J.R Thorpe.
Brought up surrounded by books, at six, Jennifer wrote a take-off of the famous Five, with a time travel element – taking them to the Jurassic period. When she was studying creative writing in Oxford, Toby…
Caitriona Lally
It’s a warm September day when I meet Caitriona Lally in the garden of MOLI – the Museum of Literature, Ireland. It’s my first interviewing trip to Dublin since the pandemic hit. Caitriona arrives fresh from…
Robert L Harris
Robert’s American parents moved around a lot when he was a child. And he hasn’t lived in America since going to Edinburgh in the late 1970’s to take a postgraduate degree. His wife is from Kerry…
Breda Joyce
From the time she was a young child, Breda always had her head in a book. “There were 10 of us,” she says. “I was number two. It wasn’t a bookish house, but I loved…
Evanna Lynch
An imaginative child, Evanna loved craft and design; she also adored reading and writing. “Books were everything to me,” she says, “and I loved writing letters. I joined a pen pal club when I was really…
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….