Marie Walsh
from Limerick, she studied with Dr. Veronica Dunne and subsequently worked with the Welsh National Opera, The English National Opera, Glyndebourne, The English Touring Opera. Roles have included Dorabella in Cos! fan Tutte, Maddalena in Rigoletto, Mrs. Critchley and Meg Page in Fallstaff and most recently she sang the role of Carmen for Opera South in the Cork Opera House.

Mary Morrissy
born in Dublin 1957. She won the Hennessy Award for short stories in 1984 and her stories have appeared in magazines, newspapers and anthologies including Best Short Stories (1992), New Writing 2 (1993). Her first collection A Lazy Eye was published in 1993. She won the Lannan Literary Award 1995 for Mother of Pearl, her first novel. She reviews fiction for The Irish Times and The Independent on Sunday and lives in Dublin.

Ronit Lentin
Israeli born, has lived in Ireland since 1969. She has published several novels and a book on Palestinian women in Hebrew. Novels include Night Train to Mother (Attic Press), Songs on the Death of Children (Poolbeg Press 1996). Teaches Sociology and Women's Studies at TCD and has edited 2 volumes of In from the Shadows, the UL Women's Studies Collection published by the University of Limerick.

Aishling Foster
grew up in Ireland where she attended NCAD & UCD. After writing for advertising and fashion she became a freelance journalist and broadcaster; she has written plays for Radio 4, The First Time, a story for young adults and a novel, Safe in the Kitchen. She lives in London with her husband and 2 children.

Ciarán MacMathúna
is a world renowned RTE journalist and broadcaster.

Maeve Kelly
was born in Dundalk, Her first collection of short stories A Life of her Own and other Stories was published in 1976. Her first novel Necessary Treasons came out in 1985 and was followed by a second, Florrie's Girls in 1989. Orange Horses was published in 1990 and Alice in Thunderland a feminist fairy tale was issued in 1993. She lives and works near Limerick.

Michael Curtin
was born in Limerick and has produced a number of novels. The Self Made Men appeared in 1980 and was followed by The Replay (1981), The League Against Christmas (1989) and The Plastic Tomato Cutter (1991). His latest novel The Cove Shivering Club was published in 1996. He lives and works in Limerick.

Jo Slade
is a Limerick poet. Her first collection In fields I hear them singing {Salmon Publishing) came out in 1989. Her second collection The Vigilant One (Salmon/Poolbeg Publishing) 1994 was nominated for the 1995 Aer Lingus/lrish Times Literary Award. She was one of the four editors of On the Counterscarp: Limerick Writing 1961 -1991. She was awarded The Arts Council Travel Grant to travel to France in 1995. Her forthcoming collection City of Bridges will be published in France in 1997. Her work has been translated into French and Spanish.

Patricia Coughlan
lectures in the Dept. of English, University College Cork.

Marina Warner
is a writer, critic and historian. She is author of three studies of mythology, Alone Of All Her Sex: The Myth and Cult of the Virgin Mary, Joan of Arc: The Image of Female Heroism and Monumenfs & Maidens: The Allegory of the Female Form. She has also written four novels as well as biographies, short stories and children's books. Her study of fairy tales From The Beast to the Blonde was published in October 1994. In January 1994 she gave the annual Reith Lectures on her chosen theme of iconography and mythology today. In July 1996 the opera In the House of Crossed Desires, for which she wrote the libretto, was premiered at the Cheltenham Festival of Music. Marina Warner broadcasts regularly on radio & television and writes for newspapers. She was a visiting scholar at the Getty Centre for the History of Art and the Humanities in California. In 1991 she was a Visiting Professor at the Erasmus University, Rotterdam. She lives in London with her husband, the painter John Dewe Matthews and her son.