Esther Freud
There’s a photograph in Esther Freud’s office of a beautiful young girl in first communion bridal glory. I noticed it on the shelf behind her as we talked of her latest novel, and she said it…
Eimear Ryan
Eimear Ryan started writing her debut novel, holding her breath, back in 2013, shortly after finishing an M Phil in Creative Writing. As a highly successful short story writer, however, Eimear found the longer form harder…
Kevin Power
At 28, Kevin Power was flying high. His debut novel, Bad Day in Blackrock, published in 2008 had won high acclaim. Add to this, his 2009 wins of both the Hennessy Award, and the prestigious Rooney…
Nuala O’Connor
I loved chatting to Nuala about Nora,’ her wonderful fictionalised account of the marriage of James Joyce and Nora Barnacle. To read my article, click here
Brian McGilloway
In Blood Ties, Brian McGilloway’s 12th Crime novel, Ben Devlin is called to the scene of the murder of a man who, as a teenager, killed his friend, Hannah Row. The death occurs on the anniversary…
Alannah Hopkin on Aidan Higgins
I CAN’T REMEMBER WHEN I’VE READ SUCH A MOVING MEMOIR, OR ONE WRITTEN WITH SUCH RAW HONESTY. To read my review, of A Very Strange Man, New Island Books, published in Books Ireland Magazine,in April, 2021….
Lisa Harding
Around eight years ago Lisa Harding gave up acting. She had been a successful ingenue – playing Juliette in London, where she gained substantial roles in plays by Tennessee Williams. But later, the parts she was…
John Ware
John Ware has been passionately interested in history for his entire life. And, specifically, in the events of the First World War. As a child, he devoured war stories – both factual and from his comics,…
Eithne Shorthall
Eithne Shortall has always been driven. And although, growing up, she wanted to be an actress, or a poet, having decided, for practical purposes to study journalism, she’s never looked back. She went straight from Dublin…
Ciara Geraghty
The heroine in Ciara Geraghty’s latest novel prefers figures to people; order is essential to Marianne Cross. So when she loses her job, her house and her marriage, and has to return to her shambolic childhood…
Mick Herron
The writer, Mick Herron has been riding out the pandemic in Oxford, where he lives quietly with his partner. Life is little changed, since he habitually spends his writing days alone, and his next novel is…
Maggie O’Farrell
Some years ago, Maggie O’Farrell was in the back of an ambulance with her middle child – who – since birth, has suffered from extreme, sometimes life-threatening, allergic reactions. “That night she was very sick and…