About Us

The Salmon Bookshop and Literary Centre began life in September 2012. Setting up the bookshop was a natural progression for Salmon Poetry, one of Ireland’s major poetry publishers (established in 1981).  When I moved to Co. Clare in 1995, it was obvious to me that Ennistymon needed a bookshop, but Siobhán Hutson and I were too busy with publishing to focus on what would be a time-consuming enterprise. So, it was a great delight when we were offered a chance to take over a bookshop that had been set up a year earlier; buying the stock and beginning our adventure! We’re having a terrific time being connected to the community in Ennistymon and sharing our love of books with so many avid readers.

One thing I’m particularly proud of is our large walled garden. It was in terrible shape and is now a showpiece and the location for many tremendously successful readings and book launches. The Ennistymon Book Town Festival, annually in May, has hosted the best of Irish and international poetry and music in the bookshop garden.

Siobhán and I were joined by Eleanor Cummins in 2016 (yes, we’re lucky) and she keeps the shop running smooth as silk.  As I’m sure you know, there’s not a lot of money in poetry publishing or bookshops, and that makes us so very thankful for our outstanding regular volunteers, Nora O'Mahony, Emily Lee, Emily Hanrahan, Inge Bergmann, and Mandamus Maksimavicius. 

As is obvious from the ‘Literary Centre’ part of our name, we host writing workshops, seminars, and writings residencies. Contact us for our schedule.

 Jessie Lendennie

 

Jessie Lendennie is the founder and Managing Editor of Salmon Poetry. She has commissioned and published over 600 books of poetry and prose. A poet herself, her prose poem Daughter was published in 1988, and reissued with new poems in 2001. In 1990, The Salmon Guide to Poetry Publishing appeared and in 1992 by The Salmon Guide to Creative Writing in Ireland. She has also edited Salmon: A Journey in Poetry, 1981-2007 (Salmon, 2007) and Poetry: Reading it, Writing it, Publishing it (Salmon, 2009), Dogs Singing: A Tribute Anthology (2010) and Even the Daybreak: 35 Years of Salmon Poetry (2016). Her poetry collection, Walking Here, appeared in 2011.

Siobhán Hutson has worked more or less continuously at Salmon since 1991 (except for her time at university in the UK where she attained a First Class Honours degree in Film, Television and Radio Studies). She is Salmon Poetry's Head of Production & Administration as well as Secretary of Salmon Poetry's Board of Directors. As well as her administrative duties, she designs the Salmon books and promotional material as well as maintaining the Salmon Poetry, Salmon Bookshop & Literary Centre, and the Salmon40 (currently in production) websites. To date, she has designed over 300 Salmon titles. She lives with her husband Tim and daughter Eve near the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare.

Eleanor Cummins is Manager of The Salmon Bookshop & Literary Centre. She has a background in theatre and education. Her plays include The Sacred Sow, staged at the Prague Theatre Festival with the Prague Playhouse & in new york, and a 2016 commemorative play about her grand-aunt, nurse Margaret kehoe, who was shot dead in 1916. Eleanor has also appeared as an actress in several short films, including Men & Women. Her poems have appeared in various journals and have often been inspired by her travels around the world teaching english and theatre. 

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