Mairtín Crawford Awards – Announcing the Winners!

Announcing the Winners of The Mairtin Crawford Award for Poetry and Short Story 2023

Join judges Lucy Caldwell (Chair, Short Story) and Moyra Donaldson (Chair, Poetry) for the announcement of the winners for 2023, plus short readings from the Winners.

The Mairtin Crawford Award for Poetry, named in honour of the writer and poet who was a significant figure in Northern Ireland's literary community, is in its 7th year. The 2023 Poetry Judges are Moyra Donaldson and Annemarie Ní Churreáin.

The Mairtin Crawford Award for Short Story Award is in its 6th year. The 2023 Short Story Judges are Lucy Caldwell and Rachael Kelly, with support from Chris Wright. 

Our thanks to CILIP Ireland and Bullitt Hotel for their support of the Award.

Helen Waddell: A Legacy

Damian Smyth will say a few words to honour and celebrate writer and poet Helen Waddell,  writer and poet Helen Waddell, one of the most influential and yet underappreciated figures in Irish and British literature. In The Crescent’s 150th year, we reflect on Helen’s work and legacy and are delighted to name our creative writing room in her honour. 

Helen Waddell, the author of such books as The Wandering Scholars, translations of poetry, and plays like The Spoiled Buddha, was educated here in The Crescent’s building at the turn of the 20th century, then a girls’ school known as Victoria College. From there, she went on to be one of the first female graduates of Queen’s College (now University), before finding work as a writer, translator and editor of poetry, fiction and drama, respected by peers such as Virginia Woolf, Bernard Shaw and WB Yeats.