Biography
My research engages with 20th and 21st century Irish literature, and it focuses especially on three areas: post-independence Irish writing; censorship; and short fiction. I am the author of 'Anthologisation and Irish Short Fiction: "Magnitudes of Telling"' (Routledge, 2025), and 'Seán O'Faoláin: Literature, Inheritance and the 1930s' (Irish Academic Press, 2014). I have also edited 'David Marcus: Editing Ireland', with Deirdre Madden (The Stinging Fly Press, 2024), 'The Edinburgh Companion to the Short Story in English', with Adrian Hunter (Edinburgh University Press, 2019), 'William Trevor: Revaluations', with Michael Parker (Manchester University Press, 2013), and 'Reading Colm Tóibín' (Liffey Press, 2008). In addition, I co-edited the short-story anthology 'Dublin Tales' (Oxford University Press, 2023), with Eve Patten. A full list of my publications can be found in 'Publications and Further Research Outputs'. I am currently working on two major projects. Firstly, I have been contracted to co-edit 'The Cambridge History of the Irish Short Story', with Elke D'hoker (KU Leuven). This book will be published by Cambridge University Press in 2029, as part of its flagship 'History' series. The book will range from the emergence of the short story as a literary form through to digital culture, small presses, and the proliferation of short stories in contemporary Ireland. And secondly, I have been commissioned to edit the selected letters of Frank O'Connor by the author's Estate. This is an enormously prestigious commission, working with the archive and personal papers of one of Ireland's most distinguished short-story writers. I teach at Fresher, Sophister, and MPhil level, and I have supervised numerous PhD and postdoctoral projects to completion. I am also one of the PIs on an innovative co-learning project that the School hosts with colleagues in the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities (TCPID). This project has run annually since Hilary Term 2024, and it is funded under the HEA Path 4 initiative. The project brings together first-year students from English and from TCPID, and it encourages them to learn in an inclusive, collaborative environment. I am a recipient of the Provost's Award for Teaching Excellence (2012); and I was elected a Fellow of College in 2016. I received a BA and an MLitt degree in English from TCD; and I subsequently obtained my PhD from the Centre for Colonial & Postcolonial Research at the University of Kent (Canterbury), where I was a British Council Chevening scholar.
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
'Realism and Rural Ireland' in, editor(s)in Christopher Morash, ed , The Cambridge History of the Irish Novel, Cambridge University Press, 2026, pp396 - 410, [Paul Delaney]
Des Aston, Rebecca Easler, Méabh Ní Choileáin, Paul Delaney, Owen Barden, Rosie Lavan, Conor McGuckin, and Michael Shevlin, 'Lessons from an Irish University Co-Learning Pilot: Creating Mutual Learning in Shared Educational Spaces', Adult Learning, 2026, phttps://doi.org/10.1177/104515
'"What's actually happening": The Stinging Fly, Editorial Practice and Short Fiction' in, editor(s)in Elke D'hoker and Phyllis Boumans, eds , The Edinburgh Companion to Irish Literature and Periodical Culture, Edinburgh University Press, 2026, pp284 - 300, [Paul Delaney]
'Short stories, novels, and the fluidity of form' in, editor(s)in Alinne Balduino P. Fernandes, Beatriz Kopschitz Bastos, and Vinicius Garcia Valim, eds , 'Exercise in memory: Núcleo de Estudos Irlandeses at UFSC - 10 years (ARES Volume 16)', Florianópolis, Brazil, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2026, pp272 - 284, [Paul Delaney]
'Short stories' in, editor(s)in Allan Hepburn, ed , Elizabeth Bowen in Context, Cambridge University Press, 2026, pp3 - 12, [Paul Delaney]
Des Aston, Rebecca Easler, Méabh Ní Choileáin, Paul Delaney, Owen Barden, Rosie Lavan, Conor Mc Guckin, Michael Shevlin, '"The Only Thing to Do": A Report on a Co-learning Pilot at Trinity', Trinity College Dublin, November, 2025, p1 - 48
Paul Delaney, Anthologisation and Irish Short Fiction: 'Magnitudes of Telling', Routledge, 2025, . 224pp
'"Occasional, even casual": Padraic Colum, legacy curation, and short fiction' in, editor(s)in Keith O'Sullivan and Pádraic Whyte, eds , The Writings of Padraic Colum: 'That Queer Thing Genius', Routledge, 2024, pp93 - 106, [Paul Delaney]
'David and The Irish Press: an interview with Tim Pat Coogan' in, editor(s)in Paul Delaney and Deirdre Madden, eds , David Marcus: Editing Ireland, The Stinging Fly Press, 2024, pp73 - 78, [Paul Delaney]
Paul Delaney and Deirdre Madden, eds, David Marcus: Editing Ireland, The Stinging Fly Press, 2024, 300pppp
Paul Delaney lead contributor to, ''David Marcus: Editing Ireland' (producer: Clíodhna Ní Anluain)', RTÉ Radio 1, 2024, 30 Dec - 6-7pm
Paul Delaney, 'An important Irish writer, an engrossing collection', Review of 'Telling Truths: Evelyn Conlon and the Task of Writing', by M. Teresa Caneda-Cabrera, ed , The Irish Times, 15 April, ((Ticket Magazine)), 2023, p27
Paul Delaney and Eve Patten, eds, Dublin Tales, Oxford University Press, 2023, . 325pp
Paul Delaney, 'A gathering of possibilities: anthologisation and contemporary short fiction', Irish Studies Review, 31, (3), 2023, p434-448
'"Simply because it happened before": Walter Macken's historical fiction' in, editor(s)in Sandra Heinen and Katharina Rennhak, eds , Walter Macken: Critical Perspectives, Cork University Press, 2022, pp87 - 104, [Paul Delaney]
Paul Delaney, ''Frank O'Connor'', Oxford Bibliographies in British and Irish Literature, Oxford University Press, 2021, -
'Literary biography in transition' in, editor(s)in Eve Patten, ed , Irish Literature in Transition, 1940-1980, Cambridge University Press, 2020, pp309 - 328, [Paul Delaney]
Paul Delaney, '"Rising again": Revision, Trauma, and Frank O'Connor's "Guests of the Nation"', New Hibernia Review/Iris Éireannach Nua, 23, (3), 2019, p35 - 54
Paul Delaney, Review of 'Sean O'Faolain: Selected Essays', by Brad Kent , Canadian Journal of Irish Studies, 42, 2019, p266-269
Paul Delaney, '"I wanted them not to be lost": Immigration and Irish Short Fiction', Canadian Journal of Irish Studies, 42, 2019, p74 - 99
Paul Delaney and Adrian Hunter, eds, The Edinburgh Companion to the Short Story in English, Edinburgh University Press, 2019, . 388pp
Paul Delaney, Review of 'A History of Irish Autobiography', by Liam Harte , Irish University Review, 49, (2), 2019, p393-395
Paul Delaney, 'Jennifer Johnston: past master', The Irish Times, 29 June, 2017
'"A system that inflicts suffering upon the many": Early twentieth-century working-class fiction' in, editor(s)in Michael Pierse, ed , A History of Irish Working-Class Writing, Cambridge University Press, 2017, pp257 - 270, [Paul Delaney]
Paul Delaney, Review of 'The Irish Short Story: Traditions and Trends', by Elke D'hoker and Stephanie Eggermont, eds , Short Fiction in Theory & Practice, 5, (1/2), 2016, p125-127
Paul Delaney, ''Seán O'Faoláin'', Oxford Bibliographies in British and Irish Literature, Oxford University Press, 2016, -
Paul Delaney, 'Irish talent, elegantly showcased', Review of 'All Over Ireland: New Irish Short Stories', by Deirdre Madden, ed. , The Irish Times, Weekend Review, Saturday, 18 July, 2015, p10
Paul Delaney, Seán O'Faoláin: Literature, Inheritance and the 1930s, Irish Academic Press, 2014, . 280pp
Paul Delaney, 'Opening Windows', Review of 'The Bell Magazine and the Representation of Irish Identity', by Kelly Matthews , Irish Literary Supplement, 33, (2), 2014
'"An Almost Untilled Field": Pádraig Mac Gréine, Annie Power and Béaloideas' in, editor(s)in Anne Markey and Anne O'Connor, eds , Folklore and Modern Irish Writing, Irish Academic Press, 2014, pp48 - 63, [Paul Delaney]
'"The art of the glimpse": Cheating at Canasta' in, editor(s)in Paul Delaney and Michael Parker, eds , William Trevor: Revaluations, Manchester University Press, 2013, pp180 - 197, [Paul Delaney]
Paul Delaney and Michael Parker, eds, William Trevor: Revaluations, Manchester University Press, 2013, . 226pp
'Introduction' in, editor(s)in Paul Delaney and Michael Parker, eds , William Trevor: Revaluations, Manchester University Press, 2013, pp1 - 12, [Paul Delaney and Michael Parker]
'Changing Times: Frank O'Connor and Seán O'Faoláin' in, editor(s)in Julia M. Wright, ed , A Companion to Irish Literature (2 vols), Vol. 2, Blackwell, 2010, pp144 - 158, [Paul Delaney]
Paul Delaney, 'Tinkers', Irish University Review, 40, (1), 2010, p169 - 172
'The Desire for Clarity: Seán O'Faoláin's "Lovers of the Lake"' in, editor(s)in Cheryl Alexander Malcolm and David Malcolm, eds , A Companion to the British and Irish Short Story, Blackwell, 2009, pp448 - 455, [Paul Delaney]
Paul Delaney, ed., Reading Colm Tóibín, Liffey Press, 2008, . 228pp
'A discourse on nomadism: Travellers and Irish writing' in, editor(s)in Borbála Faragó and Moynagh Sullivan, eds , Facing the Other: Interdisciplinary Studies on Race, Gender and Social Justice in Ireland, Cambridge Scholars Press, 2008, pp232 - 243, [Paul Delaney]
'Colm Tóibín', Ian Campbell Ross, ed, The Literary Encyclopedia, 2008, [Paul Delaney]
Paul Delaney, Review of 'Twentieth-Century Fiction by Irish Women', by Heather Ingman , Studies, 383, (96), 2007, p352-355
'Privileged Perspectives and Subverted Types: James Stephens's "The Demi-Gods"' in, editor(s)in Ciara Breathnach and Aoife Bhreathnach, eds , Portraying Irish Travellers: Histories and Representations, Cambridge Scholars' Press, 2007, pp46 - 64, [Paul Delaney]
'"Fierce passions for middle-aged men": Frank O'Connor and Daniel Corkery' in, editor(s)in Hilary Lennon, ed , Frank O'Connor: Critical Essays, Four Courts Press, 2007, pp53 - 66, [Paul Delaney]
'Representative strategies in Liam O'Flaherty's "The Tent" and "The Stolen Ass"' in, editor(s)in Micheál Ó hAodha, ed , The Nomadic Subject: Postcolonial Identities on the Margins, Cambridge Scholars Press, 2007, pp25 - 35, [Paul Delaney]
Paul Delaney, '"Nobody Now Knows Which": Transition and Piety in Daniel Corkery's Short Fiction', New Hibernia Review/Iris Éireannach Nua, 10, (1), 2006, p100 - 110
Paul Delaney, 'Acts of Remembrance: History, Anxiety and Elizabeth Bowen', Études Irlandaises, 31, (1), 2006, p87 - 103
Paul Delaney, '"A lack of invention": Corkery, criticism and minor fatigue', The Irish Review, 33, 2005, p96 - 109
Paul Delaney, Review of 'Revival: The Abbey Theatre, Sinn Féin, The Gaelic League and the Co-operative Movement', by P.J. Mathews , Canadian Journal of Irish Studies, 30, (2), 2004, p81-82
Paul Delaney, Review of 'Racism and Anti-Racism in Ireland'; and 'Racism and social change in the Republic of Ireland', by Ronit Lentin and Robbie McVeigh, eds; and Bryan Fanning (respectively) , Irish Studies Review, 12, (3), 2004, p380-382
Paul Delaney, 'Engaging Theory', Review of 'Theorizing Ireland'; and 'Engaging Modernity: Readings of Irish Politics, Culture and Literature at the turn of the century', by Claire Connolly, ed; and Michael Böss and Eamon Maher, eds (respectively) , The Irish Review, 32, (2), 2004, p126-130
Paul Delaney, 'Stories from below: Sean Maher and Nan Joyce', Studies, 93, (372), 2004, p461 - 472
Paul Delaney, Review of 'New Voices in Irish Criticism 4', by Fionnuala Dillane and Ronan Kelly, eds , Canadian Journal of Irish Studies, 30, (1), 2004, p82-83
Paul Delaney, ' - but is Ireland ever new? - ', REA: Religion, Education and the Arts, 3, 2003, p22 - 24
Daniel Corkery, The Stones and other stories, Paul Delaney, ed., Mercier Press, 2003, - pp. 207
Paul Delaney, 'A sense of place: Travellers, representation and Irish culture', The Republic, 3, 2003, p79 - 89
Paul Delaney, '"A marginal footnote": O'Faoláin, the subaltern and the Travellers', Irish Studies Review, 11, (2), 2003, p155 - 164
Paul Delaney, 'D.P. Moran and The Leader: Writing an Irish Ireland through Partition', Éire-Ireland, 38, (3-4), 2003, p189 - 211
Paul Delaney, Review of 'Oughtobiography: Leaves from the Diary of a Hyphenated Jew', by David Marcus , Irish Studies Review, 10, (2), 2002, p235-237
Paul Delaney, Review of 'Irish Travellers: Racism and the Politics of Culture', by Jane Helleiner , Irish Studies Review, 9, (3), 2001, p424-425
Paul Delaney, 'Representations of the Travellers in the 1880s and 1900s', Irish Studies Review, 9, (1), 2001, p53 - 68
'Becoming National: Daniel Corkery and the reterritorialized subject' in, editor(s)in Aaron Kelly and Alan A. Gillis, eds , Critical Ireland: New Essays in Literature and Culture, Four Courts Press, 2001, pp41 - 48, [Paul Delaney]
'Migrancy and Cultural Disappearance' in, editor(s)in P.J. Mathews, ed , New Voices in Irish Criticism, Four Courts Press, 2000, pp170 - 179, [Paul Delaney]
Recognition
Representations
Editorial Board, 'Irish University Review'
External Examiner, PhD in English, University College Dublin
Editorial Consultant, 'Journal of the Short Story in English'
External Examiner, PhD in English, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
External Examiner, PhD in English, Leuven Centre for Irish Studies, KU Leuven, Belgium
Peer-reader for prestigious publishing houses, including Cambridge University Press, Edinburgh University Press, Manchester University Press, Routledge, Bloomsbury, Palgrave, University of Toronto Press, Cork University Press and Irish Academic Press.
Peer-reader for leading academic journals, including 'Irish University Review', 'The Irish Review', 'Irish Studies Review', 'Éire-Ireland', 'Canadian Journal of Irish Studies', 'New Hibernia Review', 'Short Fiction in Theory & Practice' and 'Journal of the Short Story in English'
Management Board, 'Irish University Review'
Books Editor, 'Irish University Review'
Joint Editor (with Sinéad Sturgeon), Irish Literature and Culture, 'The Literary Encyclopedia', www.litencyc.com
External Examiner in English (3-year post), UG and MA module level, School of English, Queen's University, Belfast
External Examiner in English (3-year post), UG and MA programmes, Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick
Awards and Honours
Election to Fellowship, Trinity College Dublin
Provost Teaching Award, Trinity College Dublin
University of Kent Postgraduate Teaching Assistantship
British Council Chevening Scholar
Trinity College Dublin Postgraduate Award
Memberships
Editorial Board, Irish University Review
Member, ENSFR (European Network for Short Fiction Research)
Member, IASIL (International Association for the Study of Irish Literatures)
Management Board, Irish University Review