5 great Irish books you might have missed in recent years
Updated / Sunday, 14 Mar 2021
07:00
The BAFTA nominated Calm With Horses is based upon a story from m
We Irish are generally not great at tooting our own horns, but the self praise is no praise rule that we collectively live by is disregarded when it comes to literature. On this front, it s safe to say that for a little island nation of a few million people, we re pretty damned good at that particular creative endeavour.
However, in the midst of the big publications, the celebrated authors and the titles that top bestseller lists, it s inevitable that a few gems will fall between the cracks. Here are a few excellent Irish novels that may have slipped through your net in recent years.
); It reinforced my sense of belonging : One Dublin One Book author Rónán Hession on his life in reading
Author Rónán Hession’s debut novel Leonard and Hungry Paul is this year’s One Dublin One Book selection – here, he writes about the joy reading has brought to his life. By Rónán Hession Tuesday 9 Mar 2021, 7:30 PM Mar 9th 2021, 7:30 PM 11,055 Views 6 Comments Rónán Hession
THE STRANGEST THING about becoming a writer in my forties is that the thing I’m best known for is something I only started doing in 2017.
I feel like one of those old pubs that gets renovated beyond recognition but reopens under the same name. Or Trigger’s broom in Only Fools and Horses, which lasted a miraculous 20 years, but only because he changed the
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Last year was one for the books, that’s for sure. Lockdown proved a huge boost to the Irish book trade, with more than 13 million books sold, up by almost a million on 2019. Sales totalled €161.5m, the highest figure in 12 years. British research published in May revealed that people had almost doubled their reading time since March. In December former East 17 frontman Tony Mortimer made headlines when he revealed his newfound love for fiction. Never having read a novel until his daughter introduced him to the books app on his phone last spring, his joyful social media posts about the 70 books he devoured since made him famous all over again.
A guide to the festivals (probably) taking place in Ireland in 2021
19 min read With optimism and caution, festival organisers are gaming out the scenarios and readying their events for 2021. Things may change, but hopes are high for the return of live performance
Normally right now we’d preview 2021’s festivals and cultural events. But after a year like no other, and ever-shifting goalposts, it’s difficult to predict what’ll be possible at various points in 2021. The resilience and hope of organisers programming and scenario planning despite all this is impressive and heartening.
They’re taking varying approaches, some planning live events with optimism and caution, others blended events, others still holding back; all aware plans may change nearer the time.