Meet our resident writer
Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh
Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh is a poet from Ireland who writes exclusively in the Irish language.A bilingual collection, The Coast Road, was published by the Gallery Press in 2016 with English translations by thirteen poets. Her own translations from the French of Andrée Chedid were published in 2019. Among the awards her work has garnered are the Michael Hartnett Award and the Lawrence O’Shaughnessy Prize, as well as bursaries from the Arts Council. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Modern Irish at University College Cork, and enjoys collaborating with musicians, dancers and artists.
In residence with
Rutger Emmelkamp is a visual artist, researcher, and co-founder of KNOCKvologan Studio, an interdisciplinary creative hub and residency on the Isle of Mull, Scotland. His practice merges art, field research, and ecological stewardship, exploring the relationship between people and place. Through installation, film, sculpture, and collaborative projects, Rutger investigates the nuances of landscapes and human interaction with them, revealing both local (emic) and external (etic) perspectives. Alongside partner Miek Zwamborn, Rutger has cultivated KNOCKvologan Studio as a space for dialogue, innovative artistic exploration, and sustainable culture. His work has been presented internationally, often questioning our understanding of place and inspiring new ways of perceiving rural life.
Miek Zwamborn is an author, interdisciplinary artist, translator and conservationist. For the last few years her practice focusses on the shoreline, moorland and Celtic rainforest at the Scottish Isle of Mull where she studies the environment via poetry, drawings, photography and cooking. She has published novels, a poetry pamphlet, artist books and the anthology The Seaweed Collector’s Handbook (2020, Profile). Her visual work has been exhibited internationally and her writing has been translated into English, German, Portuguese, Italian and Swedish. Miek co-runs the creative art/literature hub KNOCKvologan Studio on Mull and is involved in the re-wilding project Tireragan.
Recent events
Tuesday 5 November, 1-2pm, United College 30
‘Où es-tu ma voix lointaine?: The anxiety of translating Andrée Chedid’
Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Modern Irish at University College Cork, and an award-winning poet from Ireland who writes exclusively in the Irish language. In this research paper, she will be discussing her own translations from the French of Andrée Chedid, which were published in 2019.
Wednesday 6 November, 2-5pm, Buchanan 216
Translation workshop:
Wood for the trees: Decision-making in poetry translation
This multi-lingual workshop is open to all. It will consist of two parts: the first will involve an exploration of the work of Andrée Chedid, a writer and poet of Lebanese origin who wrote in French. The second part will focus on translations of Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh’s poems from Irish to French, Spanish, German and Italian. Cribs in English will be provided.
This event is free but booking is required at https://events.st-andrews.ac.uk/events/wood-for-the-trees-decision-making-in-poetry-translation/
Thursday 7 November, 5-7pm, United College School 3
Ways In, Ways Out: Exploring Emic and Etic Perspectives Through Experimental Film
Rutger Emmelkamp will explore the concepts of emic and etic perspectives—the insider’s and outsider’s viewpoints—through two short experimental films. Drawing from his practice at KNOCKvologan Studio on the Isle of Mull, Rutger will showcase the films as a reflection of his ongoing engagement with the landscape and culture of the region. These films offer a sensory and immersive portrayal of the rural environment, while raising questions about belonging, identity, and the role of the artist in understanding place.
Through the emic lens, Rutger will discuss how living and working on the Isle of Mull has shaped his understanding of its complex histories and ecosystems. In contrast, he will examine the value of the etic perspective, where an outsider’s distance provides a fresh look at the familiar. This dual approach prompts critical reflection on how we experience and represent the world around us—whether as locals deeply embedded in a place, or as newcomers encountering it with curiosity and detachment.
The lecture will include a discussion on the importance of balancing both perspectives in creative practice and how these viewpoints can reveal previously hidden aspects of a place. Rutger will also share insights from KNOCKvologan’s artist residency program, where artists from diverse disciplines engage with the unique landscape, often blending emic and etic perspectives to generate new narratives and collaborations.
Friday 8 November, 2-5pm, Corner Room, Scottish Oceans Institute
Of sea and sod: a generative writing workshop arising from the Arandora Star.
3 hour multilingual workshop facilitated by Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh and Miek Zwamborn.
This workshop will use a variety of tools and exercises inspired by the Arandora Star, an ocean liner that was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland in 1940. Participants will be given the opportunity to reflect and compose responses across a range of themes and genres, and languages. A stroll along the shoreline will provide us with material for the imagination. It is hoped that an anthology will be published featuring work from the workshop.
This event is free but booking is required at https://events.st-andrews.ac.uk/events/of-sea-and-sod-a-generative-writing-workshop-arising-from-the-arandora-star/
