Flann O’Brien is an internationally recognised writer and is recognised as one of Ireland’s most important writers alongside Joyce and Beckett, but his importance is often overlooked in his own homeplace. Research will be carried out mainly in County Donegal, Strabane, Derry and Dublin.
It will build on a research residency carried out by David O’Kane and Edward O’Kane in the Flann O’Brien Archives, Burns Library, Boston College USA in February 2019.
Research will be carried out into links between O’Brien’s writing and Donegal to uncover new influences in the writer’s written work. A mixed media art exhibition will give visual expression to themes inspired by O’Brien’s writing. The exhibition will combine work engendered by the project research with work by the artists involved. Born in Strabane, he spent much of his childhood and youth, with his brothers, bicycling around Strabane and Lifford and further into Donegal. He spent time in the Donegal Gaeltacht. Later he returned to the north west for holidays. The project artists believe his early experience influenced his later writing and the research will seek to uncover new influences in his work. The project research and resulting exhibition will stimulate awareness of the importance of the writer and redress the focus of the origins of influences on some of his most important works. Project research will enable the exhibition of work by three internationally acclaimed artists in their own Donegal community.

Please note that the details of events listed above are provided by the relevant Local Authorities.