Kevin Doherty
An academic child who loved music and reading, Kevin wanted to be a doctor. He loved the science of it, but when, after studying it for three years, the training became more practical, he realised that…
Liza Costello
Lisa always loved reading, but having made a mistake on her CAO form, she studied Social Research instead of English Literature, and that led to a career in the subject. “I did qualitive studies for the…
Kirsty Capes
Kirsty was taken into care aged two. She had a positive experience, staying with the same family until she ‘aged out’ at 23, but she’s aware of the system’s downside. “There are always social workers…
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…
If Memory Serves me Wrong
It has been such a pleasure to co write this memoir of an extraordinary life with the actor/producer of Riverdance, Ronan Smith. And it’s publication day! To see the trailer click here
Louise Neylon
Growing up on a farm in County Kildare, Louise wanted to be Jacqueline Wilson’s editor. But when her mum took her to Easons to meet the writer, she was devastated. “She just signed my book and…
Brian Keogh
Brian wrote his first book, aged five, called Professor Souto goes to the moon. Since then, he has been trying to write a novel. “I had all sorts of plots. I’d write a few chapters but…
Tom Hickey RIP.
I was so sad to hear of the death of the actor Tom Hickey, on May 1st. I have such fond memories of interviewing him for the Irish Examiner back in 2002. Here is the piece…
Fiona Scarlett
Fiona never thought about writing when she was a child- though she was always an avid reader. At 35, she began making up funny stories for children, and found that she couldn’t stop writing. “Two years…
Catherine Mangan
As a child brought up in the country, Catherine loved inventing games. And at secondary school she was renowned for writing good stories. “I’ve always written. There are notebooks everywhere!” After college, Catherine moved to…