“Conal Creedon brought the house down at this year’s Flat Lake Festival, any comic would envy the laughs he elicited from the audience”

“As written by Cónal Creedon, such moments resound with wince-inducing authenticity before they are eclipsed by an inspirational twist – words, inflected with the faintly Scandinavian accent of Munster, soar like a bracing breeze off the River Lee.”

Andy Webster – New York Times

Cónal Creedon is an award winning novelist, playwright and documentary filmmaker.

International recognition includes:

• The Princess Grace Irish Library Award 2025 [Princess Grace Library, Monaco]

• The Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts 2024 [The World Cultural Council, Switzerland]

• Irish American Books, Arts & Music Award 2024 [American Irish Heritage, Chicago, USA]

• The Beatty Lecture McGill University 2024 [Montreal, Canada]

• The CAP Award for Creative Fiction 2024 [Dublin, Ireland]

• The IP Gold Award for European Non-Fiction 2023 [USA]

• The One City One Book 2022 [Ireland]

• The Eric Hoffer Book Award USA 2020 [USA]

The jury of the prestigious WORLD CULTURE COUNCIL were impressed by the diversity of Cónal’s creative practice, described as an exploration of the spaghetti bowl of streets in downtown Cork city, Ireland – where his family has lived and traded for generations.

“Cónal’s detailed investigation of such a tight-knit neighbourhood across various art forms reveals a fascinating insight into the universal nature of the human condition that reaches far beyond the inner-city streets of his native Cork. Cónal’s creative practice constitutes a significant contribution to the artistic legacy of creative expression.”

Cónal was Invited to present the BEATTY LECTURE 2024 at McGill University. 2024 marked 70 years of the Beatty Lecture, which has been described as “from the Nobel to the Pulitzer, from the Kremlin to Carnegie Hall”. The Beatty Lecture continues to feature a diverse range of voices including, President of Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa.

Cónal received the Irish American Books, Arts and Music Award [IBAM Awards] at the Irish American Heritage Centre in Chicago. Others receiving the 2024 IBAM Award include: Fintan O'Toole [Journalism], Altan [Music], Ciaran Hinds [Acting]. Previous winners include: Frank McCourt, John B Keane, Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes.

“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.

Cónal Creedon has presented readings and lectures at McGill University (Canada), Irish American Heritage Centre (Chicago), Irish American Cultural Institute (7 city tour – USA), New York University (USA), Fudan University (China), James Joyce Foundation (Switzerland), Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea (Wales), Zurich University (Switzerland), People’s University Shanghai (China), Florence University (Italy), University of Aveiro (Portugal), Perugia University (Italy). Cónal regularly presents on-line lectures to a number of universities across India.

Following his tenure as writer-in-residence at UCC (2016), Cónal was appointed Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing at University College Cork (2017) where he lectures to MA Creative Writing students.

Cónal’s published books include, Spaghetti Bowl (2024), Art Imitating Life Imitating Death (2023) awarded The IP European Gold Award, Pancho and Lefty Ride Again (2021) awarded One City One Book (2022), Bronze Next Generation Book Award USA (2022), on record as the most borrowed book from the Cork City library in 2022, Begotten Not Made (2018) awarded the CAP Award for Creative Fiction (2024), Eric Hoffer Award USA (2020), Bronze Next Generation Book Award USA (2020), finalist Montaigne Award USA (2020), nominated Dublin International Book Award (2020). It was cited as ‘Book of the Year’ in both Irish Examiner (2020) and Liveline RTÉ Radio. Other books by Cónal Creedon include, Cornerstone (2017), The Immortal Deed of Michael O’Leary (2015), Second City Trilogy (2007), Passion Play (1999) cited as ‘Book of the Year’ BBC Radio 4 and voted the ‘Most Popular Book’ by readers at UCC Library (2020), and Pancho And Lefty Ride Out (1995). Cónal’s books have been translated into Italian and Bulgarian, with extracts translated and published in Germany and China.

Cónal’s award-winning stage plays include, The Trial of Jesus (2000), featured as part of the Irish National Millennium Celebrations. It received two Business to Arts Awards from President Mary McAleese and was nominated for an Irish Times Special Judges Theatre Award (2000). Glory Be To The Father (2001), was produced by Red Kettle Theatre Company, Waterford. Cónal’s Second City Trilogy of stage plays (The Cure, When I Was God, After Luke  (2005) achieved high critical acclaim and were produced a number of times in China and USA, where they  picked up several awards at the 1st Irish Theatre Awards New York, including Best Actor, Best Director and nominated Best Playwright. When I Was God, was awarded Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor at ICA Federation Awards 2014. In 2021, When I Was God it was awarded Best Production, Best Actor and Best Director at the Irish National Play Awards.

Cónal’s film documentaries had numerous broadcasts on RTÉ [Ireland’s National Broadcaster] and screenings at Féile an Phobail West Belfast Festival, World Expo Shanghai (China), Origin Theatre Festival New York (USA), Irish National Centenary Commemorations and at NYU (USA) – shortlisted for the Focal International Documentary Awards UK.

Cónal’s short stories have been broadcast extensively and published in newspapers, magazines, literary periodicals and anthology – with adaptations for stage, film and radio. His short fiction has achieved recognition in a number of literary awards including, Life Extra Short Story Awards, Francis Mac Manus Short Story Awards, George A. Birmingham Short Story Awards, One-Voice Monologue Awards BBC, The PJ O’Connor Awards.

Cónal has written and produced more than 60 hours of original radio drama broadcast by RTÉ, BBC4, BBC World Service and various international broadcasting corporations. The Irish Times radio critics cited Cónal’s radio drama as ‘Best Radio of the Year’  in 1996 and 1998.

Cónal regularly performs spoken-word collaborations with musicians across various genres including, orchestral, choral, singer-songwriter and club DJ-mix.

Cónal was a columnist with The Irish Times 2000/2001.

Recognition for contribution to the Arts:

• Princess Grace Irish Library Residency Award 2025. [Monaco].

• The Leonardo da Vinci Award of Arts 2024. [World Cultural Council, Switzerland].

• Invited to Present the 2024 Beatty Lecture McGill University.[Montreal Canada].

• The Irish Books, Arts & Music Award 2024. [American Irish Heritage Centre, Chicago].

• Cumann Iarscoláirí na Mainistreach Thuaidh. Person of Year Award 2021.

• Appointed Goodwill Literary Ambassador for Cork City 2020.

• Awarded Lord Mayor’s Culture Award 2020.

• Awarded CAP Literary Award Nov 1st 2024.

• IP Gold Award for European Research. USA. 2022.

• Appointed Culture Ambassador for Cork City 2020.

• Eric Hoffer Award for Fiction 2022.

• Invited Guest of Honour, 10th Anniversary Shanghai Writers’ China 2018.

• Nominated Cork Person of the Year 2018.

• Appointed Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing UCC 2017.

• Appointed Heritage Ambassador for Cork City 2017.

• Keynote Speaker Daniel Corkery Summer School, Inchigeela, Ireland 2016.

• Keynote Speaker Merriman Summer School, Glór, Ennis, Ireland 2015.

• Best Director, Best Actor, [nom] Best Playwright – 1st Irish New York.

• Keynote Speaker Cork Europa Erlesen, Irish Embassy Berlin, Germany 2014.

• Invited Scholarship Forum, Fudan University, Shanghai, China 2008.

• Invited 7-City Reading Tour, Irish American Cultural Institute, USA 2008.

• Invited Speaker 4-City Reading Tour, Italy.

• Nominated Cork Person of the Year 2001.

• Awarded Lord Mayor’s Culture Award 1999.