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STerry Prone: Lucia Berlin’s words leapt from the page in the world’s oldest bookshop
Dolly Parton death
Dolly Parton’s ‘visionary’ book scheme provided more than 400,000 books to Irish children
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has helped put hundreds of thousands of books into Irish homes since launching in Dublin in 2019

Wed, 26 Aug, 2026

My Life in books: When it comes to books in my house it’s a case of 'chaos reigns'
My Life in books: When it comes to books in my house it’s a case of 'chaos reigns'
Former religious affairs correspondent TP O’Mahony says a book should be written that focuses on the tyranny of popes, who assume a power and authority that have no foundation in the New Testament

Sat, 22 Aug, 2026

Book review: Plot barrels along in deft thriller
Book review: Plot barrels along in deft thriller
'Never to be Found' is inspired by the johatsu tradition in Japan, where a covert industry helps those who wish to vanish without a trace

Sat, 22 Aug, 2026

Book review: Complex profile of protagonist
Book review: Complex profile of protagonist
Through Carrie, author Rosie Walsh traces a persuasive character arc that metamorphoses from near defeat to a fledgling, resolute self-belief

Sat, 22 Aug, 2026

CECILIA AHERN
Cecelia Ahern: I am drawn to books with heart — I don’t want to read an AI novel
As she prepares to publish her 21st book, Cecelia Ahern talks to Kathy Donaghy about the joy of creating, why AI has no place in fiction and how the removal of a love lock bridge inspired her latest novel

Fri, 21 Aug, 2026

Children’s book reviews: Séamus courts disaster in his futile attempts to be famous
Children’s book reviews: Séamus courts disaster in his futile attempts to be famous
Pet O’Connell rounds up a selection of the latest children’s books from a tale on the pointless pursuit of fame, to a canine caper of acceptance, and a children’s writing debut from best-selling author Cecelia Ahern

Fri, 21 Aug, 2026

Culture That Made Me: Sara Baume on art, audiobooks, and Moomins
Culture That Made Me: Sara Baume on art, audiobooks, and Moomins
Cork writer Sara Baume tells Richard Fitzpatrick about her cultural influences, from the Crawford Art Gallery to Pat Collins

Mon, 17 Aug, 2026

My life in books: I only finish about every fifth book that I start reading
My life in books: I only finish about every fifth book that I start reading
Mike Omer is an award-winning crime, thriller, and fantasy writer whose books have been translated into more than 20 languages. He lives with his family in Cork. His latest book, In the Killer’s Sight, published by Thomas & Mercer, is out on September 1.

Sat, 15 Aug, 2026

Sinn Fein legal advice launch
Book review: An engrossing story of political struggle
It would not be fair to criticise her involvement in the IRA  without exploring her reasons, which is what she does in this book

Sat, 15 Aug, 2026

Ripe for change as older narrator yearns for belonging
Ripe for change as older narrator yearns for belonging
Sarah Moss’s sensual and absorbing ode to the Burren is also a vibrant portrait of life and loss

Sat, 15 Aug, 2026

FRANCE-ART-LITERATURE-POLAR-PORTRAIT
Book review: Big secrets lurk in a small town’s shadows
Karin Slaughter is still at top of her game with latest thriller

Fri, 14 Aug, 2026

Patrick Holloway: Uncanny devotion to Harry Potter's Dobby shows power of fiction
Patrick Holloway: Uncanny devotion to Harry Potter's Dobby shows power of fiction
The Bronze Age dead buried near Freshwater West are real, but they have become strangers. JK Rowling's Dobby is imaginary, but millions of people know him. That is the strange power of fiction, writes author Patrick Holloway

Fri, 14 Aug, 2026

Culture That Made Me: Anton Savage of Newstalk selects his touchstones
Culture That Made Me: Anton Savage of Newstalk selects his touchstones
The popular broadcaster includes Hothouse Flowers, Niall Tóibín, and John Steinbeck among his selections 

Sat, 08 Aug, 2026

My life in books: I love chance finds and I don’t buy online
My life in books: I love chance finds and I don’t buy online
Adrian Duncan is an Irish artist and writer based in Berlin. His novel 'Love Notes from a German Building Site' won the John McGahern Book Prize. His latest novel 'A Thought Without Collision', published by Tuskar Rock, is out next week.

Sat, 08 Aug, 2026

Book review: Domestic thriller is a compelling read
Book review: Domestic thriller is a compelling read
Cork author's ninth novel inspired by the real estate term of a stigmatised property

Sat, 08 Aug, 2026

Book review: Jewell's 24th novel is her darkest to date
Book review: Jewell's 24th novel is her darkest to date
Fans of the thriller genre should find it easy to dive into Lisa Jewell’s newest release

Sat, 08 Aug, 2026

Dermot Bolger reverses plan to retire and sticks to his words
Dermot Bolger reverses plan to retire and sticks to his words
After 14 novels and 18 plays, at the age of 65 Dermot Bolger had written his last — until a short story took hold, and a collection, ‘Imperfect Beings’, followed, writes Sue Leonard

Sat, 08 Aug, 2026

10 new books for August: Cecilia Ahern, Donal Ryan, Robert Harris...
10 new books for August: Cecilia Ahern, Donal Ryan, Robert Harris...
There's a bumper crop of new books being published in the coming weeks 

Tue, 04 Aug, 2026

Book review: Debut inspired by personal story
Book review: Debut inspired by personal story
Author Louise Powell delivers originality and empathy in spades in ‘Underdogs’ — an ode worthy of a community she is ‘incredibly proud to be part of’

Sat, 01 Aug, 2026

Book review: Unusual plot with a surprising ending
Book review: Unusual plot with a surprising ending
The 10th book in Steve Cavanagh’s series featuring criminal defence attorney Eddie Flynn is a compelling and gripping read

Sat, 01 Aug, 2026

My life in books: ‘I’m a firm believer in the right book finding you at the right moment’
My life in books: ‘I’m a firm believer in the right book finding you at the right moment’
Author Jane Casey says booksellers and librarians have the best recommendations  — 'don’t leave it to an algorithm'

Sat, 01 Aug, 2026

Children’s book reviews: From sacrifices for ballet, to dinosaur adventures, and war
Children’s book reviews: From sacrifices for ballet, to dinosaur adventures, and war
Pet O’Connell rounds up a selection of the latest children’s books, including a tale of the sacrifices required to succeed in a Russian ballet school, fun for dinosaur-obsessed children, and a story of young lives changed utterly by needless war

Fri, 31 Jul, 2026

Culture That Made Me: Presenter Shane Coleman on Irish history, football books, and TV favourites
Culture That Made Me: Presenter Shane Coleman on Irish history, football books, and TV favourites
Journalist Shane Coleman’s teenage self found solace in the music of The Smiths and what would become a lifelong love of history in the novels of Walter Macken, he tells Richard Fitzpatrick

Sun, 26 Jul, 2026

RONAN HESSION
Irish authors on what it's really like to have their books turned into TV shows
Irish writers, agents and producers reveal why homegrown novels are increasingly becoming sought-after television dramas for global audiences

Sun, 26 Jul, 2026

Book review: Painfully raw divorce memoir
Book review: Painfully raw divorce memoir
Chris Jones chronicles the dissolution of his marriage, charts the difficult terrain of the fall-out from that fissure, and embarks on a journey of emotional rehabilitation

Sat, 25 Jul, 2026

My life in books: I couldn’t believe somebody built ‘Jurassic Park’ on blank paper
My life in books: I couldn’t believe somebody built ‘Jurassic Park’ on blank paper
Bestselling crime writer Catherine Ryan Howard has just delivered the first draft of her new book which is due out next summer

Sat, 25 Jul, 2026

Book review: Scattered tale lacks momentum
Book review: Scattered tale lacks momentum
In the mix of folktale homage and wholesome satire in 'Country People', the sprinkling of laugh-out-loud moments are not enough to sustain the meandering narrative

Sat, 25 Jul, 2026

Mick Clifford: Grim story of Magdalene laundries just short of steaming with rage
Mick Clifford: Grim story of Magdalene laundries just short of steaming with rage
Officially, more than 10,000 females were incarcerated in these institutions between 1922 and 1996, although many historians say this is a gross underestimation

Fri, 24 Jul, 2026

My life in books: Everything by Tim Robinson is well-written, I finish his books with a lighter heart
My life in books: Everything by Tim Robinson is well-written, I finish his books with a lighter heart
Poet John FitzGerald says he is a fan of the sonnet: 'Its compressed energy and the infinite possibility of the form'

Sat, 18 Jul, 2026

Book review: How evil quickly erodes society
Book review: How evil quickly erodes society
This is an important book for anyone who, like Churchill, recognises that of all the systems we’ve tried, democracy is by far the best

Sat, 18 Jul, 2026

Book review: Gripping portrayal of addiction
Book review: Gripping portrayal of addiction
Jessamine O'Connor’s 'Somewhere' is a mightily strong debut with superbly evoked characters that will keep readers enthralled to the very end

Sat, 18 Jul, 2026

Author interview: Exploring the complicated reality of female friendship
Author interview: Exploring the complicated reality of female friendship
In an interview with Sue Leonard, author Kathleen MacMahon describes the laborious yet rewarding process of creating her fifth novel, ‘Other People’s Lives’

Fri, 17 Jul, 2026

Meet the parents: Amy Huberman among latest additions to Boys of Tommen cast
Meet the parents: Amy Huberman among latest additions to Boys of Tommen cast
Season one will be adapted from Cork author Chloe Walsh’s first two novels in the series, Binding 13 and Keeping 13

Fri, 17 Jul, 2026

Six For Your Radar: Kevin Bridges in the Marquee, The Odyssey hits cinemas...
Six For Your Radar: Kevin Bridges in the Marquee, The Odyssey hits cinemas...
West Cork Literary Festival concludes in Bantry 

Thu, 16 Jul, 2026

Book review: Vaccines and the idiocy epidemic
Book review: Vaccines and the idiocy epidemic
Thomas Levenson gives us a fascinating potted history of vaccination, and points out that anti-vax arguments are in fact 18th century objections repurposed for the modern age

Sat, 11 Jul, 2026

Book review: Britain’s implausible deniability
Book review: Britain’s implausible deniability
The tactics of the British army, MI5, and the RUC over the entire span of the Troubles, reached depths that were only thought possible in countries such as Chile, Uganda, and the pre-1989 communist bloc

Sat, 11 Jul, 2026

My life in books: ‘Amongst Women’ ... Reading it makes time feel like it’s fallen away
My life in books: ‘Amongst Women’ ... Reading it makes time feel like it’s fallen away
Niamh Campbell believes everybody should read 'Ulysses': 'Though you should probably take a course or class and read it in company — it’s such a fun book to share'

Sat, 11 Jul, 2026

'Dad was such a hardened Born Again Christian — it took time for me to accept I didn’t believe in God'
S 'Dad was such a hardened Born Again Christian — it took time for me to accept I didn’t believe in God'
Clem Cairns, co-founder of West Cork Literary Festival, talks to Helen O’Callaghan about how he had a great childhood but his strict moral upbringing led him to be deeply suspicious of anything evangelical so he instead embraced commonsense over ideology

Fri, 10 Jul, 2026

Author interview: ‘I don’t buy into the idea that a writer can speak for the nation’
Author interview: ‘I don’t buy into the idea that a writer can speak for the nation’
Jonathon Coe speaks to Marjorie Brennan about his latest novel, how he’s fallen in love with writing again, and why he thinks Margaret Thatcher would be appalled at how far right Britain has shifted

Fri, 10 Jul, 2026

War correspondent Sally Hayden: 'In a crisis situation, you will always find love'
War correspondent Sally Hayden: 'In a crisis situation, you will always find love'
Ahead of her appearance at the West Cork Literary Festival, award-winning international correspondent Sally Hayden speaks with Donal O’Keeffe about her new book, This Is Also A Love Story

Tue, 07 Jul, 2026

Summer catch-up: The 20 best fiction books of the year so far
Summer catch-up: The 20 best fiction books of the year so far
Looking for a holiday read? Richard Fitzpatrick offers suggestions from the fiction titles published in the first half of 2026

Mon, 06 Jul, 2026

Book review: Nauseating but fun royal yarn
Book review: Nauseating but fun royal yarn
'1936' is a good, twisty yarn, told with gusto and laced with fascinating social history: A case study in a life coming to blows with expectations, pomp, and circumstance

Sat, 04 Jul, 2026

Book review: Strange world, familiar sadness
Book review: Strange world, familiar sadness
'Dooneen' is a highly political novel. It depicts desperate communities bound together in communal action, in conflict with a neglectful, violent, and self-serving state 

Sat, 04 Jul, 2026

My life in books: John Williams made me realise the power of the simple, unadorned sentence
My life in books: John Williams made me realise the power of the simple, unadorned sentence
Daniel Okrent is a former managing editor of 'Life' magazine and served as the first public editor of 'The New York Times'

Sat, 04 Jul, 2026

David O'Mahony: Struggling to find a book as genius as Doireann Ní Ghríofa's genre-defying offering
David O'Mahony: Struggling to find a book as genius as Doireann Ní Ghríofa's genre-defying offering
I’ve taken breaks from reading before, but never because a book like Doireann Ní Ghríofa's 'Said The Dead' was so good it left the sort of dreamy sense that anything else would be a step down, or a mood killer

Sat, 04 Jul, 2026

Author interview: Friendship, painting, and the art of spending time together
Author interview: Friendship, painting, and the art of spending time together
Sara Baume speaks to Marjorie Brennan about her latest book, which explores the nature of modern relationships, the vagaries of a creative life, and what it means to truly belong

Fri, 03 Jul, 2026

10 new books for July: Sara Baume, Catherine Ryan Howard, and more...
10 new books for July: Sara Baume, Catherine Ryan Howard, and more...
Tales of Hannibal's battles and female friendships feature among this months new publications 

Wed, 01 Jul, 2026

Summer catch-up: 20 of the best non-fiction books so far this year
Summer catch-up: 20 of the best non-fiction books so far this year
Looking for something to read for your holidays? Richard Fitzpatrick picks the top biographies, sports books and other non-fiction titles from the first half of 2026

Mon, 29 Jun, 2026

Book review: Dangerous cat-and-mouse game
Book review: Dangerous cat-and-mouse game
Dervla McTiernan does a great job maintaining the tension in her novel while weaving together the past and present as the connections between the characters are gradually revealed

Sat, 27 Jun, 2026

My life in books: We need to amplify voices and make writing resources more accessible
My life in books: We need to amplify voices and make writing resources more accessible
Navan writer Edie May Hand says a lot of what needs to be written has already been written or is being written

Sat, 27 Jun, 2026

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