Aran Islands native Surnaí Molloy has been selected as the overall winner of the 2024 All Ireland Scholarships Creative Writing Competition for her short story Rites of Passage, and her story Mouse was also awarded third place.
She was presented with the Roger Downer Award at a special awards ceremony in Adare Manor on Tuesday.
The competition, now in its fourth year, is open to all members of the All-Ireland Scholarships Alumni Association. The categories included fiction, non-fiction and op-ed, with a maximum word count of 2,000 words.
This year’s judging panel comprised a stellar panel of award-winning authors: Roddy Doyle, Marian Keyes, Donal Ryan and winner of the 2023 competition, Emma Corcoran.
The judging process was chaired by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, Professor of Teaching and Learning at the University of Limerick.
Surnaí received the All Ireland Scholarship Award in 2017 and holds First Class Honours BA in Mathematics and English with Creative Writing from the National University of Ireland, Galway, and an MLitt in Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture from University of St Andrews, Scotland. She currently works as the Digital Editor of Parabola Magazine.
Speaking about her winning entries, Surnaí said: “When I finished my MLitt in 2023, I decided to be brave and try to establish myself as a writer, which is why I entered the All Ireland Scholarship Alumni Creative Writing Competition.
“Winning this competition is the most wonderful encouragement; a much-needed confirmation that I’m on the right path.”
Marian Keyes described Rites of Passage as being written with an insistent rhythm, which gathers force as the piece continues.
“The way it’s written mirrors the steady accumulation of daily aggressions women are met with. As the piece progresses, each new violation stacks up on the previous, building to an intolerable weight. It’s truthful and powerful.”
Roddy Doyle further described Surnaí’s winning piece as, “an excellent story; chilling, frightening; very well told”.
