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….
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…
Sarah Moss
It all started on holiday in Scotland. Having been born in Glasgow, and, according to family legend learned to walk on the shores of Lough Lomond, Sarah Moss decided to return there, and experience a beautiful…
Review. Dermot Bolger
I first became aware of Dermot Bolger in 2000, when I read his seventh novel, Temptation. I was blown away; marvelling at Bolger’s ability to get into the mind of a woman so well. In that,…
Doireann Ni Ghriofa
There’s something other worldly about Doireann Ní Ghríofa. Exuding warmth and empathy, she speaks as she writes – fast and fluently, and there’s a natural lyricism there. She’s also quite disarming honest. Highly renowned in the…
Adrian McKinty
When Adrian McKinty won The Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year award recently, he was overwhelmed. The Northern Irish author is no stranger to prizes; his wins include The Edgar Award, the Ned Kelly…