Bernie McGill

Mary Beckett: A Belfast Woman at Look North! Festival at the Linen Hall Library
2026-02-25 13:00 - 14:00 (Europe/London) | Linen Hall Library, Belfast, 17 Donegall Square North, Belfast, BT1 5GB, United Kingdom
Born in 1926, Mary Beckett is regarded as one of Belfast’s finest writers. Widely acclaimed for her novels and short stories, especially A Belfast Woman, A Literary Woman and Give Them Stones, her work did much to capture and explore the lives and experiences of women, especially working-class women. To mark the centenary of her birth, The Linen Hall Library in partnership with Look North!, brings together two acclaimed Belfast writers, Anne Devlin and Wendy Erskine, to talk about Beckett’s work and her enduring legacy. This session will be chaired by award-winning novelist and short story writer, Bernie McGill.
Supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
This event will be hosted by The Linen Hall Library, Belfast on 25th February at 1pm. Tickets £5. Booking details here.

Writing Workshop at Ballyscullion Park, Bellaghy with Bernie McGill
2026-02-28 10:30 - 15:30 (Europe/Dublin) | Ballyscullion Park, 61 Ballyscullion Road, Bellaghy, Derry, BT45 8NA, United Kingdom
Writing Workshop: Setting and Place
with Bernie McGill
at Ballyscullion Park, Bellaghy
Saturday, 28th February 2026
10.30am – 3.30pm with a break for lunch*
Join writer Bernie McGill for a one-day workshop at Ballyscullion Park on the beautiful shores of Lough Beg. The workshop will focus on writing about setting and place. This will be a practical and participative workshop with the aim of developing existing work or sparking new ideas.
Prompts and exercises will take inspiration from the garden and surrounds. All levels of experience are welcome from published writers to first-timers, poets and fiction writers alike. Participants will have the option to find a spot outdoors in the walled garden, weather permitting, and to write indoors in the historic 18th century stable block. Come with writing materials, prepared to write.
Bernie McGill is a novelist and short story writer and the winner of the 2023 Edge Hill Prize for her short story collection This Train is For. She is a Writing for Life Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund and an Honorary member of the Linen Hall Library in which building her writing archive is held. Her work has been widely anthologised and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. She works as a Writing Mentor with the Irish Writers’ Centre.
www.berniemcgill.com
*Tea and coffee will be provided. Please bring a packed lunch.
Book via Ballyscullion Park’s Eventbrite Page.
See the full 2026 schedule of writing workshops at Ballyscullion Park here.

Show less

Short Story Writing Weekend with Bernie McGill at YARN, Ballycastle
2026-04-11 10:00 - 2026-04-12 15:00 (Europe/Dublin) | YARN, Ballycastle, 24-26 Ann St, Ballycastle, BT54 6AD, United Kingdom
When & Where
11th April 2026, 10 am – 4 pm
12th April 2026, 10 am – 2 pm
YARN Ballycastle, 24-26 Ann St, Ballycastle, BT54 6AD, UK
About
Have you always wanted to try writing a short story?
Do you already have an idea?
Do you write in other genres and are interested in the form?
Whether you’re a first-timer looking for guidance and inspiration or a seasoned writer seeking a fresh challenge, this Short Story Writing Weekend is for you.
Join award-winning short story writer Bernie McGill for an enjoyable weekend of participative writing that will help to get your writing on track. Please bring your preferred writing materials (pen/pencil, notebook/laptop, etc.) If you’re already working on a short story, feel free to bring a copy for workshopping. Participants will be encouraged to share their work only if they are comfortable doing so.
Saturday 11th April: 10 am – 4 pm

What is a short story? How to get started with focus on structure, character and setting.
Participants will be offered prompts and exercises to help develop their work.
There will be a lunch break, with lunch provided on the day. Tea/coffee & snacks will also be provided.

Sunday 12th April: 10 am – 2 pm

What next? What’s happening under the surface of your story? What more does it need? This workshop focuses on how to dive a little deeper and how to revise.
We’ll finish with a Q&A and information-sharing on opportunities and outlets for work.
There will be a short break mid-session. Tea/coffee & snacks will be provided.

Accommodation
For those travelling from further afield, Yarn offers gorgeous on-site accommodation, with a special discount for retreat participants. Use code BERNIE20 when booking for 20% off your stay.
Who is Bernie McGill?
Bernie McGill is the 2023 winner of the prestigious Edge Hill Short Story Prize for her collection This Train is For. She is the author of two novels: The Watch House (nominated for the Ireland European Union Prize for Literature in 2019) and The Butterfly Cabinet (2010). Her short stories have been widely anthologised, and her work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. Bernie was co-judge of the Edge Hill Prize in 2024 and of the Michael McLaverty Short Story Award in 2023. She is a Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund, a Mentor with the Irish Writers’ Centre and an Honorary Member of the Linen Hall Library, where her writing archive is held. Her first short story collection, Sleepwalkers (2013), was re-published in 2025 by No Alibis Press.
For full details and to book tickets please visit YARN, Ballycastle
