Page 10 - Our Wexford

People Profile: Wexford Ambassador

EOIN COLFER

Eoin is one of the world’s managed to shoehorn into about menu. The whole region is very
favourite children’s authors and 10 books so far in different guises. very magical and sometimes it’s
has written the internationally “After that one of my favourite forgotten, which actually we don’t
bestselling Artemis Fowl books, places is what is now the National mind because we like having it all
which chronicle the adventures Opera House, it is quite unique to ourselves, but in the spirit of
of a 12-year-old master and is often described as a hidden generosity we would like to open it
criminal. up to the rest of the world.”
jewel and that’s exactly what it is;
Eoin was born in Wexford in Speaking of his play My Real Life
1965, where he and his four which is to be performed as part
brothers were brought up by his I’VE BEEN INSPIRED of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival,
father (a primary school teacher, Eoin says, “In the 15-minute
historian and artist of note) and BY MANY MANY version of the play the character
mother (a drama teacher). He first LOCATIONS IN THE was based quite exclusively on a
developed an interest in writing close friend of mine who has MS.
in primary school with gripping REGION, HOOK HEAD What I wanted to put across in
Viking stories inspired by the IS SOMETHING I HAVE that first version was that he is
history he was learning in school still the same guy he always was,
at the time! NEVER FORGOTTEN despite his condition; he’s still
AND IT IS SOMETHING funny, still has a great personality.
A former schoolteacher himself I talked to him about it at the
Eoin now lives in Wexford with I HAVE MANAGED TO time and showed him the script,
his family. He began writing adult I was very anxious that he didn’t
fiction but after teaching primary SHOEHORN INTO ABOUT feel I was using him as a hot topic
school realised that he had an 10 BOOKS SO FAR IN or being patronising.
affinity with kids. He created the
acclaimed Artemis Fowl, W.A.R.P. DIFFERENT GUISES “When I had to extend it into a
and Legends series for children. full-length piece I realised there
He is a former Laureate na nÓg when you’re in Wexford you walk had to be more to it than that;
(2014-2016). He has also written into this narrow street which is there had to be subtext and back-
an Ironman novel for Marvel full of terraced houses and you story and genuine emotions and
Comics, the play My Real Life the think, this is a beautiful quaint not just a one-note moral fable.
musical Noel and much more. So then a lot of my own life went
street but then you turn left and
A latecomer to success, Colfer the whole world of theatre opens into it, a lot of my growing up
didn’t get published until he was before you in this massive opera in Wexford, a lot of my friends’
32. “I had been trying since I was house. stories went in too. I think if any
19. For four or five years I stopped. of us look back on our younger
It wasn’t until I hit 30 that I had a I also love the Wexford Quays years we could find 20 or 30
crisis. I had always said to myself with its incredible old wooden funny stories to use, it was just
that I would get published by the works where ships have been a matter of attributing all those
time I was 30. That really hit me docking for hundreds of years; to one person and giving them
— not only was I not published, I it’s a wonderful place to visit on a a timeline. It’s still mostly based
hadn’t even written a proper novel. Sunday and look out to sea, smell on my friend with a lot of my
I then put the pedal to the metal.” the salt and watch the fishermen own time in 1970s and 1980s
on the ballast bank opposite; it is Wexford.”
Speaking about taking inspiration something my dad did with me Eoin plans to continue his creative
for his work from Wexford, and I do with my kids. and writing works for many years
Eoin says, “I’ve been inspired “There is an awful lot on offer to come, he says. “I will keep
by many many locations in the here. We have the scenery, we writing until people stop reading
region. Hook Head is my family have the history, we have the or I run out of ideas. Hopefully,
home and I grew up climbing cuisine, we have the friendly neither of these will happen
the lighthouse with my dad; it is people, we have the culture; in anytime soon.”
something I have never forgotten every coffee shop, there’s an art
and it is something I have
exhibition as well as a fantastic

10 OUR WEXFORD