Two of the six books on the shortlist for the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction are by Irish authors: The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry, set in Butte, Montana, in 1891, and Ferdia Lennon’s Glorious Exploits, set in Syracuse, Sicily, in 412 BC. Also shortlisted were The Mare by Angharad Hampshire; The … Read more
The cupboard has been bare – or appeared to be bare – for months, but the Abbey Theatre on Tuesday announced an upcoming feast, in the form of a raft of new shows and new Irish writing, lined up until the end of January 2026. Billing the varied and extensive programme “a celebration of epic … Read more
I invited more than 60 experts (authors, critics, academics, booksellers and festival curators – their names are listed at the bottom) to submit their 50 favourite Irish novels or short story collections of the century so far. We collated the results into a list of the 100 most broadly popular titles, ranked in descending order … Read more
“Says who?” is often my reaction when presented with any “Best of …” list in the media. Mindful of this and the knowledge that any verdict is only as trustworthy as the calibre of the jurors, I invited more than 60 experts (authors, critics, academics, booksellers and festival curators – their names are listed at … Read more