Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin facts for kids
Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin (born 1942) is a famous Irish poet and a university teacher. She was even chosen as the Ireland Professor of Poetry from 2016 to 2019. This is a very important job for a poet in Ireland.
About Her Life
Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1942. Her mother was Eilís Dillon, a well-known writer. Her father was Professor Cormac Ó Cuilleanáin. Eiléan studied at University College Cork and the University of Oxford. She lived in Dublin with her husband, Macdara Woods, who was also a poet. They have one son, Niall Woods.
She is a special member, called a Fellow, at Trinity College Dublin. She used to be a professor in the School of English there, starting in 1966. Even though she retired from teaching in 2011, her poems are still studied. Some of her poems are part of the Leaving Certificate exam. This is the final big test for students in Irish secondary schools. Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin is also a member of Aosdána. This is a group that honors Irish artists.
Eiléan helped start a literary magazine called Cyphers. She began it with other writers like Pearse Hutchinson and Macdara Woods. She still helps to edit the magazine today. She has also recorded some of her poems. These recordings are kept in the Irish Poetry Reading Archive.
Awards and Recognition
Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin has won many awards for her poetry. Her very first collection of poems won the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award in 1973. In 2010, her book The Sun-fish won a big award called the International Griffin Poetry Prize. This award is given out in Canada. That same book was also a finalist for the Poetry Now Award. In 2016, the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, chose her for the special role of Ireland Professor of Poetry.
