One made us laugh at times; the other cry at times but, best of all, they always made us think.

DURING the week, two executives of Quinn Industrial Holdings said the border region was “perilously close” to becoming lawless. During the Troubles, the region was pretty lawless, or so it appeared when novelist Colm Toibin met Seán Quinn in 1987.

Brenda Woulfe owns Woulfe’s Bookshop in the town of Listowel,Co Kerry

LOATH to describe herself as a vocational writer as she thinks that’s pretentious, Sarah Harte says her need to write is “more like a disease.”

Jason Deans’ exhibition in Cobh touches on Brexit and emigration, writes Colette Sheridan.

The annual Listowel Writer's Week, founded by the late John B Keane and Bryan McMahon which takes place each year over the June Bank holiday weekend opened last night for its 49th year.

Five novels have been shortlisted for the 2019 Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year at Listowel Writers’ Week, with a shared prize fund of €19,000, one of the biggest in Ireland.

Seven Irish novels are in contention for the world’s largest literary prize as the nominations for the International Dublin Literary Awards are revealed.

Irish novelist, journalist, and essayist, Colm Tóibín, is this year’s winner of a US lifetime achievement award that celebrates the power of literature to foster peace, social justice, and global understanding.

Irish novelist, journalist and essayist Colm Tóibín is this year's winner of a US lifetime achievement award that celebrates the power of literature to foster peace, social justice and global understanding.

Maria Hoey left school at 16 and took an office job in Swords, Co Dublin.

1. Polo in the Park

Colm Tóibín will address the themes of emigration and exile at the upcoming Immrama festival of travel writing, says Marjorie Brennan.

Ciara Higgins is the artistic director of the Great Music in Irish Houses Festival, running June 13–18. 

Des O’Driscoll picks five of the best events to check out this week.

In 1998, leaving university, Neil worked as an editor for a dot com travel company.

Revenues at the Irish arm of bookseller WH Smith hit record levels of €26.85m last year.

The filming of the next Star Wars blockbuster along with increased activity in Irish film, animation and television drama saw a record-breaking €250m production spend in Ireland in 2016, according to the Irish Film Board.

Daughter of an independent film maker, and niece of an author, Helena has always been encouraged to read and write.

A prolific reader as a child Fiona Harrison tells Sue Leonard how she wrote stories about Roland Rat who would help Margaret Thatcher run the government.

Ah, here.

Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer has written a play based on his oldest friend’s diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, writes Colette Sheridan

The 1950s-style Rockin’ Music Fest has teamed up with the Enniscorthy Food Festival to create the bigger Rockin’ Food Festival this August bank holiday weekend.

Des O’Sullivan looks at sales of fine art and of modern Irish first editions.

After 30 years in UCC, Mel Mercier has now taken up a post in University of Limerick, writes Colette Sheridan

Bumper sales of the Fifty Shades of Grey series and publishing phenomenon The Girl on the Train helped boost profits at the Irish arm of WH Smith. Accounts filed by WH Smith Ireland Ltd show pre-tax profit rose 20% to €1.8m last year.

Movie adaptations of famous books have long been big business in the film industry. 

Brooklyn has been named film of the year at the London Evening Standard British Film Awards.

THAT our enthusiasm for basking in the reflected glory of a neighbour’s child’s achievements is as much part of the Irish character as the part of us that happily shares, in hushed tones of course, the grimmest details of that neighbour’s child’s day in court for some college rag-day excess, just points to the complexity driving the Irish imagination.

As Colm Tóibín appears on the famed BBC radio show, Richard Fitzpatrick looks at the selections of Irish stars who have already made the trip

Michael Clifford offers up an alphabetical look at 2015.