Molly Twomey facilitates Creative Writing Workshops for all levels and ages.
Schedule a workshop/ inquire here.
Molly ran the workshop with quiet authority: nobody was left out, nobody felt intimidated by the number of excellent poets in the group, and none of us felt obliged to read our own poetry, although in the end everyone did. Molly´s written comments on our poems were insightful and encouraging.
Molly also introduced us to a variety of published poets, many of whom I had never heard of before. It was an eclectic mix that reawakened my joy in poetry.
Maire Ryan
Molly’s poetry workshop led me, for the first time, to genuinely believe in my potential as a writer and poet. She fostered a creative environment that was invariably supportive whilst also facilitating a space for the dispensing and receiving of valuable critique and meaningful feedback. Molly’s workshop made me believe that I already am a poet, that there is a space in this world for my writing, and that I can develop my creative skills if I bravely explore what lies within.
Catherine Grogan
Recently attended workshops with Molly Twomey accessed through The Irish Writer’s Centre. I learnt from each poet there, but Molly herself, apart from being
Kevin MacAlan
a stellar poetry talent, is hugely knowledgeable of all aspects of the craft and is a gifted mentor. She was inspiring.
I loved the variety of themes and styles of poetry. There was great engagement from the students and Molly certainly gave very constructive feedback which is so beneficial for me going forward. I got a lot of material and ideas for poems going forward and over all the experience was very positive. I would love to work under Molly’s guidance in the future.
Mary Howlett
Previous Workshops
‘Borrow a Poet’
Date: 07/06/2025
Time: 11am-12.30pm
Location: Cork city Library
Molly Twomey will be a guest at ‘Borrow a Poet’ at Cork City Library where she will dissect one of her poems, divulging its origins, influences, and the skills that make it impactful. She will also provide a writing prompt for attendees to explore and deepen their own craft.
Bealtaine & Butter: Free Guided Tour and Poetry Workshop
Date: 01/05/2025
Time: 10am-1pm
Location: The Butter Museum Shandon, Cork. Maureen’s Bar, Shandon Cork.
On Bealtaine (May Day) in Ireland, butter was more than just food — it was tied to folklore, luck and protection. 🔮 People believed that witches or fairies could steal their butter, so they guarded their churns, avoided gifting butter and even smeared it on doors or animals to ensure prosperity.
This Bealtaine, join us for a free guided tour at Cork’s Butter Museum! Explore traditional butter-making rituals & see a 1,000-year-old keg of butter. 💛
After, we’ll gather at Maureen’s Bar for tea/coffee & a writing session, with a Bealtaine-themed prompt & poem to spark your creativity! 🌻
Shake It Up! Writing New and Surprising Poetry
Date: 15/11/2024
Time: 10am – 4pm
Location: An Díseart, Green St, Farrannakilla, Dingle, Co. Kerry
This workshop is for beginners or emerging adult poets looking for a generative workshop to inspire new work.
We’ll explore poems that take surprising twists and use unconventional language or syntax, challenging traditional expectations of poetry. We’ll draw inspiration from a diverse range of contemporary poets like Diane Seuss, Chen Chen and Raymond Antrobus. We’ll also tap into our humorous side, embracing the part of ourselves that doesn’t take life too seriously. Expect a day filled with playful writing exercises designed to spark creativity and surprise you.
Date: 2nd, 9th, 16th & 30th November
Time: 2nd & 30th November in person in Dungarvan Library
11:00am – 1:00pm, all other dates online 11:00am – 1:00pm
Duration: 4 weeks
Location: Hybrid – 2nd & 30th November in person in Dungarvan
Library, all other dates online
A four-week generative poetry workshop that encourages participants to dive deep into their imaginations and to write with courage. Participants will work with writing prompts and have group discussions about contemporary poetry; and will develop the ability to close-read poetry, looking at aspects such as imagery, metaphor and language. At the end of the four weeks, participants will have exciting drafts of new poems they can develop and refine as well as a group of fellow writers and materials to draw inspiration from.
Enduring Flame: The Powerful Legacy of Brigid as Creative Inspiration with Molly Twomey
Date: February 1, 2024
Time: 1.00 pm – 3.30 pm
Level: Mixed
Cost: €35/ €32 (Members)
Location: Online
Online/ In Person: Online
This two-and-a-half-hour seminar will introduce participants to Brigid, exploring ancient stories that illuminate her courage, empathy, and compassion. We will reflect on how these old tales relate to our contemporary lives. We will relish modern poetry and art inspired by Brigid from poets such as Leland Bardwell and Seamus Heaney. We will begin to draft our own pieces, using the powerful and enduring legacy of Brigid as inspiration.
Poetry Jam with Luke Morgan & Molly Twomey
Date: Saturday, October 28th
Time: 11 am – 1pm
Level: Mixed
Cost: €20.00
Location: Waterford Gallery of Art
Writing poetry can feel isolating and this workshop aims to empower new writers to explore the craft of poetry in a supportive, shared environment. It also strives to encourage experienced writers to be open and flexible with their practice, allowing for a greater sense of spontaneity and radical creativity, enabling them to produce new work they could never create alone.
Writing Workshop in Bere Island
Date: Friday 22 September 2023
Time: 10 am to 1 pm
Level: Mixed
Cost: 40
Location: Bere Island
In this three-hour generative workshop, participants will become miners digging for gold in the everyday details we so often ignore. Using visualisation and the act of remembering, we will write
poems based on our daily lives, the objects and communities around us that nourish and sometimes frustrate us. We will also explore contemporary poetry that encourages us to move away from abstract and overused language into the specific and unique. Each participant will leave feeling refreshed and more aware of the vibrancy in their own lived experiences and with new drafts of poems to expand and refine.
Poetry for Beginners in Dungarvan Library
Date: Begins Saturday, 22nd July
Time: 11 am to 1 pm
Level: Beginners
Cost: Free
Location: Dungarvan Library
Duration: 4 weeks
A four-week generative poetry workshop that encourages participants to dive deep into their imaginations and to write with courage. Molly’s group will work with writing prompts and have group discussions about contemporary poetry, exploring the poems of writers such as Seán Hewitt, Annemarie Ní Churreáin and Ada Limón and developing the skill of close-reading poetry, looking at aspects such as imagery, metaphor and language.
At the end of the four weeks, participants will have exciting drafts of new poems they can develop and refine as well as a group of fellow writers and materials to draw inspiration from.
In Search of Awe: 6 week online poetry workshop with the Irish Writers Centre
Date: April 18, 2023
Time: 6.30 pm – 8.30 pm
Duration: 6 weeks
Level: Emerging
Cost: €165 (€150 Members)
Online/In Person: Online
Course Summary: Have you hit a slump with your writing? Has the pressure to ‘succeed’ drowned out the essence of why you write? This generative writing course will help you to fall back in love with poetry and to return to the sense of awe that attracted you in the first place.
Course Outline: Poets will be encouraged to write with intention, to listen to the world around them as detectives searching for the wonder in the everyday. Poets will be sent a weekly prompt and curated poems for inspiration. The sessions will be theme based and participants will be introduced to Gregory Orr’s four temperaments of poetry: imagination, story, music and structure. Participants will be encouraged to give constructive feedback with the aim of deepening the work to go beyond surface level.
- ‘Rewilding Poems’ at Ó Bhéal Winter Warmer Festival, 2022.
- ‘Being Alive’ Two Day Poetry and Mythology Workshop at the Molly Keane Writers’ Retreat, 2021.
- ‘Poetry/ Mythology workshop: Demeter and Persephone’ at DeBarra’s Spoken Word, 2021.
- Creative Writing Tutor for Centre for Talented Youth, Ireland, Dublin City University, 2019-2020.
Molly Twomey 