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Celebrating the Literary Voices of County Leitrim

Discover authors, their stories, and the works inspired by this beautiful county.

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☘️ Leitrim’s Literary Legacy

This site is a space to explore the lives and works of authors from County Leitrim, and those who have written about it. Together, their writings offer a rich record of Leitrim’s people, places, and past — and help keep its stories alive. You’ll find author profiles, book lists, and links to where you can read or purchase their work. I’m also working to bring hard-to-find titles back into circulation and to help contemporary authors reach new readers. Whether you’re here to rediscover a forgotten voice or find someone new, céad míle fáilte.

📰 New & Noteworthy

Honouring Our Dead — A Question of Local History

We recently received a submission from Ken Boyle, a familiar contributor to Leitrim Books, that explores the complex and often painful history etched into the local landscape.

His article, “Honouring our Dead,” examines the physical legacy of three prominent South Leitrim memorials: the Selton Hill Monument, the McGirl Monument, and the recently unveiled Sheehan/Kelly Memorial. Through the lens of these three monuments, the author reflects on the region’s relationship with militant republicanism, the historical use of violence for political change, and how different eras of conflict are remembered today.

Before arriving at Leitrim Books, this piece was deemed unsuitable for Leitrim readers elsewhere. We believe our community is well-equipped to navigate the complexities of our shared past. We are publishing the piece in full, offering you the opportunity to read the article and make up your own mind.

To support open dialogue on this subject, we are also doing something new: for the very first time on Leitrim Books, we are opening a comments section at the bottom of the page. We welcome constructive remarks relevant to the article and invite you to share your perspective.

[Read “Honouring our Dead” here]

👤 Recently Added Authors

Our author list is always growing! Here are the three most recent additions connected to the county. Discover their stories and their work:

Spotlight on Authors

James Hogg

Hogg was an Leitrim-born poet and pioneering journalist in New Brunswick, Canada, who penned the first published poetry collection in the province.

Dr Fiona Slevin

Dr Slevin is a historian, author, and chartered director whose research explores the social and economic resilience of post-Famine rural Ireland.

Joe Sheerin

Irish-born poet and educator Joe Sheerin explores the unvarnished realities of emigration and rural life with dark humor and striking realism.

“I think that each of us inhabits a private world that others cannot see. The only difference between the writer and the reader is that the writer is able to dramatise that private world.”
— John McGahern

🔍 Explore Leitrim’s Literary Heritage

Start exploring the stories of Leitrim — through the voices of its writers and those who’ve written it into memory.

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