and Irish Literature in Ireland.For the first time, the festival is hosting workshop s in their programme and I’m delighted to be teaching of these inaugural sessions. Here’s the blurb…

The FIILI Association is delighted to announce that this year, for the first time, the Festival of Italian and Irish Literature in Ireland (FIILI 2026) is hosting a Masterclass in Creative Writing, facilitated by award-winning writer Paul McVeigh.

Paul McVeigh’s debut novel, The Good Son, won The Polari First Book Prize and The McCrea Literary Award. His short stories have been in anthologies, journals and newspapers, and read on BBC Radio, RTE Radio, as well as, Sky ARTS. His debut story collection, I Hear You, was published in March 2025. His writing has been translated into eight languages.

What’s The Big Idea? – Workshop in Creative Writing

How do you combine the personal with political? How do you capture an era or generation? How can you bring conflict onto to the page? You’ll look at techniques to tackle these difficult subjects and techniques to make them come alive on the page.

This event will be held at Regent House, Trinity College Dublin at 10am on the 26th September 2026. It is sponsored by the Irish Writers Centre and organised in collaboration with the FIILI Associaton and the Festival of Italian and Irish Literature in Ireland.

The FIILI Association has made every effort to keep the fee for this Workshop as low as possible. Places are €40 each, and booking is via Eventbrite by clicking here.

Deadline for The Paul McVeigh West Cork Residency is 30th September 2026. Open to emerging writers in Ireland and the UK (the diaspora may apply but need to pay their international travel). We look forward to reading your entries. Apply here.

A review of Il Bravo Figlio published in Robinson, Italy’s most prestigious literary supplement and part of La Repubblica.

“Ideally situated somewhere between Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart and Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle”

Ideally situated between two extraordinary Booker Prize-winning novels – wow!

Join us in Lisbon for a special weekend.

“Lisbon has always felt like a city shaped by conversation — long lunches, late evenings, unexpected honesty, and the feeling that people still make time for one another.

This November I’ll be joining Glainne for a small gathering built around culture, connection, and the kinds of conversations that stay with you long after you leave.

Not a conference.Not networking.Just thoughtful people, good company, and a few days in Lisbon.

Lisbon · Nov 13–15

Details here

Fiction, Faction and the Spaces in Between

Eoin McNamee and Aanchal Malhotra in conversation with Paul McVeigh

May-23-2026 | 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM Lecture Theatre 1, Ulster University, Belfast

Jaipur Literature Festival International returns to Ireland this time with an all-island iteration.

Register here