Conversations Best of 2025: Claire Keegan on bravery, writing and the single life
Dec 16, 2025
Claire Keegan, an acclaimed Irish author known for her evocative stories set in rural Ireland, shares insights from her unique upbringing on a 50-acre farm. She reflects on the profound lessons learned from piglets about individuality and strong writing. Claire discusses her childhood solitude, the importance of horses in her life, and her decision to embrace independence over traditional marriage. She also explores the moral silence in her novella, Small Things Like These, and how her craft prioritizes impactful storytelling over ornate prose.
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Childhood Work With Draft Horses
- Claire Keegan describes hauling felled trees as a child, driving a draft horse to pull logs down to the road.
- She repeated the work daily, cutting and piling timber until the lorry collected it, which shaped her early sense of responsibility.
Pony Bought With 'Pig Money'
- Claire's mother bought her a skewbald pony with 'pig money' so she could ride bareback without a saddle.
- She used the pony as transport around the farm, imagining herself as a Native American girl on adventures.
Piglets Taught Paragraph Craft
- Claire lovingly recalls newborn piglets under a red heat lamp and how each had a distinct personality from birth.
- Watching them settle together taught her about how individual parts join to form a stronger whole, like a good paragraph.
