A native of Strokestown and living in Portumna, Noelle Lynskey, poet and pharmacist, completed her MA (Creative Writing) in University of Limerick, graduating in January 2022. Selected as Strokestown’s Poet Laureate in 2021 as part of Poetry Ireland’s Poetry Towns Project, Noelle is working towards her first poetry collection. A passion for poetry all her life, her first published poem was in a magazine called Kairos, when she was 16 years old. She was also commissioned by Galway City Library in 2021 to collaborate with musician, Ger Fahy, in the project, 1921 Dialogue Through Poetry and Music.
With multiple awards and readings behind her, Noelle’s writing is featured in numerous anthologies and on radio. She facilitates Portumna Pen Pushers and is artistic adviser to Shorelines Arts Festival, having directed the festival for fifteen years. A mother of three adult daughters and in her role as a community pharmacist, Noelle draws from the well of mothering, womanhood, and her life experiences as part of a local community.
In 2023 she collaborated on a series of writing workshops on the Irish Workhouse Centre’s museum with Creative Ireland, working with poet and facilitator Gerard Hanberry. They co-edited the final publication in 2024.
In late 2024 Noelle was commissioned by Galway Library to facilitate workshops to produce a poem for Portumna Library, celebrating the presence of the libraries in Co. Galway with artist, Maeve Clancy.
In May 2025, her first collection Featherweight was published by Arlen House and launched at the opening of Strokestown Poetry Festival 2025.
