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Claire Keegan is a formidable woman. In terms of contemporary Irish literature,Ìýshe's regarded as one of the emerging greats, a master of the often overlooked art form the short story.Ìý She emerged in 1999 with her debutÌýcollection, "Antartica" -Ìýand "Walk the Blue Fields"ÌýfollowedÌýinÌý2007. During the summer FaberÌýpublished the originalÌýversion ofÌý"Foster"Ìýafter an edited version appeared in the New Yorker, for which she won the Davy Byrne award. Comparisons have been made with John McGahern and awards haveÌýcomeÌýthick and fast forÌý the 42-year-old Wicklow writer.

Physically, she is a commanding presence. Tall, at least 5ft 8ins, she has a scrutinising stareÌýand theÌýair of not suffering fools gladly. I'm acutely aware of babbling. I interviewed her in front of a packed house on Sunday night at the Crescent Arts Centre as part of Belfast Festival At Queen's.ÌýShe spoke about her writing in probably the most inspirational way I have ever heard a writer speak. She loves language, and in particular the short story, "stories" she said "told with reluctance". She's only in her early 40's but she has the air of a wise old woman. Write, she told one aspiring writer in the audience, because you want to. Don't wait for enough for a collection. When you've completed a story, get it published. Get it out there. "There are two types of writers," she said, "Those who want this," she pointed to the lectern, the microphone, me as the interviewer, the audience. The others just want to write. To make sense of the world. To capture the inarticulate. She loves quiet prose, Chekhov is a big hero. She hates prose that "jumps up on its hindlegs saying look at me". By this stage I'm about to do that scene from "The Dead Poets Society" where they jump onto the desks and shout "Captain my captain". She is that inspiring. But she underplays the emotion of the moment by telling a story against herself.

During a reading in Dublin, a woman sat in the very front row, and fell asleep as soon as she started reading. "She was probably just looking for somewhere warm". The Belfast audience loved her, And the queue to talk to her afterwards was testimony to this. Roll on January 2011. She tells me that she has, not one but, two new short stories coming out. She is, as Declan Kiberd described her, "a writer already touched by greatness".Ìý Her other job, as a creative writing teacher, sees her passing that "greatness" on. But I do get the strong impression that what Claire Keegan has can't be taught.

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Claire Keegan's latest short story "Foster" is published by Faber and Faber.