Celia de Fréine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Celia de Fréine
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| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Irish |
Celia de Fréine, born in 1948, is a talented writer from Ireland. She creates poems, plays, and screenplays. She also writes libretti, which are the words used in operas. Celia writes in both the Irish and English languages.
Contents
About Celia de Fréine
Celia de Fréine was born in Newtownards, a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. When she was young, her family moved to Dublin. But she always stayed close with her family in the North.
She went to college at University College Dublin and Lancaster University. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked for the government and as a teacher. Today, she splits her time between Dublin and Connemara, a beautiful area in the west of Ireland.
Celia's Poetry Collections
Celia de Fréine has published six collections of her poems. A collection is like a book filled with many poems.
First Poems: Faoi Chabáistí is Ríonacha
Her very first poetry book was called Faoi Chabáistí is Ríonacha. It was published in 2001. This book won an award in 1999 even before it was fully released! Her poems from this collection have been translated into other languages, like Romanian and Bulgarian.
Fiacha Fola and its Important Story
Her second collection, Fiacha Fola, came out in 2004. This book tells a powerful story about a difficult medical issue in Ireland. It also won an award in 2004.
English Poems: Scarecrows at Newtownards
Celia's first book of poems written only in English was Scarecrows at Newtownards, published in 2005.
imram : odyssey - A Bilingual Journey
In 2010, she released imram : odyssey. This book is special because it's bilingual, meaning it has poems in both Irish and English. The title is inspired by an old Irish storytelling style called imram, which means a journey or voyage. She got the idea for this book after visiting Slovenia.
Aibítir Aoise : Alphabet of an Age
Her 2011 collection, Aibítir Aoise : Alphabet of an Age, was inspired by a Polish writing style. In this style, authors share their observations about life, usually in prose. Celia adapted it into a poetic form.
cuir amach seo dom : riddle me this
Published in 2014, the main poem in this collection is like a riddle. Celia wrote it while in Slovenia, where riddles are a traditional art form. The book also includes other poem series she wrote in Paris and Portugal.
Poetry Awards
Celia de Fréine's poems have appeared in many anthologies (collections by different poets). She has won several awards for her poetry, including the Patrick Kavanagh Award in 1994.
Celia's Plays
Celia de Fréine has written many plays that have been performed and won awards.
Her play Nára Turas é in Aistear was performed in Dublin and Galway in 2000.
In 2004, her play Anraith Neantóige was shown at the Dublin Theatre Festival and toured around Ireland. This play won an award in 2003.
Other plays like Cóirín na dTonn (2005) and Tearmann (2006) also won awards. These three plays were later published together in a book called Mná Dána in 2009.
The famous Abbey Theatre asked her to write a short play called Casadh in 2009. It was read aloud in Dublin and Belfast.
Celia has also translated and adapted classic works for the stage. For example, she translated and dramatized Brian Merriman's famous Irish poem, The Midnight Court, which was performed in Dublin in 1982 and again in 2007.
In 2012, three of her plays were published in a book: Desire: Meanmarc, Cúirt an Mheán Oíche: The Midnight Court, and Plight: Cruachás. These plays explore themes related to Brian Merriman and his famous poem.
Other plays she has written or adapted include:
- Were Man But Constant (from Shakespeare's comedies), 1982.
- The Courting of Emer, 1985.
- Diarmuid agus Gráinne, 1986.
- I Have Seen The Stars, 1988.
- Holloway 1918 (a reading), 1989.
- Two Girls in Silk Kimonos (a reading), 1991.
Celia's Work in Films
In 2007, filmmaker Biju Viswanath created a series of short films based on Celia's poems. These films include Lorg / Quest, Seal / Sojourn, Cluiche / Game, and Beatha / Life.
Lorg / Quest was shown at the Irish Film Institute in 2007 and had its first showing in the US in 2008. Seal / Sojourn also premiered in the US in 2008.
Celia also wrote the screenplay for a film called Marathon with Biju Viswanath. This film premiered in 2009 at the New York International Film Festival. It won awards for best screenplay (the script) and best cinematography (how it was filmed)!
Opera Writing
Celia de Fréine has also written for opera. In 2009, she wrote the libretto (the words) for an opera called The Earl of Kildare. The music was composed by Fergus Johnston.
Television Work
From 1997 to 1999, Celia de Fréine was a scriptwriter for the TG4 television series Ros na Rún. One of her first scripts for the show was nominated for an award in 1998.
Translations by Celia
Celia de Fréine has translated poems from many European languages into Irish and English. She has translated works by famous poets like Rainer Maria Rilke and Catullus. She has also translated poems from Gujarati poets.
Awards and Recognition
Celia de Fréine has received many awards for her writing, including:
- Patrick Kavanagh Award, 1994
- British Comparative Literature Association Translation Award, 1999
- Duais an Oireachtais (Award for play Anraith Neantóige), 2003
- Gradam Litríochta Chló Iar-Chonnachta, 2004
- Duais an Oireachtais (Award for play Cóirín na dTonn), 2005
- Duais an Oireachtais (Award for play Tearmann), 2006
- Best screenplay (with Biju Viswanath) at the New York International Film Festival, 2009
- Best international short (with Biju Viswanath) at the New York International Film Festival, 2010
