James Norbury
An imaginative child, James loved creating other worlds through re-enactment, drawing, building or writing. “I was always writing stories,” he says. After university he moved to Abbeyfeale, County Limerick with Ruth, his future wife, where…
James Conor Patterson
James’s parents had emigrated to England for work before his birth; they returned to Newry when James was six. “It coincided with the ceasefire,” says James. He became interested in writing through music and lyrics and…
Ray Taylor
A trained surveyor, Ray ran a successful subcontracting business. Wanting to retire at 50, he volunteered to go to Bosnia. “I got a taste for aid work,” he says. “From then on I worked at it…
Death of Máire Mhac an tSaoi – (Cruse O’Brien)
I was so saddened to hear of Máire’s death at the weekend. Back in 2003, I was lucky enough to interview her about her memoir, The Same Age as the State. I spent a glorious afternoon…
Pauline Clooney
As a teenager, Pauline wanted to be a journalist. She had an article published, and at 16, blagged her way into an interview with U2. But a careers meeting with local journalists put her off. …
Declan Murphy
When Lilliput Press were preparing to publish The Spirit of the River, they were so impressed with Declan Murphy’s lyrical prose, that they suggested a literary prize winner should write the foreword. But Murphy wouldn’t agree….
Ann Ingle.
Leaving school with excellent typing skills, Ann worked for London University before falling madly in love with Peter Ingle at 20. In Ireland, Ann typed up manuscripts and essays for everyone from students to Lord Killanin….
Sarah Gilmartin
A huge reader, Sarah’s main interest as a child was drama. But having gained an MA in Journalism, she worked as a journalist in Public Affairs, and then Business. “Then I took a year out,…
Colin Black
Colin loved English at school, but he decided to study physiotherapy for job security. After a year he switched to medicine and, after completing his initial training, took a foundation year at St Vincent’s Hospital in…
Jade Jordan
Jade has always wanted to be an actor. She attended acting classes as a child, but the course of her career hasn’t always been smooth. In 2016, struggling to get parts in the UK, she was…
Siobhan Macdonald
Some years ago, Siobhan Macdonald took a taxi ride from Long Island to the airport with a taxi driver who seemed out of sorts. When she told him that she was a technical writer, in New…
Rosaleen McDonagh.
Rosaleen always had a curiosity about books, but growing up a Traveller in Sligo, Donegal and Dublin, attending a special school, she never had the chance. “All through my life people just said I was thick,…