“Mr. Creedon’s words are enough to create a world that is at once comic and dramatic, poetic and musical”
Rachel Saltz – New York Times
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About the speaker Cónal Creedon
Cónal Creedon is an award-winning novelist, short-story writer, playwright, documentary filmmaker and collaborative artist.
Cónal's creative practice is described as an exploration of downtown streets of Cork city, Ireland – where his family has lived and traded for generations. This detailed investigation reveals insights into the universal nature of the human condition that resonates far beyond his inner city streets. In recognition of his contribution to the Arts, Cónal was awarded the Leonardo da Vinci Award 2024 by World Cultural Council, Switzerland – and the Books, Arts and Music Award for Literature 2024 by the Irish American Heritage Centre Chicago, USA. In 2017, Cónal was appointed Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing at University College Cork and selected as Cultural Ambassador by his native Cork (2020). In 2024 he was invited to present the prestigious Beatty Lecture at McGill University, Montreal Canada.
Cónal's prose has picked up a number of international awards including, The Eric Hoffer Award (USA), The Gold IP Award (Europe), The CAP Award (Ireland). His stage plays have been produced in China, USA and Europe. With translations of his work into Bulgarian, German, Italian and Chinese – Cónal’s body of work continues to achieve international awards and high critical acclaim.
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The critically acclaimed novelist's most recent publication 'Spaghetti Bowl' is a collection of essays published September (2024).
SPAGHETTI BOWL by Cónal Creedon launched by Benny McCabe and Murphy’s Brewery was performed in September 2024 at the Heineken Brewery.
The Street Came Out To Play Last Night ... [down the street in Murphy's Brewery]. Benny McCabe a longtime neighbour and friend - Some will say we never grew up - but we played and continue to play and trade on the same street in the Spaghetti Bowl of downtown streets.
“Mr Creedon’s words are enough to create a world that is at once comic and dramatic, poetic and musical.” New York Times
Cracker of a night - Thank you Benny, Murphy's and Des - Irish Examiner.
Cónal Creedon will present a lecture – A Sense Of Place.
Following the event, Cónal will be available for a Q&A and we'll enjoy a drink and continue the conversation.
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© Paul Reardon
Billetterie Weezevent
© John Minihan
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Reviews (a selection) of Cónal Creedon's work
“Vigorously sustained by stylish performances and an ingenious script, which marries comedy and pathos with a sure hand. They’ll love it. It’s impossible not to”
The Irish Times
“Creedon can create characters, not just mouthing amusing philosophical meanderings, not just cold abstractions, these are creations of Creedon’s great humanity”
Tom Widger – The Sunday Tribune
“Everyone loves the Irish. It’s just a fact. Creedon’s script is a rich fusion of melancholy poetry and affable banter. truly fine piece of theatre, one that is Irish to its core but anything but provincial in its scope. You couldn’t ask for anything more than this.”
Smart Shanghai Magazine, China
“Good writing knows no ethnicity. Good writing knows no nationality. Good writing is good writing – not alone is this good writing - It’s excellent writing. Very personal writing. Very humorous writing. They say if Dublin was burnt down it could be rebuilt again by reading the work of James Joyce – well the very same could be said about Creedon’s work – Cork city could be built from his words.”
Malachy McCourt – WBAI RADIO New York
“Creedon’s main device in these pieces is repetition. I found myself laughing uproariously as the words stayed the same, but the meaning was in constant shift, each repetition raising the stakes to a beautifully bittersweet conclusion – driving the action and the comedy.”
Peter Schuyler – NY Theatre Review
“Creedon’s well-honed, multi-dimensional cast of characters, his vividly portrayed settings and interiors of 1970s and contemporary Cork, and his measured but lyrical prose nail every nuance of the story arc. The author has ripped open his Irish heart to spill this marvellous pastiche, a real-life creed that must be absorbed with one’s heart open wide to the pathos and poignancy of love lost and found, life lived and unlived, and spirituality bound to blind faith or soaring on the wings of perception. Ultimately, Creedon’s tour de force pays tribute to an end-of-life journey that paradoxically celebrates the winter of regret and the eye-opening gift of having nothing left to lose.” - Kate Robinson - USA Review Of Books