Kerri ní Dochartaigh

Kerri ní Dochartaigh (born 1983)[1] is a Northern Irish writer known for her nature writings. She has published in The Guardian, The Irish Times and elsewhere, and her 2020 debut book Thin Places was shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize.

Kerri ní Dochartaigh
Born1983 (age 39–40)
Derry, Northern Ireland
Alma materTrinity College Dublin

Biography

ní Dochartaigh was born in 1983 in Derry in Northern Ireland, near the Irish border.[1] Her mother was Catholic and her father Protestant, and when she was aged 11, living in the Waterside area, their home was petrol-bombed in the night. The family moved to a Catholic area, and then out of the town to Ballykelly, 20 miles away.[2] When she was 16, a boy she was friends with was murdered an hour after she had seen him, and his murderer has not been identified.[3]

She read English Literature and Classics at Trinity College Dublin. She then taught for periods in Rudolf Steiner schools in Edinburgh and Bristol.[4]

Writing career

ní Dochartaigh has published in The Guardian, The Irish Times, Winter Papers,[5] Caught By The River[6] and elsewhere,[7]

Her 2020 book Thin Places was published by Canongate Books after a six-way contest between publishers.[8][9] It is "a mixture of memoir, history and nature writing" and describes "a wild Ireland, an invisible border, an old conflict and the healing power of the natural world",[1] and was shortlisted for the 2020 Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing.[10][11]

In March 2021 ní Dochartaigh featured in BBC Radio 4's series The Outsiders: "Five writers on how a year of lockdowns has changed their relationship with the nature on their doorstep",[7] and in August 2021 she appeared at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, online, along with composer and writer Kerry Andrew.[12]

Personal life

As of 2021 she lives "in an old railway cottage in the very heart of Ireland" with her partner and her dog.[1]

Selected publications

Books
  • Thin places. Edinburgh: Canongate. 2021. ISBN 978-1786899637.

Other writings

References
  1. "Thin Places by Kerri ni Dochartaigh". canongate.co.uk. Canongate Books. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  2. O'Hagan, Sean (19 January 2021). "Thin Places by Kerri ní Dochartaigh review – a survivor's story". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  3. Walker, Gail (21 January 2021). "Author Kerri ni Dochartaigh relives harrowing unresolved killing of teenage friend in unflinching new memoir". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  4. "Writing competition – Wildlife and Politics winner, Kerri ni Dochartaigh". Mark Avery. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  5. "Winter Papers Volume 6 · Ireland's Annual Arts Anthology edited by Kevin Barry and Olivia Smith". winterpapers.com. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  6. "Kerri ní Dochartaigh". www.caughtbytheriver.net. Caught by the River. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  7. "Outsiders, Speckled Wood by Kerri ní Dochartaigh". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  8. Wood, Heloise (13 May 2019). "Canongate snaps up 'unique' debut in six-way auction". The Bookseller. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  9. "Canongate signs Kerri Ní Dochartaigh debut after six-way auction". The Irish Times. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  10. "2021 Shortlist Announcement". Wainwright Prize. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  11. "Thin Places". Wainwright Prize. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  12. "Kerry Andrew & Kerri ní Dochartaigh: Blood and Water". www.edbookfest.co.uk. Edinburgh International Book Festival 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.


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