Explore UCD

UCD Home >

ENG31930

Academic Year 2026/2027

Irish Fiction After 2010 (ENG31930)

Subject:
English
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
English, Drama & Film
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Professor Margaret Kelleher
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This seminar will examine a range of contemporary Irish novels, novellas and short stories, published since 2010. We will investigate the thematic preoccupations of contemporary Irish fiction, writers' formal innovations and their ongoing reception by readers in a variety of fora (online media, printed media, etc) The course will include a range of fiction including short stories by Nicole Flattery and Melatu Uche Okorie, novellas by Claire Keegan and Colm Tóibín, and recent novels by Michael Magee, Sally Rooney, Soula Emmanuel and Anne Enright (the most recent works being Rooney's Intermezzo published in 2024 and Tóibín's novella republished in 2025).

A key theme of this course is the reception and influence of contemporary Irish fiction: using resources such as https://contemporaryirishwriting.ie/ we will discuss how authors' reputations are shaped by the early critical reception of their works; how literary works are circulated and made known to audiences; the role and significance of readers and audiences; and the growing importance of genre fiction and texts that challenge existing narrative genres.

Reading List:

Soula Emmanuel, Wild Geese (Footnote Press, 2023)

Anne Enright, The Wren, The Wren (Penguin, 2023)

Nicole Flattery, Show Them a Good Time (Stinging Fly, 2019)

Claire Keegan, Small Things Like These (Faber, 2020)

Michael Magee, Close to Home (2023)

Sally Rooney, Intermezzo (Faber, 2024)

Colm Tóibín, A Long Winter (Picador, 2025)

Melatu Uche Okorie, This Hostel Life (Skein Press, 2018)

PLEASE NOTE that the School of English, Drama and Film reserves the right to withdraw modules in the period up to and including the first week of the teaching trimester

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

To introduce students to a range of contemporary Irish writing;
To examine the changing nature and significance of genre in contemporary Irish fiction;
To investigate the importance of critical reception and to analyse the sociological and commercial forces that shape the circulation of contemporary Irish fiction;
To engage with current debates concerning the function of literary representation in the context of contemporary social crisis.

Indicative Module Content:

Week 1 - Introduction
Weeks 2 and 3 - The Novella (Keegan and Tóibín)
Weeks 4 and 6 - The Novel (Magee, Rooney and Enright)
Week 7 - Review and essay workshop
Weeks 8, 9 and 10 - Contemporary short fiction (Emmanuel, Okorie and Flattery)
Weeks 11 and 12 - Conclusion and essay feedback

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Competent

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Competent

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Competent

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Advanced Beginner

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Advanced Beginner

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Competent

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Competent

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Advanced Beginner

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Competent

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Competent

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Competent

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 5
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

78
Autonomous Student Learning

100
Lectures

0
Seminar (or Webinar)

22
Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module is taught through seminar mode. Participation in group discussion is a core component.

Students will be asked to choose research tasks which will form the basis of the first in-course assignment (25%) which must be presented in person. The course essay (worth 50%) will have an earlier deadline than other modules to facilitate earlier submission and feedback within the course module, as well as the opportunity to workshop the essay in week 7. A final research assignment will be due week 14 and a creative option is provided here.

Generative AI is not permitted to be used in this assignment.

A proportion of written assignments in each module in the School of English, Drama and Film are subject to moderation, meaning they undergo a second layer of review by another grader. This is to promote consistency within and between modules in the same level and discipline.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Course Essay worth 50% due week 9 Week 9 Graded No
50
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Final research assignment worth 25% Week 14 Graded No
25
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Research assignment worth 25% no later than week 6 Week 6 Graded No
25
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Written feedback will be provided in the first instance followed by individual oral feedback (in person or by zoom, as per student preference)

Soula Emmanuel, Wild Geese (Footnote Press, March 2023)
Anne Enright, The Wren, The Wren (Penguin, September 2023)
Nicole Flattery, Show Them a Good Time (Stinging Fly, 2019)
Claire Keegan, Small Things Like These (Faber, 2020)
Michael Magee, Close to Home (2023)
Sally Rooney, Intermezzo (Faber, 2024)
Colm Tóibín, A Long Winter (Picador, 2025)
Melatu Uche Okorie, This Hostel Life (Skein Press, 2018)
Note: These titles have been ordered for the bookshop, and are generally available in bookstores, on ebook or borrowable from your local library.

Name Role
Dr Tim Groenland Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Wed 10:00 - 11:50
Print this page
Fill in the following details:
Enter the body of your query here.

From time to time UCD would like to send you further information that we feel, based on your enquiry, would be of interest to you.