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 In the latest instalment of the ºÚÁÏÉç Alumni Spotlight, we speak to BA in English, Sociology and History and MA in Creative Writing graduate Gráinne O’Brien who recently published her first novel, Solo. 

Gráinne shares her journey from student to published author and speaks of the support she received from UL’s Creative Writing team who have continued to guide her as she navigates the world of writing.  

Tell us a bit about yourself. 

Originally, I am from Sixmilebridge in Co. Clare, but after primary school I went to secondary school in Limerick. I was always into books and what I would call ‘quiet’ activities. I sang in choirs in Limerick as a teenager, and have come back to that in adulthood. I’ve moved and travelled other places, but came back to settle in Limerick in 2013, and have been here since.

Why did you choose to study at UL?

I chose to do my undergrad in UL because I wasn’t quite ready to be too far from home and I wanted to study English, but wasn’t sure if I wanted to go into teaching which was the main option in other universities in Ireland at the time.

A few years later, I returned to UL to do the MA in Creative Writing because after years of floundering around and not really committing to it properly, I decided it was time I took my writing seriously and made it a priority in my life.

What was it like to be both an undergraduate and postgraduate student at UL?

The two experiences couldn’t have been more different. As an undergrad I had all the experiences you would expect me to have, but for the MA I was also working full-time. I had to balance full-time work with study, so there was less time for lingering around campus, but I still loved being back. I always feel a sense of calm when I get onto the UL campus. 

What did you enjoy most about the MA in Creative Writing?

It’s a very rewarding, very intense experience. Every person who joins the MA in Creative Writing has different expectations and goals for what they want to get out of it, but ultimately we are all drawn to it because we love writing and want to do more of it. 

The workshops and lectures on the course are designed to ensure that every writer gets their chance to have their work discussed with a view to improving it. The tutors were incredibly generous with their feedback, and the course fostered a real sense of creative community among the writers who take part in it. It gives the students time and space to focus fully on writing, surrounded by people who take it seriously. 

Authors visit throughout the year to talk about their experiences with writing and the industry. Ones that stick out to me are Claire Hennessy and E.R. Murray who were two very different writers with some really great insights on creativity and the business of writing. We also had a day in Dublin hosted by the Irish Writers Centre where we listened to agents and publishers talk about their work. Brian Langan, Marianne Gunn O’Connor, and Lisa Coen and Sarah Davis-Goff from Tramp Press are the ones that stick out in my mind as being rich and generous with the information they gave to us.

Tell us about your career journey so far. 

After leaving UL with my undergraduate degree I ended up working in Silicon Valley for a while, running the office for a tech startup. I was the only woman in an office of 13 people and the company was just starting to grow. It was an interesting time, but ultimately I came home a little bit unsure of my next steps. 

I ended up getting a job to cover tills for Christmas in O'Mahony's Booksellers in Limerick and was still there ten years later. I took over the children's buying, and fell back in love with books. Books were where I was almost meant to be, to be honest! 

My first children’s book, A Limerick Fairytale, was born in the basement of that shop. I wanted to write something that was a love letter to Limerick and to all the children that had come to me throughout the years and allowed me to guide them to the right book. It was published in May 2023 and went into the bestsellers chart at number five. It's a picture book aimed at the 4-7 age range and has gone all over the world. When it first came out I was meeting grandparents who were sending it to Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and all of them told me the same things – they had a grandchild they hadn't met yet because of Covid, and they wanted them to see Limerick. Lena Stawowy's illustrations are what makes it so special. I am incredibly proud of that book. 

After A Limerick Fairytale came out I signed with my agent Sallyanne Sweeney of MMB Creative and began working on my first novel, Solo, which was published by Little Island in April 2025 and debuted as a bestseller. I hadn't set out with the intention of writing for the young adult market but this was the story that came to me and that's how publishing works. I loved the freedom writing a teenager gave me. They are so raw and exposed, and feel everything so deeply. I plan to sit in this age range for a few more books and see what comes out. 

As a bookseller I have become really aware of the huge anxieties debut authors have about publishing and particularly, bookselling. I founded Rontu Literary Service as a way of filling that gap for authors who were nervous about what happens 'next'. I do one-to-one sessions with them and occasionally host workshops to do my best to ease any anxieties they have about bookselling.

I moved to Kennys Bookshop and Art Gallery in Galway in July 2023 and took over all the buying for the website and the physical bookshop. It's a big challenge and I love it. I can’t imagine a time when I won’t be working around books.

How did your master’s help you get to where you are today in your writing career?

Things like author visits and publishing days on the MA in Creative Writing meant that when the time came that I went looking to get a literary agent, I was prepared with as much advice on how to approach them as I could have ever needed. The entire team on the MA in Creative Writing supported me not only while I was there, but also long after I graduated, offering encouragement, advice, and practical help as I navigated the path toward publication.

The team when I did the MA consisted of Professor Joseph O’Connor, Donal Ryan, Professor Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, Professor Giles Foden and Dr Martin Dyar. They all influenced my writing and experience in different ways and I could be here all day talking about them. I learned about the business of publishing from Giles, how to write about people and make the reader feel something from Donal, how to focus on what I wanted and go after it from Joseph and how to apply constructive feedback to my work from Sarah. Martin taught me a new way to view poetry, and how to fuse poetry with prose and use it to push a story forward. Since then, I have come back to UL for workshops and events and had the pleasure of learning even more from Dr Emily Cullen and Professor Eoin Devereux. Every time I go back to UL for something I learn something new about my writing and myself.

The publication of my books has been met with such genuine celebration from the UL Creative Writing team. Their pride and support mean so much to me. It’s a reminder that the relationships built during the MA go far beyond the classroom. The UL Creative Writing team have continued to champion my work, and that kind of support and encouragement is invaluable. 

What would you say to anyone considering doing the MA in Creative Writing at UL?

If you’re ready to commit to your writing and want to be challenged in the best possible way, the MA in Creative Writing is a brilliant place to do it. It is one of the best decisions I have made, and I can wholeheartedly say I would not have gotten published if it hadn’t been for the time I spent there.

UL is known as the ‘Home of Firsts’ – are there any important ‘firsts’ that you experienced while studying at UL?

The most important thing that the MA taught me was how to finish something. It may seem silly but for years I was working on a tonne of different writing projects that weren’t always getting finished. Knowing that there is an expectation that a completed creative work needed to be produced was often the only thing that got me to finish whatever story I was working on. Taking part in the MA was the first time I finished a writing project and I could say by the end of it I had done my best with it. 

What are your hopes and plans for the future? 

Publish more books! I am really just at the beginning of my writing career which is very exciting. I have many more ideas and plans for the future, all of which are being supported by everyone involved with UL.

Finally, here at UL we encourage our students to ‘Stay Curious’. What keeps you curious? 

Reading and hearing other people's stories keeps me curious. It’s how we develop empathy for other people and that is really important.