Writers Abroad Magazine Issue 2 March 2015 | Page 20

WRITERS ABROAD MAGAZINE

From Here… featuring Dianne Ascroft
Q. What brought you to Northern Ireland, when and
from where?
I moved from Toronto, Canada to Belfast in August 1990. I
had visited Ireland (North and South) several times
previously and loved it: the people, the culture, the music.
Some of my ancestors hail from the island and I was
interested in learning more about my heritage and also
wanted to immerse myself in Irish and Scottish traditional
music. So I decided to come over to work for a while and
see how things went. Almost 25 years later I’m still here.
Q. What are the advantages of living in Northern Ireland for a writer?
The island has a rich literary tradition to inspire writers. I enjoy visiting the places where
famous writers and poets such as Oscar Wilde, Iris Murdoch and John McGahern lived
and worked. Also, the writing community is fairly small so it isn’t too difficult to meet
other writers, including renowned ones. Many established authors are very generous,
sharing their experiences and advice with newer writers. As well as this, there are
several well established, small publishing houses which welcome submissions from
unpublished writers.
Q. Did your writing output increase since you came to Northern Ireland?
I only started writing for publication about 15 years ago – a decade after I moved
across the ocean. So I guess you could say my output increased since I came here!
Q. Is there anything you find hard to cope with in Northern Ireland?
The mindset of many people, a legacy of The Troubles, can be difficult to understand
and deal with. Although they are friendly, people in Northern Ireland are often more
guarded and suspicious of anyone outside their immediate social circle than in other
countries. They don’t trust you unless they know you well. This creates a subtle
tension, especially when interacting with people from the “other” religious community.
Even though I don’t consider myself part of either religious community, I’m pegged as
belonging to one. The situation has improved tremendously during the past few years
but when I first arrived I found it a very different country from the open, tolerant one I
had left.
Q. What impact did Northern Ireland have on you emotionally, sensorally or
intellectually and did you incorporate this into your writing?
I guess the country, and the whole island (including the Republic of Ireland), has had
quite an impact on me as most of my writing has some connection to Ireland. I’ve
written short stories exploring adapting to a new country and establishing your home
in it, and my historical fiction novels are all set in Ireland. One of the things that
fascinates me is that the rural areas have changed little during the past few
generations. This is a great bonus for an historical fiction writer; it is easy to imagine
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