Liz Reapy wins coveted literary award

‘REAL PRIVILEGE’ Elizabeth Reapy in Front Square at Trinity College.

Michael Commins

CLAREMORRIS author Elizabeth Reapy has won the coveted Rooney Prize for Irish Literature 2017 for emerging Irish writers. Ms Reapy was announced as the winner at Trinity College, Dublin last week.
Elizabeth, who goes under the pen name EM Reapy, secured the Rooney Prize for her debut novel, ‘Red Dirt’, which is a tale of three young Irish emmigrants in Australia, running from the economic ruins of post-boom Ireland, and haunted by their own troubled lives.
The book won her the Newcomer of The Year prize at the 2016 Irish Book Awards. The prize is awarded annually for a body of work by an Irish writer under 40 that shows exceptional promise.
Elizabeth credits her interest in writing to the love instilled in her for reading books by her mother Helen (nee McDonnell from James Street, Claremorris) and her teachers in Meelickmore NS just outside Claremorris.
“My mother was always getting books from the library in Claremorris and that was central to the love I have inherited for books. We had wonderful teachers in Meelickmore, such as Marie Slattery, Bernie Hanley, Patricia Hunt and Mrs Casey, who always encouraged love of reading and books,” says Elizabeth.
Elizabeth spent six enjoyable years in Mount St Michael Secondary School in Claremorris and later graduated from Galway University with an Honours Degree in English Literature and History. She did the Dip in UCC (Cork) and her Masters in Queens University in Belfast. Back in 2013, Elizabeth’s pioneering effort, ‘Between Dublins’, was among six shortlisted for the PEN International award, comprising of a global community of writers in more than 100 countries.  

Timely subject matter
Announcing the 2017 winner, chair of the selection committee, literary agent, Jonathan Williams said: “Red Dirt is timely in its subject matter – the migration of Ireland’s young generation – inventively narrated in three voices (‘Me’, ‘You’ and ‘Them’), and displays a sure- footed mastery of the novel form.”
The €10,000 award, administered by the Oscar Wilde Centre for Irish Writing at the School of English at Trinity, was established in 1976 by former US Ambassador to Ireland and President Emeritus of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dan Rooney, who passed away earlier this year, and his wife, Patricia Rooney.
Previous winners of the prize include renowned literary talents such as Neil Jordan, Anne Enright, Mike McCormack and last year’s winner, bilingual poet Doireann Ní Ghríofa.
Although the Rooney Prize is awarded to an author on the basis of the literary excellence of a body of work, the prize has been given to a number of debutants in recent years, including Colin Barrett (‘Young Skins’) and Sara Baume (‘Spill Simmer Falter Wither’).
Elizabeth is currently at work on a second novel. Much of this work was done during the last year-and-a-half when she returned to the area to reside with her grandmother Kathleen Reapy in Carrenurlaur, Ballindine, until Kathleen’s untimely death back in April. She has since returned to live in Dublin.
“It was a real privilege to be chosen for the Rooney Prize and who knows what might happen from here on,” says Elizabeth. “HarperCollins are now promoting the book internationally in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and other places.”
Sense of place is all important to Elizabeth. Her father Joe played football with the Davitts Club for many years while the McDonnells’ (Helen’s family) have been synonymous with Claremorris GAA over the decades.