Barry Neenan, Bern Butler and Kate McHugh were chosen after a national call-out attracted 345 applicants.
Each selected candidate will receive one-to-one mentoring from an established writer, offering invaluable creative and professional guidance over the coming months.
Galway City Arts Officer Ruth Mulhern said an increased provision of awards this year is welcome. “These mentorships are offered through a highly competitive process, so we warmly congratulate our Galway City writers on their achievement,” she said.
Bern Butler from Galway works in Adult and Prison Education. Her poetry has appeared in a slew of publications and events, including Cuirt and she has been selected by The Stinging Fly to take part in a poetry workshop with poet, Martina Evans in July 2025. She holds an MA in Writing from the University of Galway.
Barry Neenan is a Galway-based librarian who has written fiction since childhood. Dialogue is his forte as an avenue to let contrasting characters verbally spar, but he has also enjoyed success in poetry and short story awards.
Kate McHugh is a writer from Galway currently working on her first collection of poetry after some publishing success. She has a degree in Creative Writing, English, and French, and hopes to explore longer-form fiction in the future.
Now in its eighth year, the National Mentoring Programme (NMP ) has many high-profile alumni. Past mentees include Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe, Fíona Scarlett, Will Keohane and Victoria Kennefick – all of whom are now recognised names in Irish writing.
Galway City Arts Office funds the mentorships for local winners, guaranteeing that the chosen awardees receive this potentially career-changing support free of charge.
The 2025 programme is co-funded collective of county arts offices, libraries, arts centres, and other cultural bodies across Ireland, ensuring that local talent from diverse counties is identified and nurtured.
