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Karl Whitney: Is it better to let ideas fumble on the long route or set them in stone?
Etching into stone implies permanence, and that requires an eye on the eternal. When a sentence is for life, it’s best to keep it short, writes Karl Whitney

Fri, 24 Oct, 2025

2022 Booker prize
Booker Prize announces launch of first award for children’s fiction
The Children’s Booker Prize will see an author selected annually from 2027 to celebrate the 'best contemporary fiction' for children aged eight to 12 years old

Fri, 24 Oct, 2025

Revealed: Manchán Magan among authors shortlisted for Irish Book Awards
Revealed: Manchán Magan among authors shortlisted for Irish Book Awards
The Irish Book Awards has shortlisted both new and established writers across 19 categories

Wed, 22 Oct, 2025

FILE PICS: Former Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald is understood to be seriously ill in hospital.
Autumn round up: Varadkar and Zappone tell all while Enright casts artful eye
From FitzGerald v Haughey and ‘Bailout Babies’ to Dan Brown and Anne Enright, Marjorie Brennan rounds up a selection of new and forthcoming releases

Fri, 10 Oct, 2025

Sue Leonard: Jilly Cooper charted the excesses of Thatcher's 1980s
Sue Leonard: Jilly Cooper charted the excesses of Thatcher's 1980s
Although the author's 'bonkbusters' were sneered at by critics, her fun and empathy opened up conversations around sex and influenced a generation, writes Sue Leonard

Fri, 10 Oct, 2025

Little boy reading a book in green armchair
Jennifer Horgan: When we stop reading, we limit our understanding of others
Reading, entering another person's world, can help to counter the one-dimensional view of the world we are fed by algorithms 

Fri, 03 Oct, 2025

Books are my business: Illustrator, designer, and director Mel Carroll
Books are my business: Illustrator, designer, and director Mel Carroll
Mr Carroll acts as an agent in UsFolk, managing the commissions for all the other artists — and sometimes himself — 'so I have my business head and then my creative head'

Sat, 27 Sep, 2025

Library, white shelves, multi colored books
Karl Whitney: Difficult decisions you have to face when the books pile up
Many books, on reflection, are entertaining but nothing more: You hold them in front of you and read, but once you’re done, you’re done writes Karl Whitney

Fri, 26 Sep, 2025

Books are my business: Literary agent Jade Kavanagh
Books are my business: Literary agent Jade Kavanagh
'I represent authors in the same way actors have agents. I read their work, take it on, represent it, and then sell it to publishers'

Sat, 20 Sep, 2025

Books are my business: Chair of Bookselling Ireland Maria Dickenson 
Books are my business: Chair of Bookselling Ireland Maria Dickenson 
Bookselling Ireland is the Irish branch of Booksellers Association in the UK

Sat, 06 Sep, 2025

Books are my business: Executive librarian Margaret O'Sullivan
Books are my business: Executive librarian Margaret O'Sullivan
'There is nothing I don’t like about working in the library. I have been at it for 34 years now and I still love it'

Sat, 30 Aug, 2025

AM-FM frequency indicator of retro radio
Karl Whitney: Don’t touch that dial: Talking about books on the radio
Writers don’t really get tutored in the art of talking about their book on the radio, where conversations thrive on small talk

Fri, 29 Aug, 2025

Colm Tóibín returns as president of Listowel Writers’ Week
Colm Tóibín returns as president of Listowel Writers’ Week
Brooklyn author to return after resigning in 2022

Thu, 21 Aug, 2025

Books are my business: Write by the Sea festival chair Sasha Wilson
Books are my business: Write by the Sea festival chair Sasha Wilson
Looking for a volunteer opportunity during the pandemic led to the discovery of a local literary festival in Co Wexford

Mon, 11 Aug, 2025

Sarah Jessica Parker in possible conflict of interest over Booker longlisted author
Sarah Jessica Parker in possible conflict of interest over Booker longlisted author
Actor and book prize judge’s production company in process of developing novel by Claire Adam

Wed, 30 Jul, 2025

Revealed: The 13 authors in the running for the Booker Prize 2025
Revealed: The 13 authors in the running for the Booker Prize 2025
The ‘Booker Dozen’ features nine nationalities across four continents

Tue, 29 Jul, 2025

Books are my business: Tramp Press founders Sarah Davis-Goff and Lisa Coen
Books are my business: Tramp Press founders Sarah Davis-Goff and Lisa Coen
‘No better feeling in the world’ than discovering new authors

Sat, 26 Jul, 2025

UK. Gillian Anderson in (C)Black Bear film: The Salt Path (2024). Plot: A couple lose their home and later discover the husband
Karl Whitney: On true stories: If reality is a show, then we want our narrator to win
As fundamentally optimistic readers, we want to see our literature conform to the worldview of how to overcome adversity

Fri, 25 Jul, 2025

Woman is typing on a laptop keyboard while lying on a sofa at home in the dark.
New Irish writer getting rave reviews — but nobody knows who they are
Pen names have a long history. Now Liadan Ní Chuinn is shunning publicity in an industry that demands ever more exposure

Tue, 22 Jul, 2025

Books are my business: Illustrator and author Margaret Anne Suggs
Books are my business: Illustrator and author Margaret Anne Suggs
Margaret lectures at Ballyfermot College of Further Education, where she founded the illustration course, and is also director of Illustrators Ireland

Sat, 19 Jul, 2025

A good read guaranteed with our top picks for summer
A good read guaranteed with our top picks for summer
Whether you’re a fan of fiction, a politics addict, or a history buff, there is plenty to throw into your book bag this summer

Fri, 18 Jul, 2025

Books are my business: Dublin Unesco City of Literature director Anne-Marie Kelly
Books are my business: Dublin Unesco City of Literature director Anne-Marie Kelly
'I help to promote Dublin as a city of literature, support the literary community, and strengthen links between the partners'

Sat, 12 Jul, 2025

Book are my business: Children’s Books Ireland publications officer Ruth Concannon
Book are my business: Children’s Books Ireland publications officer Ruth Concannon
'I believe that a book can really spark something that can change the course of your life'

Sat, 05 Jul, 2025

Karl Whitney: Why you should sketch your cats before attempting to paint tigers
Karl Whitney: Why you should sketch your cats before attempting to paint tigers
With the works of an old master in mind, Karl Whitney considers the value in building a base for important work and engaging our critical skill to improve technique

Fri, 04 Jul, 2025

Books are my business: Bookbinder Tommy Duffy
Books are my business: Bookbinder Tommy Duffy
'I am a fourth-generation bookbinder; the business spans three generations'

Sat, 28 Jun, 2025

Books are my business: Librarian at Bantry Library Denis Murphy
Books are my business: Librarian at Bantry Library Denis Murphy
'Approaching high summer, the West Cork Literary Festival concentrates most of my attention'

Fri, 20 Jun, 2025

Books are my business: Irish Writers Centre CEO Mags McLoughlin
Books are my business: Irish Writers Centre CEO Mags McLoughlin
My job is to elevate awareness of the centre, its story, and get more money in for more writers to do more writing

Sat, 14 Jun, 2025

Books are my business: Bookshop children’s section manager Méabh McDonnell
Books are my business: Bookshop children’s section manager Méabh McDonnell
The former newspaper sub-editor found her dream job in Charlie Byrne's bookshop and believes there is 'a book out there for every child'

Sat, 07 Jun, 2025

Karl Whitney: When the journey of a writer hits a wall, it’s the perfect time to reflect
Karl Whitney: When the journey of a writer hits a wall, it’s the perfect time to reflect
While writers ply their trade due to their love of the medium, waiting to reach the next stage in a writer’s career is a unique creative challenge

Fri, 06 Jun, 2025

10 books for June: Michelle McDonagh, Bill Clinton, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and more
10 books for June: Michelle McDonagh, Bill Clinton, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and more
Some of this is True by Michelle McDonagh stays close to home in her latest book, where, on an icy morning in January, a young tourist’s body is discovered at the bottom of the Wishing Steps at Blarney Castle

Tue, 03 Jun, 2025

Books are my business: Bookshop owner Antonia Daly
Books are my business: Bookshop owner Antonia Daly
Antonia Daly is currently putting books together to sell at the Hinterland Festival, making sure that she has books from all the authors attending the festival

Sun, 01 Jun, 2025

'Female friendship is not a perfect love story any more than a romantic relationship is'
'Female friendship is not a perfect love story any more than a romantic relationship is'
From Sex and the City to The White Lotus, the complexities of women’s companionship has been a source of fascination for many. Vicki Notaro tells Elle Gordon how the idea of ‘the one’ in female friendships inspired her latest novel

Sat, 24 May, 2025

Books are my business: Specialist bookshop owner Caroline Sullivan
Books are my business: Specialist bookshop owner Caroline Sullivan
Working in the children’s section in Hodges Figgis bookshop in Dublin inspired her to set up Tales for Tadpoles

Sat, 24 May, 2025

Books are my business: Owner and founder of EDB Studios Elize de Beer
Books are my business: Owner and founder of EDB Studios Elize de Beer
When it comes to making books, I find that because I use such a traditional technique, there’s no real way to speed it up

Sat, 17 May, 2025

ANDREA MARA
From daydreaming about bank heists to TV adaptations: Andrea Mara on her writing career
She left her job in finance to be a freelance writer. Today, Andrea Mara has eight books under her belt — and a TV adaptation with Sarah Snook and Dakota Fanning in the works, writes Deirdre McArdle

Sun, 11 May, 2025

Books are my business: Poolbeg Press publisher Paula Campbell
Books are my business: Poolbeg Press publisher Paula Campbell
'I have been through every aspect of the business, from the literal bookselling to wholesaling to publishing'

Sat, 10 May, 2025

Karl Whitney: Opening a world to books that beg to be unearthed
Karl Whitney: Opening a world to books that beg to be unearthed
When I read about people ‘discovering’ and republishing ‘lost classics’, I often think: Well, they were in print once

Fri, 09 May, 2025

Books are my business: O’Brien Press senior editor Helen Carr
Books are my business: O’Brien Press senior editor Helen Carr
'A lot of my job is reassuring authors and letting them know we want to do the best for their book'

Sat, 03 May, 2025

Books are my business: Head of books at Eason Lynda Laffan
Books are my business: Head of books at Eason Lynda Laffan
'I’ve been at Eason about four years. I have been in and out between bookselling and publishing, and I love both sides'

Sat, 19 Apr, 2025

Vacant pub in Swinton 'The Football' with boarded windows on a quiet street.
Karl Whitney: Hitting ‘no changes’ when, in truth, almost everything has changed
Reviewing work can be a window into another moment in time, in our lives, and an opportunity to examine how old words can take on new meaning

Fri, 18 Apr, 2025

Books are my business: President of Publishing Ireland Peter McKay
Books are my business: President of Publishing Ireland Peter McKay
'It seems to me that for 30 years, one way or another, I have been involved in a fight to defend copyright'

Sat, 12 Apr, 2025

Beginner’s pluck: Part-time GP Claire Gleeson
Beginner’s pluck: Part-time GP Claire Gleeson
Hearing stories of familicide, Claire wondered what it would be like to survive and carry on living

Sat, 12 Apr, 2025

‘There was a story that had waited long enough to be told’
‘There was a story that had waited long enough to be told’
After penning a Parisian debut novel, there was only one city in the world that would do for its successor, writes Lynda Marron

Fri, 11 Apr, 2025

Cork author Louise Hegarty on her first novel: ‘I’ve been training for this for 25 years’
Cork author Louise Hegarty on her first novel: ‘I’ve been training for this for 25 years’
Every so often, a debut novel stands out from the pack. This year, that book is ‘Fair Play’, says Aoife Barry. Cork author Louise Hegarty talks growing up in Glanmire, learning her craft from Agatha Christie, and the joy of being a debut novelist in her 30s

Sun, 06 Apr, 2025

Elaine Loughlin: Ireland is dangerously exposed to sabotage beneath the sea — and we’re not ready
S Elaine Loughlin: Ireland is dangerously exposed to sabotage beneath the sea — and we’re not ready
Ireland’s seabed carries our data, power and gas — but political inaction leaves us dangerously open to attack

Sat, 05 Apr, 2025

Books are my business: Director of the Cúirt International Festival of Literature Manuela Moser
Books are my business: Director of the Cúirt International Festival of Literature Manuela Moser
Her role as director means she does everything — from programming the festival and managing the budget to set design and buying vases 

Sat, 05 Apr, 2025

Beginner’s pluck: Bookshop manager Gráinne O’Brien
Beginner’s pluck: Bookshop manager Gráinne O’Brien
Every teenager, and every parent of one, will surely relate to the story in 'Solo'

Sat, 05 Apr, 2025

Found in translation — an Irish publishing success story
Found in translation — an Irish publishing success story
Bullaun Press, which started life on the Aran Islands and published its first book only three years ago, has been named on the longlist for the International Booker Prize

Fri, 04 Apr, 2025

Books are my business: Kenny’s Bookshop, Galway, head buyer Gráinne O’Brien
Books are my business: Kenny’s Bookshop, Galway, head buyer Gráinne O’Brien
'I love having my hands on books. I love to meet the authors, and I love to hear about their journey'

Sat, 29 Mar, 2025

Beginner's pluck: Journalist and author Róisín Lanigan
Beginner's pluck: Journalist and author Róisín Lanigan
'I Want To Go Home But I’m Already There' is funny, engaging, and thought-provoking

Sat, 22 Mar, 2025

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