Samuel Thompson
There’s been a wealth of fiction coming from Northern Ireland of late, and much of it focuses on the troubles. We’ve heard the story of terrorists; of victims; and of people whose normal lives have been…
Richard Roper
Richard remembers arguing with his mother about the number of books he could take out of the library. “I was always reading,” he says. “And at university I was a tortured writer of terrible poetry. It…
Tim MacGabhann
Tim has been writing novels since he was 15. Leaving Dublin shortly after starting a PhD, he fled to Mexica, and taught English. “After nine months, I met a load of foreign correspondents, and thought they…
Anna Stuart
A lifelong reader, Anna wrote a book about boarding school aged 10. Leaving university, she moved to Lancashire working in production management in Courtaulds textiles. “I loved it, but I wanted to get into marketing, and…
Margaret Daly. A Tribute
The first rule of author interviewing, is don’t, ever, be late. Especially if the writer has flown in and has a packed-out schedule for the day. But once, when I was due to meet the duo…
Joseph O’Connor
Arriving to interview Joseph O’Connor, I got locked into an apartment carpark next door to the hotel; when I tell Joe this, he launches into a narrative, about what else might go wrong for me today….
Sheila Forsey
A farmer’s daughter, and youngest of three, Sheila grew up listening to stories of the fifties when emigration was rife. “My father was a seannachie, and the village I lived in was steeped in drama. I…
Peter Money
As a child Peter moved from California to Vermont, and then on to Cape Cod. Originally, Peter wanted to be a theatre major, but his months studying in Dublin changed all that. “I had my awakening…
Debut Roundup for Books Ireland, May and June
Last ones left alive. Sarah Davis-Goff. Tinder. Orpen is walking along the road pushing a wheelbarrow, her black dog, danger, by her side. Her blackened toenail falls off – her fingers blister, but the pain is…
Debut Roundup for Books Ireland. March and April 2019.
The Failing Heart by Eoghan Smith. Dedalus. This strangely mesmeric tale opens in the aftermath of a death. A graduate student has secreted himself away from his friends and family, intent on completing his overdue dissertation….
Summer Sizzlers
Ireland is enjoying a golden age in literature right now. Our three Man Booker Prize winners, John Banville, Roddy Doyle and Anne Enright head a host of established and emerging literary talent. And what’s true for…
Mary Pat Kelly
Mary Pat Kelly has always been proud of being Irish. But, growing up in Chicago, with a romanticized view of Ireland, she didn’t really know what that meant. She didn’t know where her family came from,…