Monaco
This distinctive international outpost of The Ireland Funds combines philanthropy with cultural exchange.
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A Literary Legacy
From its base in the Principality, this chapter fosters philanthropy while celebrating Irish arts and literature, notably through its partnership with the Princess Grace Irish Library and its writer residency bursaries.
The next available bursary will be a Literary Bursary in Spring 2027. Applications will close on 30 September 2026.
Learn more about The Ireland Funds Monaco Bursaries and find guidelines on how to apply below.
Contact
Sile Jackson
Director
Le Sardanapale 2 Avenue Princesse, Grace MC 98000 Monaco
+33-6-7863-5540
Leadership
Guadalupe Smurfit
President
Anne-Marie Boisbouvier
Vice President
Sile Jackson
Director
Meet Spring 2025 Writer in Residence: Cónal Creedon
Cónal Creedon is an award-winning novelist, short-story writer, playwright, documentary filmmaker and collaborative artist.
His creative practice is described as an exploration of downtown streets of Cork city, Ireland – where his family has lived and traded for generations. In recognition of his contribution to the Arts, Cónal Creedon 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 in 2025 conferred with an Honorary Doctorate in Literature at University College Cork. Cónal was selected as Cultural Ambassador in his native Cork (2020). In 2024, he was invited to present the prestigious Beatty Lecture at McGill University, Montreal Canada. In 2025, was awarded the Laoch Reacaire 2025, and he recently received the Pride of Cork Award in recognition of his literary, film and theatrical creations that have toured the world from Ireland to China and the USA.
“The magic of a Monaco Ireland Funds – Princess Grace Irish Library Writers’ Residency is that it offered me that elusive space to think, uninterrupted by the simple complexities of day-to-day life; that opportunity to view home from a distance without being obscured by the interruption of the white noise of familiarity. It presented me with the invaluable invitation to step off the hurdy-gurdy-merry-go-round of life. It was a home from home, a safe place that gave me time to take stock, reset the clock, and write. It was very liberating and life reaffirming, to be transported to a new place, compelled to engage with new people, a new language, a new culture – it woke up compartments of the brain that usually lie semi-dormant due to the comfortable over familiarity of home. This residency allowed me that rare chance to step back and look at home in a new light with a new set of eyes.”
The Ireland Funds Bursaries
About
The Ireland Funds Monaco Bursaries were established to enable literary and academic writers born or living on the island of Ireland to pursue a current project during a one-month residency at The Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco.
The Bursaries are aimed at writers in each category who have already published some work of note and are currently engaged in a work-in-progress which would benefit in some regard from holding the award.
The Literary Bursary takes place in the Spring (February/March) of each calendar year.
The Academic Bursary takes place in the Autumn (October) of each calendar year.
Applicants are advised to ensure they apply for the appropriate Bursary.
In addition to the cost of return airfare (within Europe only) and accommodation, the Bursary entails an honorarium of €1,300 to be presented to the holder on completion of the period of tenure.
A daily subsistence will be made available in the form of weekly payments while the recipient remains in the Principality of Monaco.
Apply
The next available Bursary will take place in Spring 2027. It will be a Literary Bursary. Applications will close on 30 September 2026.
Guidelines:
Applicants are asked to identify themselves by name, date and place of birth. Please provide a single PDF attachment including:
- An application letter, outlining the work to be undertaken while in residence in Monaco and why undertaking it at the Princess Grace Irish Library would benefit the work.
- A short author biography detailing publications to date, awards won and any other details of note.
Unsuccessful applicants are welcome to apply for a subsequent Bursary. A new letter from the applicant should be submitted if the Bursary is sought in any succeeding year.
Applications should be sent by email to:
The Ireland Funds Monaco Bursaries: Terms of Tenure
- Acknowledgement of support by the Bursary should be made in any publishing outcome connected with writing or research carried on during the period of tenure.
- Bursary holders are required to remain in Monaco and to attend the Library frequently during the period of tenure. Full provision will be made as regards work-space, computer (including internet access) and other facilities of the Library.
- The recipients are also required to give a lecture, talk or reading to an invited audience at some juncture during the residency and may be asked to give a talk in English to the senior class at the “Lycée Albert I” (though this is not obligatory). Finally, Bursary holders will be asked to submit a piece of writing for inclusion in an occasional anthology.
- The Ireland Funds Monaco reserves the right to amend the terms of the Bursary prior to issuing any offer. The Trustees of the Library reserve the right to effect immediate termination of a Bursary in the event of conduct that compromises the good standing of the Library.
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