the merlin project
The inaugural Northern Ireland Festival of Writing took place in April & May of
2019. In launching the festival it was our aim to bring together a range of
local writers and content creators from across the wide spectrum of talents that
we have in Northern Ireland, to run a series of events and workshops wherein
those aspiring and emerging in their chosen creative field would have the
opportunity to learn from those who had successfully carved a path for them to
follow, as well as providing a platform for local writers at all points in their
writing journey, to showcase their achievements. The Festival was a huge
success, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt to us, that not only was there a
wealth of writing talent in Northern Ireland, keen to be tapped, developed,
promoted and celebrated, but also, that the work of The Merlin Project was much
needed and appreciated in our current climate. We had a level of support that
went well beyond our expectations, with established artists and organisations
willing to give up their time and expertise to help others develop their craft,
as well as our database of people wishing to take part in and develop from the
festival, reaching numbers of mind-blowing proportions.