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Orna Ní Choileáin’s family are from West Cork. She has won prizes for her creative prose, poetry, drama and theatre, and short-story writing at the Oireachtas and at other Gaelic festivals. While the previous two generations of her family did not speak Irish, Orna is extremely proud of the opportunity she had to learn the Irish language.

Orna also has a keen interest in Gaelic music. She has won stage prizes at Oireachtas na Gaeilge, Feis Mhaitiú and Feis Cheoil where she was presented the Máirtín Ó Diomsaigh winners’ distinction also. She has received the President’s gold distinction. She has been selected to perform for Gaisce, Gradam an Uachtaráin, and at international awards ceremonies in Canada and then in Hong Kong after that, where there were international audiences, with royalty in attendance, and at which she spoke and sang. She enjoys the storytelling quality of song and it was this that inspired her to start writing.

She has published two Irish language collections of short stories to date – Canary Wharf (2009) and Sciorrann an tAm (2014) which was shortlisted for the Book of the Year, Gradam Uí Shúilleabháin in 2014.

She has written a series of vampire books for younger readers. The series consists of Ailfí agus an Vaimpír (Ailfí and the Vampire), Vaimpír san Áiléar (Vampire in the Attic), I Measc Vaimpírí (Amongst Vampires). The final instalment in this series, Greim na Vaimpíre (The Vampire’s Grasp) will be published in 2016.

She co-wrote the drama entitled ‘Bun go Barr’ (Bottom to Top). It was the first Irish language drama for children produced for stage in Northern Ireland.