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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

Tom Perrotta by Beowulf Sheehan
Book review: Fast-paced tale of 1970s suburbia
'Ghost Town' is a skilful novel that moves at pace, makes you feel for the characters involved, and pieces together a fascinating story

Sat, 27 Jun, 2026

Author interview: ‘I grew up in a time where there was so much Irish prejudice’
Author interview: ‘I grew up in a time where there was so much Irish prejudice’
Maggie O’Farrell’s new offering, ‘Land’, hints at a deeper exploration of her Irishness. She tells Marjorie Brennan about how the epic highlights a particularly dark chapter in the country’s history

Fri, 26 Jun, 2026

New book tells the remarkable story of Cape Clear Island in West Cork
New book tells the remarkable story of Cape Clear Island in West Cork
A new book by historian Diarmuid Ó Drisceoil explores the life and times of the West Cork island of Cape Clear

Wed, 24 Jun, 2026

Laurence Falconer: 'I balance taking the piss out of the Germans by taking the piss out of the Irish'
Laurence Falconer: 'I balance taking the piss out of the Germans by taking the piss out of the Irish'
When Dublin comedian Laurence Falconer followed love to rural Germany, he could never have imagined that his stories about German bureaucracy, blunt honesty, and Irish awkwardness would strike a chord, writes Colin Sheridan

Sat, 20 Jun, 2026

My life in books: When I am outside of my comfort zone, books eventually... get moved to a shelf
My life in books: When I am outside of my comfort zone, books eventually... get moved to a shelf
Novels by Toni Morrison and Alice Walker and the body of work by James Baldwin, all showed Rosaleen McDonagh that racism and great art is about people, not polemics

Sat, 20 Jun, 2026

Book review: True discovery of the Blaskets
Book review: True discovery of the Blaskets
Lesley Bond's 'Blasket Bound' is a pleasure to read; it is a remarkable account of her discovery of what it means to be at peace with the world 

Sat, 20 Jun, 2026

Book review: An important look at failures
Book review: An important look at failures
The snouts-in-the-trough scandal around Gay Byrne’s successor Ryan Tubridy’s pay was the catalyst for Shane Ross' fast-paced book

Sat, 20 Jun, 2026

Children's book reviews: From teen’s musical dreams to ‘fin facts’ about stinky sharks
Children's book reviews: From teen’s musical dreams to ‘fin facts’ about stinky sharks
Pet O’Connell rounds up a selection of the latest children’s books, including how a schoolgirl goes all out to see her name in lights, plus an amusing guide to the ocean’s top predators

Fri, 19 Jun, 2026

I read 2026's most exciting new books — here are the best ones for your summer reading list
I read 2026's most exciting new books — here are the best ones for your summer reading list
From BookTok sensations to indie gems, digital features editor and avid reader Denise O’Donoghue has read the year’s most talked-about titles — these are the ones worth making room for in your suitcase

Sun, 14 Jun, 2026

Book review: Raw, unfiltered look at child star trauma
Book review: Raw, unfiltered look at child star trauma
Louise O'Neill's new novel will leave readers so invested they might forget they are reading a work of fiction

Sat, 13 Jun, 2026

My life in books: I think I’ve learned something from nearly every book I’ve read
My life in books: I think I’ve learned something from nearly every book I’ve read
Author Dervla McTiernan says she doesn’t think there’s any one book that everyone should read: 'We bring our life experience to every book we read and so every book is different for every reader'

Sat, 13 Jun, 2026

Book review: Rome wasn’t built on fair play
Book review: Rome wasn’t built on fair play
Emma Southon's 'Servus' acts as a great corrective to an immense historical lacuna; you will see Rome in a new and sulphurous light

Sat, 13 Jun, 2026

Author interview: Murphy’s debut explores real, honest stories through fiction
Author interview: Murphy’s debut explores real, honest stories through fiction
After announcing her debut novel ‘Blood & Water’ on national television last year, Rebecca Murphy is both excited and nervous at the prospect of people reading her work

Fri, 12 Jun, 2026

Friday Night Lights
S Jennifer Horgan: Kyle Chandler reels? Fine. But such scrolling could destroy my interior life 
Although enjoying the ‘Friday Night Lights’ links, Jennifer Horgan headed back, in her own mind, to two recently-published books that pay better regard to our interior selves

Fri, 12 Jun, 2026

Trinity graduate Virginia Evans wins Women’s Prize for her debut novel
Trinity graduate Virginia Evans wins Women’s Prize for her debut novel
Evans attended Trinity on an MFA for creative writing when she was 32 and unpublished

Thu, 11 Jun, 2026

Author Lally has 'earned more from cleaning than writing’
Author Lally has 'earned more from cleaning than writing’
Witty and observant memoir illustrates challenges of balancing a writing career with a job and family life

Sat, 06 Jun, 2026

My life in books: Lecturer Katriona looking forward to bookshop week
My life in books: Lecturer Katriona looking forward to bookshop week
Katriona O’Sullivan: 'I love a good old Patricia Scanlan book for comfort; the 'City Girl' series was so good'

Sat, 06 Jun, 2026

Book review: Ark offers no salvation in the North’s troubled waters
Book review: Ark offers no salvation in the North’s troubled waters
Jan Carson's 'Few and far Between' is a complex story about trauma and how we escape it

Sat, 06 Jun, 2026

Book review: ‘The Country Girls’ for modern times
Book review: ‘The Country Girls’ for modern times
Louise Nealon’s second novel, 'Everything That Is Beautiful', is not a pleasant or uplifting experience; it is not meant to be

Sat, 06 Jun, 2026

Children's book reviews: Secret sisterhoods, high-seas adventure, and great scary fun
Children's book reviews: Secret sisterhoods, high-seas adventure, and great scary fun
Beyond their worthy messages, this trio of children's authors shine thanks to great storytelling

Fri, 05 Jun, 2026

10 new books for June: Maggie O'Farrell, Patrick Freyne, Ciara Mageean...
10 new books for June: Maggie O'Farrell, Patrick Freyne, Ciara Mageean...
Cork doctor Dr Alan Desmond also has a new book on the relationship between what you eat and how you feel 

Mon, 01 Jun, 2026

Book review: Small but perfectly formed
Book review: Small but perfectly formed
In creating these complex, yet unforgettable characters, Danielle McLaughlin has produced a slim volume to cherish; one that is small, but quite perfectly formed

Sat, 30 May, 2026

My life in books: ‘I’m confident that the books that need to be written will be written’
My life in books: ‘I’m confident that the books that need to be written will be written’
Dermot Bolger says his latest collection of short stores, 'Imperfect Beings', is dedicated to his young grandson to 'read when he is considerably older'

Sat, 30 May, 2026

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