Brian Leyden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brian Leyden
Born	1960 (age 64–65) Arigna, County Roscommon, Ireland
Occupation	Novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, documentarian, editor, mentor
Language	English
Nationality	Irish
Education	Fine Arts, Creative Writing
Notable work	The Home Place, Love These Days

Brian Leyden, born in 1960, is a well-known Irish writer. He has written many books, including novels, short stories, and a popular memoir. He also helped write a movie script and makes radio documentaries. You might hear his work on RTE Radio 1's Sunday Miscellany. In 2021, Brian also helped start a publishing company called Lepus Print.

About Brian Leyden

Brian Leyden grew up in Arigna, County Roscommon, a place known for coal mining. This area and its way of life often appear in his stories. He has studied writing and fine art at university. Brian has also worked as a writing mentor for many years, helping new writers. He has been a Writer in Residence for libraries in Leitrim and Sligo.

Brian loves to explore how places influence creative work. He has traveled for reading tours in Ireland, Germany, and the United States. Today, he lives on the Atlantic coast in North Sligo with his wife.

Books by Brian Leyden

Brian Leyden has written several types of books:

• Love These Days (2024) – a novel
• Summer of ’63 (2016) – a novel
• Sweet Old World: New and Selected Stories (2015) – a collection of short stories
• Death and Plenty (1996) – a novel
• The Home Place (2002) – a memoir, which is a true story about his own life
• Departures (1992) – a collection of short stories

Creative Projects

Brian Leyden often works on special projects that combine writing with other arts.

Recent Commissions

• The Sligo Wave (2024): Brian wrote about the Sligo landscape for an art exhibition.
• The Sheemore Ambush (2020): A piece for a series remembering historical events.
• The Sligo Bus and All That Jazz (2020): A show combining Brian's writing with music.
• Walking Bird Mountain (2018/2019): A multi-media art project for Creative Ireland.
• Old Flames (2016): A script for the Bealtaine Festival, performed with a musician.

Plays

Brian has also written plays for the stage:

• Remember Me (2023): Performed at The Hawk's Well Theatre in Sligo.
• Ink and Lunacy (1990): Performed at The Factory Theatre in Sligo.
• W.B Yeats: Experiments in Magic (1989): Written for the 50th anniversary of the poet W.B. Yeats's death.

Film

• Black Ice (2013): Brian co-wrote the script for this feature film. It was shown at film festivals and in cinemas.

Opera

• Humpty Dumpty (2010): Brian wrote the story (libretto) for a short opera.

Radio Work

Brian has created many radio programs and contributed to others.

Radio Documentaries

• The Irish Station Mass (2015)
• The Closing of the Gaiety Cinema (2004)
• Even the Walls Were Sweatin' (1997)
• No Meadows in Manhattan (1991)

Other Radio Highlights

• BBC 4 Short Story: His short story Departures was broadcast in 1990 and 2000.
• A Word in Edgeways (2022–2024): He was a regular contributor to this radio show.

Essays and Anthologies

Brian's non-fiction writing and essays have been broadcast on national radio. They have also appeared in many different book collections (anthologies). For example, his work is in Sunday Miscellany: A selection 2018-2023 and A Door Opening: Sligo and the Legacies of Partition. His personal essays about other writers can be found in books like Writing the Sky and This Landscape's Fierce Embrace. His short stories are also in collections such as Reading the Future: New Writing from Ireland and Stories for Jamie.

Awards and Recognitions

Brian Leyden has received many awards for his writing:

• The Arts Council "Literary Bursary" (2014 and 2022): This award helps writers with their work.
• Culture Ireland Travel Award, USA (2017)
• Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Sound and Vision Award (2014)
• Sidney Brown Memorial Award (2012): For a musical based on his novel Death and Plenty.
• Sligo County Libraries Writer-in-Residence (2010)
• Norman Mailer Writers Colony Scholarship (2009)
• Arts Council Travel & Training Award (2009)
• Jacobs Award for No Meadows in Manhattan (1991)
• Francis MacManus Short Story Award for The Last Mining Village (1988)