ILFDublin Podcast: Recent Episodes
International Literature Festival Dublin
The International Literature Festival Dublin, founded in 1998, is Ireland’s premier literary event and gathers the finest writers in the world to debate, provoke, delight and enthral.
Today, we’re bringing you an exclusive recording of Omar El Akkad in conversation with Alex Clark at our recent #OffThePage event at the Pepper Canister Church on February 13, 2025.
The ILFD podcast is back! For our final episode of 2023, as many of us head home for the winter holidays, we're listening back to Kirsty Bell discuss her book 'The Undercurrents', an exploration of the city she calls home -- Berlin. __Kirsty Bell’s 'The Undercurrents' is a story of Berlin, fusing memoir and criticism through a succession of lives and experiences grounded in one historic building by the Landwehr Canal. Both a cultural history of Berlin, and a portrait of artists that have inhabited this beguiling city, Bell’s poetic work, reveals layers of history and the centrality of landscape to the human soul. A book which reflects our contemporary fascination with urban places, and explores ideas of belonging, Kirsty will be in conversation with the critic Helen Meany.__Kirsty Bell is a British-American writer and art critic, a prolific figure in contemporary art production. She lives in Berlin.__‘As in other classics of urban discovery, the personal becomes universal, and the past that demands to live in the present is revealed like a shining new reef. As we return, time and again, to the solitary figure at the window’— Iain Sinclair on The Undercurrents__Presented in association with the Goethe Institut in Ireland at the 2022 International Literature Festival Dublin.
The ILFD podcast is back! In case you missed it, this year's Booker Prize winner is Irish author Paul Lynch — we thought there would be no better time to listen back to his 2013 visit to the festival. ___Dublin Writers Festival brings together two emerging Irish novelists whose distinctive prose style and strong sense of place has marked them out as writers to watch.'John the Revelator', Peter Murphy’s “remarkable debut” (The Observer) about the frustrations of a provincial adolescence, was met with instant acclaim and shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and the Kerry Group Fiction Award. A musician and long-time contributor to Hot Press, Murphy’s prose is celebrated for its lyricism and rhythmic power, and it’s fitting that the idea for his new novel came from an interview with the Manic Street Preachers. 'Shall We Gather at the River' introduces Enoch O’Reilly, an Elvis impersonator and ‘radiovangelist’ in Murn, Co. Wexford, a small town threatened by a great flood. Mixing dark themes with surprising comic turns, 'Shall We Gather at the River' is a compelling follow-up from an extraordinary talent.Film critic Paul Lynch’s debut novel 'Red Sky in Morning' has created quite a stir in the publishing world. Inspired by a horrific incident in Philadelphia in 1832 in which 57 Irish railroad workers were killed, the novel tells the story of Coll Coyle, who flees his home in Inishowen, Donegal after killing a man, and is pursued all the way to America, where a greater tragedy awaits. Written in a taut, lyrical prose reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy and set against the epic backdrops of Donegal and Pennsylvania, 'Red Sky in Morning' marks the emergence of an exciting new talent.___International Literature Festival Dublin is a Dublin City Council Initiative kindly supported by the Arts Council. Find out more at ilfdublin.com
The ILFD podcast is back! On Monday 20 November, we celebrated World Children's Day, so today we're listening back to an event with one of our favourite children's authors — Eoin Colfer. From the 2023 edition of the festival.___Whether he’s cloud gazing or saving the world, author Eoin Colfer has so many stories up his sleeve, it’s a wonder they don’t all fall out! Expect stellar storytelling and endless jokes as we get inside the mind of the mastermind behind the criminal escapades of Artemis Fowl, the heartwarming story of Starr in Little Big Sister, and so much more.___Eoin Colfer is a Wexford-born writer. He published his first book, Benny and Omar in 1998, and hasn’t stopped since! His now infamous Artemis Fowl series continues apace and he loves collaborating with artists and illustrators on picture books and graphic novels. He was Ireland’s Children’s Laureate between 2014 and 2016, and still wears the medal, even in the bath.___International Literature Festival Dublin is a Dublin City Council Initiative kindly supported by the Arts Council. Find out more at ilfdublin.com
The ILFD podcast is back! Award-winning writer Neil Gaiman celebrates his birthday later this week, so let's listen back to his last visit to ILFD in 2018. ___What doesn’t Neil Gaiman write? One of the greatest living storytellers, he is the author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre, and movies, including The Sandman comic book series, Stardust, American Gods, and Coraline. Among many, many awards, he has won both the Newbery and Carnegie Medals.Described by the Guardian as a ‘a thesaurus of myth’, his book Norse Mythology is a suspenseful and dazzling retelling of the Norse myths. Enjoy an evening with the man who said, ‘stories are incredibly long- lived... We have children of flesh and blood... but we also have children of stories, and that’s immortality, of a kind’!Chaired by journalist and broadcaster Patrick Freyne.___‘I don’t think I’m mainstream. I think what I am is lots and lots of different cults. And when you get lots and lots of small groups who like you a lot, they add up to a big group without ever actually becoming mainstream.’ - Neil Gaiman in The Guardian___International Literature Festival Dublin is a Dublin City Council Initiative kindly supported by the Arts Council. Find out more at ilfdublin.com
The ILFD podcast is back! With Halloween just around the corner, let's listen back to authors Kirsty Logan & Anya Bergman talking all things witches with moderator Sarah Maria Griffin. Part of the 2023 edition of ILFD.___How far would you go for justice? In two powerful additions to the witchlit canon, Kirsty Logan and Anya Bergman dig into the painful realities of life in the shadow of the witch trials.The past few years has seen a blossoming of witch stories, and it’s not difficult to see why this period in European history has proven such a rich vein. These stories pitch characters on the fringes of society – through poverty, queerness or plain weirdness – against social forces beyond their control, and the extraordinary measures they must take for their freedom.Kirsty Logan has become a leading light in Scotland’s weird gothic resurgence, and her third novel, Now She is Witch, follows unlikely allies Lux and Else on the path of vengeance for the execution of Lux’s mother. In Bergman’s debut novel, The Witches of Vardø, the teenage Ingeborg still has hopes of rescuing her mother from an island fortress, but like Lux and Else, she must also learn painful lessons about the needs of the many, and her personal quest for justice.___Kirsty Logan is a fiction writer, book reviewer, freelance editor and writing mentor based in Glasgow. She is currently working on a short musical, a short story collection, and a very long novel.Anya Bergman is resident in Ireland, is currently undertaking a PhD by Published Works at Edinburgh Napier University, and working on her next novel.___‘Anya Bergman summons a historic witch trial with breathtaking detail and immediacy’ ― Hannah Kent (Burial Rites; Devotion)'Kirsty Logan is one of the darkest and most playful of writers working right now' ― Stylist, Books to Look Out For 2023___Presented with support from Scottish Books InternationalInternational Literature Festival Dublin is a Dublin City Council Initiative kindly supported by the Arts Council. Find out more at ilfdublin.com
The ILFD podcast is back! Kicking off with a listen back to Irish writer and comedian Marise Gaughan talking about her book 'Trouble' for the 25th anniversary edition of the festival in 2022. CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains strong language and mentions of suicide, sex, and substance abuse; it may not be appropriate for young listeners.__Comedian extraordinaire (her words) Marise Gaughan invites you to forget your comfort zone ever existed …This event doesn’t fit neatly into any category currently known to humanity – but then, neither does Marise Gaughan’s darkly honest and excruciatingly funny form of comedy. With the release of her brutally life-affirming memoir 'Trouble', Marise is in the mood to tell you some tales. Part cutting-edge comedy, part book discussion, expect a decent amount of uncomfortable stories, definitely some questions, maybe even some answers. __Marise Gaughan is an Irish comedian based in London, dabbling mostly in pain porn comedy (a phrase she should trademark). Her debut show Drowning premiered at the Dublin Fringe Festival where it was nominated for two awards. Marise is fine about not winning either of these awards. She has a weekly radio column on Lyric.fm and is a contributor to The Journal and the Irish Times.__“Provocative, insightful, and often uncomfortable, but uncomfortable in a good way. When Gaughan interrogates her own personal experiences her scalpel sharp, dark comedy is at its most brilliant best, disturbing you right out of your comfort zone.” – The Arts Review“Raw, brutal and life-affirming – Marise has written a hugely important book that is as entertaining as it is illuminating” – Sara Pascoe__International Literature Festival Dublin is a Dublin City Council Initiative kindly supported by the Arts Council. Find out more at https://ilfdublin.com
Nominated by Ottawa Public Library, Canada
The 2022 DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 79 books has been painstakingly narrowed down to a shortlist of just 6 titles; this exclusive limited podcast series, hosted by Jessica Traynor and Séan Hewitt, is designed to give you access to the authors and translators behind the books. In this episode, Jessica and Seán discuss ‘Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies’, nominated by Ottawa Public Library, Canada. Their conversation is followed by an interview with the author, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson.
Leanne is a Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg writer, scholar, musician, and member of the Alderville First Nation. Interrogating the intersections between politics, story, song, Leanne has created an essential work of decolonisation, a hymn to the natural world, and a reclamation of indigenous culture.
The DUBLIN Literary Award, sponsored by Dublin City Council, is the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English, worth €100,000 to the winner. Nominated by libraries around the world, all the books on the shortlist can be read in both physical and digital formats, from libraries around the country and through BorrowBox. Tune in on May 19th when the winner is announced as part of the International Literature Festival Dublin. ___
Jessica Traynor’s debut Liffey Swim was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award, and The Quick was an Irish Times poetry choice. She co-edited Correspondences, an anthology to call for an end to direct provision with actor Stephen Rea. Seán Hewitt is a poet, lecturer and critic based in Dublin. His debut collection, Tongues of Fire (Jonathan Cape, 2020) won The Laurel Prize in 2021. His memoir, All Down Darkness Wide (Jonathan Cape, 2022), will be published this summer.
Presented in partnership with the DUBLIN Literary Award, a Dublin City Council initiative.
Nominated by Helsinki City Library, Finland
The 2022 DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 79 books has been painstakingly narrowed down to a shortlist of just 6 titles; this exclusive limited podcast series, hosted by Jessica Traynor and Séan Hewitt, is designed to give you access to the authors and translators behind the books. In this episode, Jessica and Seán discuss ‘The Death of Vivek Oji’, nominated by Helsinki City Library, Finland.
Their conversation about The Death of Vivek Oji is followed by a conversation with Dr Ebun Joseph, race relations consultant and Director of the Institute of Antiracism and Black Studies.
The DUBLIN Literary Award, sponsored by Dublin City Council, is the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English, worth €100,000 to the winner. Nominated by libraries around the world, all the books on the shortlist can be read in both physical and digital formats, from libraries around the country and through BorrowBox. Tune in on May 19th when the winner is announced as part of the International Literature Festival Dublin.
___
Jessica Traynor’s debut Liffey Swim was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award, and The Quick was an Irish Times poetry choice. She co-edited Correspondences, an anthology to call for an end to direct provision with actor Stephen Rea.
Seán Hewitt is a poet, lecturer and critic based in Dublin. His debut collection, Tongues of Fire (Jonathan Cape, 2020) won The Laurel Prize in 2021. His memoir, All Down Darkness Wide (Jonathan Cape, 2022), will be published this summer.
Presented in partnership with the DUBLIN Literary Award, a Dublin City Council initiative.
Nominated by Bibliothèque de Reims, France
The 2022 DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 79 books has been painstakingly narrowed down to a shortlist of just 6 titles; this exclusive limited podcast series, hosted by Jessica Traynor and Séan Hewitt, is designed to give you access to the authors and translators behind the books. In this episode, Jessica and Seán discuss ‘At Night all Blood is Black’, nominated by Bibliothèque de Reims, France. Their conversation is followed by an interview with the author, David Diop, and translator, Anna Moschovakis.
Born in Paris, David Diop grew up in Senegal. A professor of eighteenth century literature, he draws deeply on his native culture to tell a story steeped in the horrors of war, and the scope of the human soul. Translator Anna Moschovakis is also a poet and an author, whose works include the James Laughlin Award-winning poetry collection You and Three Others Are Approaching a Lake and a novel, Eleanor, or The Rejection of the Progress of Love.
The DUBLIN Literary Award, sponsored by Dublin City Council, is the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English, worth €100,000 to the winner. Nominated by libraries around the world, all the books on the shortlist can be read in both physical and digital formats, from libraries around the country and through BorrowBox. Tune in on May 23rd when the winner is announced as part of the International Literature Festival Dublin. ___
Jessica Traynor’s debut Liffey Swim was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award, and The Quick was an Irish Times poetry choice. She co-edited Correspondences, an anthology to call for an end to direct provision with actor Stephen Rea.
Seán Hewitt is a poet, lecturer and critic based in Dublin. His debut collection, Tongues of Fire (Jonathan Cape, 2020) won The Laurel Prize in 2021. His memoir, All Down Darkness Wide (Jonathan Cape, 2022), will be published this summer.
Presented in partnership with the DUBLIN Literary Award, a Dublin City Council initiative.
Nominated by Auckland Libraries, New Zealand and Dunedin Public Libraries, New Zealand
The 2022 DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 79 books has been painstakingly narrowed down to a shortlist of just 6 titles; this exclusive limited podcast series, hosted by Jessica Traynor and Séan Hewitt, is designed to give you access to the authors and translators behind the books. In this episode, Jessica and Seán discuss ‘Remote Sympathy’, nominated by Auckland Libraries, New Zealand and Dunedin Public Libraries, New Zealand. Their conversation is followed by an interview with the author, Catherine Chidgey.
A New Zealand author and academic, Catherine has created a haunting examination of human connection in the midst of war, in a narrative set in and around a German concentration camp.
The DUBLIN Literary Award, sponsored by Dublin City Council, is the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English, worth €100,000 to the winner. Nominated by libraries around the world, all the books on the shortlist can be read in both physical and digital formats, from libraries around the country and through BorrowBox. Tune in on May 23rd when the winner is announced as part of the International Literature Festival Dublin.
___
Jessica Traynor’s debut Liffey Swim was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award, and The Quick was an Irish Times poetry choice. She co-edited Correspondences, an anthology to call for an end to direct provision with actor Stephen Rea.
Seán Hewitt is a poet, lecturer and critic based in Dublin. His debut collection, Tongues of Fire (Jonathan Cape, 2020) won The Laurel Prize in 2021. His memoir, All Down Darkness Wide (Jonathan Cape, 2022), will be published this summer.
Presented in partnership with the DUBLIN Literary Award, a Dublin City Council initiative.
Nominated by Bibliothèque publique d’information, Paris, France The 2022 DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 79 books has been painstakingly narrowed down to a shortlist of just 6 titles; this exclusive limited podcast series, hosted by Jessica Traynor and Séan Hewitt, is designed to give you access to the authors and translators behind the books. In this episode, Jessica and Seán discuss ‘The Art of Losing’, nominated by Bibliothèque publique d’information, France. Their conversation is followed by an interview with the author, Alice Zenitr, and translator, Frank Wynne.
Alice is the prize-winning author of four novels. She is also a playwright and theatre director. With The Art of Losing, Alice has created a powerful drama about a family struggling with the weight of the past, and the reality of their displacement from their homeland. Frank Wynne is an Irish translator who has translated and published comics and graphic novels. He has won numerous awards for his translations, including the DUBLIN Literary Award 2002, the Scott Moncrieff Prize, and the Premio Valle Inclán.
The DUBLIN Literary Award, sponsored by Dublin City Council, is the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English, worth €100,000 to the winner. Nominated by libraries around the world, all the books on the shortlist can be read in both physical and digital formats, from libraries around the country and through BorrowBox. Tune in on May 19th when the winner is announced as part of the International Literature Festival Dublin.
___
Jessica Traynor’s debut Liffey Swim was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award, and The Quick was an Irish Times poetry choice. She co-edited Correspondences, an anthology to call for an end to direct provision with actor Stephen Rea.
Seán Hewitt is a poet, lecturer and critic based in Dublin. His debut collection, Tongues of Fire (Jonathan Cape, 2020) won The Laurel Prize in 2021. His memoir, All Down Darkness Wide (Jonathan Cape, 2022), will be published this summer.
Presented in partnership with the DUBLIN Literary Award, a Dublin City Council initiative.
The 2022 DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 79 books has been painstakingly narrowed down to a shortlist of just 6 titles; this exclusive limited podcast series, hosted by Jessica Traynor and Séan Hewitt, is designed to give you access to the authors and translators behind the books. In this episode, Jessica and Seán discuss ‘The Art of Falling’, nominated by Cork City Libraries, Ireland. Their conversation is followed by an interview with the author, Danielle McLaughlin.
A short story and fiction writer, Danielle’s work has been published in the New Yorker, Irish Times, the Stinging Fly, and various anthologies. 'The Art of Falling' is her first novel and with it she has crafted an intricate portrayal of one woman caught between the past and the present, facing the emotional consequences of truth and betrayal.
The DUBLIN Literary Award, sponsored by Dublin City Council, is the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English, worth €100,000 to the winner. Nominated by libraries around the world, all the books on the shortlist can be read in both physical and digital formats, from libraries around the country and through BorrowBox. Tune in on May 19th when the winner is announced as part of the International Literature Festival Dublin.
___
Jessica Traynor’s debut Liffey Swim was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award, and The Quick was an Irish Times poetry choice. She co-edited Correspondences, an anthology to call for an end to direct provision with actor Stephen Rea. Seán Hewitt is a poet, lecturer and critic based in Dublin. His debut collection, Tongues of Fire (Jonathan Cape, 2020) won The Laurel Prize in 2021. His memoir, All Down Darkness Wide (Jonathan Cape, 2022), will be published this summer.
Presented in partnership with the DUBLIN Literary Award, a Dublin City Council initiative.
Best-selling author Caroline O’Donoghue talks YA, feminism, and weaving the intriguing, mystical thread of tarot into a teenager’s world in her writing, with StoryMachine curator Janet Smyth. Caroline O’Donoghue’s YA debut was described as ‘Stranger Things meets Sabrina The Teenage Witch’.
All Our Hidden Gifts is the story of Irish teenager Maeve Chambers, who has been lonely since falling out with best friend Lily. When she finds a tarot deck, Maeve discovers her gift for magic. Things are looking up – until she discovers a strange card in the deck that definitely shouldn’t be there. And two days after she convinces her ex-best friend to have a reading, Lily disappears.
Caroline is an Irish author, journalist and host of the award-winning commercial women’s fiction podcast Sentimental Garbage. Her first novel Promising Young Women was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards’ Newcomer of the Year and the Kate O’Brien Award.
Part of a five-part series exploring diverse aspects of childrens’ literature.
Who, why, what and how awards work?
What makes for the very best writing for children and young people? Dr Pádraic Whyte and MPhil students in Children’s Literature at Trinity College Dublin discuss the major prizes for writing for children, and the books and writers who receive them. How do prizes and awards reflect publishing and writing trends or societal influences? The conversation follows the announcement of the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards on 25th May.
Pádraic is associate professor of English and the current director of the Children’s Literature MPhil programme at the School of English, TCD. He is co-editor of Children’s Literature Collections: Approaches to Research (Palgrave, 2017) which won the International Research Society for Children’s Literature Edited Book Award, 2019.
In association with the MPhil in Children’s Literature, School of English, Trinity College Dublin
Part of a five-part series exploring diverse aspects of childrens’ literature.
Exploring the Urban Jungle: the City in Children’s Writing
Join Dr Pádraic Whyte and MPhil students in Children’s Literature at Trinity College Dublin on a walk through cities, both real and imagined, in this wide-ranging and informative exploration of the relationship between children’s writing and the city. Explore recurring themes, motifs and narratives within different genres for children and young adults over the last two centuries.
Pádraic is associate professor of English and the current director of the Children’s Literature MPhil programme at the School of English, TCD. He is co-editor of Children’s Literature Collections: Approaches to Research (Palgrave, 2017) which won the International Research Society for Children’s Literature Edited Book Award, 2019.
In association with the MPhil in Children’s Literature, School of English, Trinity College Dublin
Part of a five-part series exploring diverse aspects of childrens’ literature.
Lisa Marie Griffith explores the history of Dublin Book Clubs and asks: if reading is a solitary pursuit, why do so many of us love book clubs?
The size and type of book clubs in Dublin knows no boundaries! During lockdown, book clubs became an important space for people to come together to recreate sociability, to share ideas, and to support each other. Dublin has had a lively book club scene since the late eighteenth century, and this podcast tracks their emergence, evolution and diversity. Featured hosts include Tired Mammy Book Club (@tiredmammybookclub) and Black Queer Book Club (@black.queerbookclub), as well as Dublin city branch librarians.
Author and very occasional podcaster, Lisa Marie Griffith presented the 2020 Culture Night podcast ‘The Independent Bookshop Tour’. She is an avid book fan, buying more books than she can read, and a member of the Fake Book Club. She has written Dublin: Then and Now and Stones of Dublin.
IMAGE: by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
“For the perfect flâneur, for the passionate spectator, it is an immense joy to set up house in the heart of the multitude, amid the ebb and flow of movement.” Charles Baudelaire
A flâneur is a man who saunters about, observing the city. A romantic and a thinker, he can blend into the city space without fear for his safety: a luxury that men and women don’t share equally. Dublin is a very walkable city; from the Docklands to the gates of Phoenix Park in less than four kilometres. From the Rosie Hackett bridge to the women of the Easter Rising, and the Moore Street traders to Outhouse, discover the hidden stories of women who lived in the city on this fascinating audio walking tour.
A freelance PR and journalist, Niamh Mongey works in communications, campaigns and outreach. Communications projects include the Women on Walls campaign with Accenture Ireland, and the Irish Times’ Modern Ireland in 100 Artworks.
Contributors: Sara Philips is Chair of TENI, she has served on the government’s committee for the Gender Recognition Review and is as a founding member of the Dublin Trans Peer Support Group
Donna Cooney is a Green Party Counsellor, community activist and Chair of the Lord Mayor’s Forum on Moore Street
Joyce Garvey is a visual artist, writer, award winning filmmaker and author of Lucia Joyce: The Girl Who Danced in Shadows
Audio guide produced and edited by sound designer, composer and song writer, Sinéad Diskin.
Image/Artwork: Joyce Garvey
View the transcription and route map at: https://ilfdublin.com/whats-on/festival/strand/boundless/flaneuse-by-niamh-mongey-self-guided-audio-walk/
Conair Filíochta: Ar Dhá Thaobh na Life Conair filíochta dhátheangach atá féin-stiúrtha
Éist le cúigear scríbhneoirí a bhfuil guth láidir acu i bhfilíocht chomhaimseartha na Gaeilge – Aifric Mac Aodha, Áine Ní Ghlinn, Mícheál Ó Ruairc, Seosamh Ó Murchúagus Paddy Bushe ina measc. Déan do bhealach féin tríd an gconair filíochta dhátheangach seo, roghnaithe ag Ciara Ní É.
File, taibheoir, agus craoltóir í Ciara Ní É atá mar ambasadóir ar Áras Scríbhneoirí na hÉireann. Ise a bhunaigh an oíche filíochta ilteangach REIC, a mbíonn dánta, ceol, scéalta, agus rap le clositeáil ann. I measc na bhfilí a bheidh páirt tá Laureate na nÓg Áine Ní Ghlinn, Aifric Mac Aodha, agus Paddy Bushe.
Featuring recited poems at special locations by five exciting voices in contemporary Irish poetry, including Aifric Mac Aodha, Áine Ní Ghlinn, Paddy Bushe, Mícheál Ó Ruairc and Seosamh Ó Murchú, this fascinating bilingual self-guided poetry trail is curated by Ciara Ni É.
Poet, performer, and broadcaster Ciara Ní É is an Irish Writers Centre ambassador. She is the founder of REIC, a monthly multilingual spoken word and open mic night that features poetry, music, storytelling and rap. The five poets featured in the trail include Poet Laureate na nÓg Áine Ní Ghlinn, whose poem is tied to Pearse street and the monumental sculpting business of James Pearse; the award-winning Paddy Bushe who has published nine collections of poetry, and several books of translation from Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Chinese; and Aifric Mac Aodha, the Irish-language poetry editor of Poetry Ireland Review, gorse and The Stinging Fly. Her first poetry collection, Gabháil Syrinx (The Taking of Syrinx), was published by An Sagart.
View the transcription and route map at: https://ilfdublin.com/whats-on/festival/strand/boundless/conair-filiochta-both-sides-of-the-liffey-bilingual-self-guided-poetry-trail/
Image: Luican Potlog from Pexels
Exploring landscape and environment in David Almond’s writing.
Award-winning author David Almond and StoryMachine curator Janet Smyth discuss the ways in which his writing explores the connections between past and present; civilisation and wilderness; and language, myth and folklore. David’s latest novel, Bone Music, follows Sylvia as she moves into wild Northumberland from the city of Newcastle. She feels alien in this seemingly empty landscape, until she meets Gabriel, a strange-yet-familiar boy. As they roam the forests and fields together, she sees nature with new eyes. Bone Music is a book of hope and joy, which celebrates humanity and explores the deep connections between ourselves and nature.
Part of a five-part series exploring diverse aspects of childrens’ literature.
Explore the ‘lost’ buildings of Dublin's northside on this atmospheric and evocative self-guided audio walk, and discover a surprisingly multi-layered city and society.
View the route map here: https://ilfdublin.com/whats-on/festival/strand/boundless/lost-ireland-dublin-northside-edition-by-orla-fitzpatrick-self-guided-audio-walk/
From Hector Grey’s bargain shop to places destroyed in the 1916 Rising, Orla Fitzpatrick has curated a tour that includes both recent casualties and long-lost buildings. Discover the former home of Dublin Bread Company’s flagship café on O’Connell Street. Designed by Samuel Beckett’s grandfather, it was known for its chess games, political meetings and “damn bad cakes.”
The tour includes the site of elaborately-decorated French urinals on Eden Quay and the High Altar on O’Connell Bridge, installed for the 1932 Eucharistic Congress.
Orla Fitzpatrick is a photographic historian and librarian from Stoneybatter, Dublin. Her research interests include photography, dress and design history.
This walking tour is based on her book Lost Ireland, which draws on her extensive knowledge of Ireland’s photographic archives. With wonderful illustrations, it uses archival photographs to explore the ways in which buildings and cities function and change.
She writes about Irish vernacular photography at www.jacolette.com
Landscape and environment in historic and contemporary children’s literature.
Join Dr Sinéad Moriarty and MPhil students in Children’s Literature at Trinity College Dublin for a fascinating discussion on the role of landscape and environment within the world of historical and contemporary children’s writing and illustration. Whether these landscapes are green spaces, sacred spaces, road and pathways, or fantastical environments, they have an integral role and relationship to character, plot and setting.
Sinéad is a Teaching Fellow in Children’s Literature at TCD. Her work focuses on representations of wilderness, landscape, and environment in children’s literature. Her first monograph Antarctica in British Children’s Literature was published in 2020.
In association with the MPhil in Children’s Literature, School of English, Trinity College Dublin.
Part of a five-part series exploring diverse aspects of childrens’ literature.
To discover more in our StoryMachine programme for children, families, and young adults, visit www.ilfdublin.com
The DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 49 has been narrowed down to a diverse and exciting shortlist of six, and the award will be presented during ILFDublin. This exclusive limited podcast series is hosted by Maeve Higgins and Jessica Traynor. Their conversation about Girl, Woman, Other is followed by Jessica’s interview with Bernardine Evaristo. Evaristo’s remarkable eighth novel follows 12 characters, most of them black British women, raising timeless questions about feminism and race.
Meet your hosts. Maeve Higgins is a contributing writer for The New York Times and a comedian who has performed all over the world. Her latest essay collection will be published by Penguin US in 2022. She hosts a climate justice podcast with Mary Robinson entitled Mothers of Invention. Jessica Traynor’s debut Liffey Swim was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award, and The Quick was an Irish Times poetry choice. She co-edited Correspondences: an anthology to call for an end to direct provision with actor Stephen Rea.
Presented in partnership with the DUBLIN Literary Award, a Dublin City Council initiative.
The DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 49 has been narrowed down to a diverse and exciting shortlist of six, and the award will be presented during ILFDublin. This exclusive limited podcast series is hosted by Maeve Higgins and Jessica Traynor. Their conversation about Hurricane Season is followed by Maeve’s interview with Fernanda Melchor and translator Sophie Hughes. An acclaimed and inventive murder mystery set in horror and squalor, Hurricane Season was described by the Guardian as “fiction with the brakes off”!
Meet your hosts. Maeve Higgins is a contributing writer for The New York Times and a comedian who has performed all over the world. Her latest essay collection will be published by Penguin US in 2022. She hosts a climate justice podcast with Mary Robinson entitled Mothers of Invention. Jessica Traynor’s debut Liffey Swim was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award, and The Quick was an Irish Times poetry choice. She co-edited Correspondences: an anthology to call for an end to direct provision with actor Stephen Rea.
Presented in partnership with the DUBLIN Literary Award, a Dublin City Council initiative.
The Dublin Literary Award longlist of 49 has been narrowed down to a diverse and exciting shortlist of six, and the award will be presented during ILFDublin. This exclusive limited podcast series is hosted by Maeve Higgins and Jessica Traynor. Their conversation about The Nickel Boys, a powerful novel that evokes the grim realities of a Florida reform school with care and compassion, is followed by Jessica’s interview with writer, songwriter, poet and vocalist, Jess Kav.
Meet your hosts. Maeve Higgins is a contributing writer for The New York Times and a comedian who has performed all over the world. Her latest essay collection will be published by Penguin US in 2022. She hosts a climate justice podcast with Mary Robinson entitled Mothers of Invention. Jessica Traynor’s debut Liffey Swim was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award, and The Quick was an Irish Times poetry choice. She co-edited Correspondences: an anthology to call for an end to direct provision with actor Stephen Rea.
Presented in partnership with the Dublin Literary Award, a Dublin City Council initiative.
The DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 49 has been narrowed down to a diverse and exciting shortlist of six, and the award will be presented during ILFDublin. This exclusive limited podcast series is hosted by Maeve Higgins and Jessica Traynor. Their conversation about Lost Children Archive is followed by Maeve’s interview with Valeria Luiselli. A fiercely imaginative epic road trip Lost Children Archive was described by The Washington Post as “a novel that daylights our common humanity, and challenges us to reconcile our differences.”
Meet your hosts. Maeve Higgins is a contributing writer for The New York Times and a comedian who has performed all over the world. Her latest essay collection will be published by Penguin US in 2022. She hosts a climate justice podcast with Mary Robinson entitled Mothers of Invention. Jessica Traynor’s debut Liffey Swim was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award, and The Quick was an Irish Times poetry choice. She co-edited Correspondences: an anthology to call for an end to direct provision with actor Stephen Rea.
Presented in partnership with the DUBLIN Literary Award, a Dublin City Council initiative.
The DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 49 has been narrowed down to a diverse and exciting shortlist of six, and the award will be presented during ILFDublin. This exclusive limited podcast series is hosted by Maeve Higgins and Jessica Traynor. Their conversation about On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is followed by Jessica’s interview with Ocean Vuong. A Vietnamese-American poet, Vuong draws on his own family background in this beautiful coming-of-age story of the son of Vietnamese immigrant parents in the US.
Meet your hosts. Maeve Higgins is a contributing writer for The New York Times and a comedian who has performed all over the world. Her latest essay collection will be published by Penguin US in 2022. She hosts a climate justice podcast with Mary Robinson entitled Mothers of Invention. Jessica Traynor’s debut Liffey Swim was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award, and The Quick was an Irish Times poetry choice. She co-edited Correspondences: an anthology to call for an end to direct provision with actor Stephen Rea.
Presented in partnership with the DUBLIN Literary Award, a Dublin City Council initiative.
The DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 49 has been narrowed down to a diverse and exciting shortlist of six, and the award will be presented during ILFDublin. This exclusive limited podcast series is hosted by Maeve Higgins and Jessica Traynor. Their conversation about Apeirogon is followed by Maeve’s interview with Colum McCann. Described by Elizabeth Strout as a “wondrous book … it will bring you to your knees”, Apeirogon mixes fact with fiction about the Israel‑Palestine conflict to create an insightful and moving depiction of grief and healing.
Meet your hosts. Maeve Higgins is a contributing writer for The New York Times and a comedian who has performed all over the world. Her latest essay collection will be published by Penguin US in 2022. She hosts a climate justice podcast with Mary Robinson entitled Mothers of Invention. Jessica Traynor’s debut Liffey Swim was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award, and The Quick was an Irish Times poetry choice. She co-edited Correspondences: an anthology to call for an end to direct provision with actor Stephen Rea.
Presented in partnership with the DUBLIN Literary Award, a Dublin City Council initiative.
From the 17th edition of International Literature Festival Dublin in May 2015
“Gray forces us to face the mirror and see ourselves as we are” James Lovelock
The acclaimed philosopher, sceptic and writer makes a welcome return to the festival with his book, The Soul of the Marionette, a characteristically provocative exploration of the nature of human freedom that ranges over everything from cybernetics to fairground marionettes. Why do we flatter ourselves that we enjoy free will, Gray asks, when our actions are determined, directed and restricted by a whole range of forces: biological, social or metaphysical? Through a dazzling parade of writers, thinkers and ideas, Gray argues that instead of deluding ourselves about our true nature we should learn to embrace it.
The event is chaired by writer and film-maker Carlo Gebler.
From the 20th edition of International Literature Festival Dublin in May 2018
The essay, that brilliantly elastic literary form once described by Zadie Smith as the best way to reflect ‘messy reality’, is making a glorious comeback.
Daisy Hildyard’s collection The Second Body is a brilliantly lucid account of the dissolving boundaries between all life on earth.
The essays in Ashleigh Young’s collection Can You Tolerate This? roam freely between preoccupations, yet are consistently entertaining in their search for clarity amid uncertainty.
In her artful, intelligent collection Break.up, Joanna Walsh simultaneously flees and pursues an ambiguous partner.
Our panel discuss the contemporary essay, and debate whether information overload has created a demand for personal voices. The event is chaired by writer and broadcaster Sinéad Gleeson.
Presented in association with Creative New Zealand in partnership with Publishers Association of New Zealand.
From the 17th edition of International Literature Festival Dublin in May 2015
The prolific writer and journalist Elif Shafak is one of the most significant voices in contemporary fiction. An outspoken campaigner and champion of minority rights, she is not afraid to tackle controversial subjects, from the Armenian genocide in The Bastard of Istanbul, to honour killings in Honour.
Her book, The Architect’s Apprentice, is a spellbinding magic-realist tale set at the height of Ottoman power and telling the story of the great imperial architect Mimar Sinan through the eyes of Jahan, a young stowaway who arrives in Istanbul with nothing but a white elephant in tow. Shafak discusses her work with Brendan Barrington, editor of The Dublin Review.
Be guided on an unguided walk in this special audio piece by writer Matthew Beaumont, with sound design by writer and producer Ian Maleney.
'No Lost Steps' was commissioned as part of the 'Unfolding Maps' strand at ILFDublin, celebrating the memory of the late writer and cartographer Tim Robinson.
'Unfolding Maps' is presented in association with Galway 2020 and IPB Insurance.
See www.ilfdublin.com for full programme details.
Featuring some very special guests, our new Tall Tales podcast series is perfect for everyone who loves children’s books. Packed full of reading recommendations, ideas to help get your children reading, tips on writing for children … plus handy hints for all ages on how to get the creative juices flowing! Host Shane Hegarty is one of Ireland's most popular writers of children's fiction, creator of the best-selling Darkmouth series, and Boot, which is Dublin’s 2020 Citywide Read for children.
Frank Cottrell Boyce is the author of Runaway Robot, Millions, Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth, Framed, Cosmic, The Astounding Broccoli Boy and the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang sequels. Frank’s first book, Millions, won the CILIP Carnegie Medal in 2004, and he also won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize for The Unforgettable Coat. Frank is a highly successful screenwriter whose credits include The Railway Man, Millions, Goodbye Christopher Robin and the 2012 opening ceremony for the Olympics. He lives in Merseyside with his family.
Leabhair, Léitheoireacht agus Cúrsaí Eile: Laureate na nÓg Áine Ní Ghlinn i gcomhrá le Manchán Magan File agus scríbhneoir do pháistí í Laureate na nÓg, Áine Ní Ghlinn. Bhuaigh trí cinn dá húrscéalta (Daideo, Hata Zú Mhamó & Boscadán) Gradam Reics Carló (Leabhar Gaeilge na Bliana). Bhuaigh Daideo Gradam Ficsin Leabhair Pháistí Éireann chomh maith le Gradam Leabhar na Bliana ó Chumann Léitheoireachta na hÉireann. Tá 26 leabhar do dhaoine óga foilsithe aici agus 5 chnuasach filíochta do dhaoine fásta. Údar agus craoltóir é Manchán Magan a bhfuil go leor cláir teilifíse déanta aige. Tá dhá úrscéal scríofa aige chomh maith le leabhair éagsúla faoi chúrsaí taistil. Scríobhann sé colún taistil don Irish Times agus bíonn sé le cloisteáil go minic ar an raidió. Is iomaí clár faisnéise atá curtha i láthair aige faoi chúrsaí taistil agus faoi chultúir idirnáisiúnta. Is é an leabhar is déanaí dá chuid ná Thirty Two Words for Field.
Is togra de chuid na Comhairle Ealaíon é Laureate na nÓg a fhaigheann tacaíocht ón Aire Leanaí agus Gnóthaí Óige, Leabhair Pháistí Éireann, Éigse Éireann agus Comhairle Ealaíon Thuaisceart Éireann.
Books, Reading and Other Matters: Laureate na nÓg Áine Ní Ghlinn in conversation with Manchán Magan Áine Ní Ghlinn is a poet and children’s writer and is Laureate na nÓg 2020 – 2022. Three of her YA novels have won Gradam Reics Carló (Irish Language Book of the Year). Daideo also won a CBI fiction award and LAI Book of the Year. To date, she has published 5 collections of poetry and 26 books for children and young adults. Manchán Magan is a writer and documentary-maker. He has written numerous books on his travels and two novels. He writes occasionally for The Irish Times, reports on travel for various radio programmes, and has presented dozens of documentaries on issues of world culture. His latest book is Thirty-Two Words for Field.
Laureate na nÓg is an initiative of the Arts Council, managed on the Council’s behalf by Children’s Books Ireland, with the support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Poetry Ireland.
Featuring some very special guests, our new Tall Tales podcast series is perfect for everyone who loves children’s books. Packed full of reading recommendations, ideas to help get your children reading, tips on writing for children … plus handy hints for all ages on how to get the creative juices flowing! Host Shane Hegarty is one of Ireland's most popular writers of children's fiction, creator of the best-selling Darkmouth series, and Boot, which is Dublin’s 2020 Citywide Read for children.
Shane and guests discuss representation in writing and publishing, and how to make books for every child. A Bangladeshi/Irish writer and teacher living in Dublin, Adiba Jaigirdar is a contributor for Bookriot. Her debut YA novel is The Henna Wars. Writer, curator and project director, Sharna Jackson has worked with BAFTA, Tate Kids, The Design Museum, and The Royal Collection Trust among others, and is the author of the bestselling High-Rise Mystery series. Sharna lives in the UK and The Netherlands. David Stevens is the co-founder of Knights Of, an independent, commercial, and inclusive children's books publisher based in London.
Featuring some very special guests, our new Tall Tales podcast series is perfect for everyone who loves children’s books. Packed full of reading recommendations, ideas to help get your children reading, tips on writing for children … plus handy hints for all ages on how to get the creative juices flowing! Host Shane Hegarty is one of Ireland's most popular writers of children's fiction, creator of the best-selling Darkmouth series, and Boot, which is Dublin’s 2020 Citywide Read for children.
Children’s and YA book experts, Lorraine Levis and David O’Callaghan chat with Shane about choosing brilliant books for your children of all ages. They discuss reluctant readers, and why it’s so important to find books that children love and really connect with. Lorraine Levis works with Penguin Random House Children's Books and is an Irish Times columnist. A children's book expert, her primary focus is on helping children (and their grown-ups!) find the perfect stories, no matter what their interest or ability. Her book Once Upon a Reader is a roadmap for anyone who wants to help a new generation - from prenatal babies to young adults - foster a love of reading. David O’Callaghan is Children’s and YA Book Category Manager at Eason. He also runs Dept Con, Ireland’s biggest Young Adult convention.
Featuring some very special guests, our new Tall Tales podcast series is perfect for everyone who loves children’s books. Packed full of reading recommendations, ideas to help get your children reading, tips on writing for children … plus handy hints for all ages on how to get the creative juices flowing! Host Shane Hegarty is one of Ireland's most popular writers of children's fiction, creator of the best-selling Darkmouth series, and Boot, which is Dublin’s 2020 Citywide Read for children.
Shane talks to one of the most hardworking and inspirational illustrators and writers around, Chris Riddell. This autumn sees the publication of three books: Poems to Save the World With, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll’s classic, newly illustrated by Chris) and the paperback of The Cloud Horse Chronicles: Guardians of Magic. Chris Riddell is an accomplished artist and the political cartoonist for the Observer. His children’s books have won many major prizes, including the 2001, 2004 and 2016 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medals. Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse won the Costa Children's Book Award 2013. Chris was the UK Children's Laureate 2015–2017, and has been honoured with an OBE in recognition of his illustration and charity work. Tune in to hear what inspires Chris, and just how he manages to produce so many award-winning and acclaimed books!
Welcome to the 2020 International Dublin Literary Award Shortlist podcast, presented as part of International Literature Festival Dublin.
In this special podcast series, Caelainn Hogan and Jessica Traynor explore each novel in detail as they chat exclusively to the authors and translators shortlisted for the award, the winner of which will be announced on the 22nd of October. For the first time, the winner announcement will take place as part of International Literature Festival Dublin, which like the award, is sponsored by Dublin City Council. You can book your free ticket to attend the online awards ceremony at www.ilfdublin.com.
In this episode, Caelainn and Jessica discuss 'There There', published by Harvill Secker, Alfred A. Knopf and McClelland & Stewart Inc., and speak to author Tommy Orange.
Welcome to the 2020 International Dublin Literary Award Shortlist podcast, presented as part of International Literature Festival Dublin.
In this special podcast series, Caelainn Hogan and Jessica Traynor explore each novel in detail as they chat exclusively to the authors and translators shortlisted for the award, the winner of which will be announced on the 22nd of October. For the first time, the winner announcement will take place as part of International Literature Festival Dublin, which like the award, is sponsored by Dublin City Council. You can book your free ticket to attend the online awards ceremony at www.ilfdublin.com.
In this episode, Caelainn and Jessica discuss 'Disoriental', published by Europa Editions, and speak to the book's author Négar Djavadi and translator Tina Kover.
Welcome to the 2020 International Dublin Literary Award Shortlist podcast, presented as part of International Literature Festival Dublin.
In this special podcast series, Caelainn Hogan and Jessica Traynor explore each novel in detail as they chat exclusively to the authors and translators shortlisted for the award, the winner of which will be announced on the 22nd of October. For the first time, the winner announcement will take place as part of International Literature Festival Dublin, which like the award, is sponsored by Dublin City Council. You can book your free ticket to attend the online awards ceremony at www.ilfdublin.com.
In this episode, Caelainn and Jessica discuss 'Milkman', published by Faber & Faber and Graywolf Press, and speak to author Anna Burns.
Welcome to the 2020 International Dublin Literary Award Shortlist podcast, presented as part of International Literature Festival Dublin.
In this special podcast series, Caelainn Hogan and Jessica Traynor explore each novel in detail as they chat exclusively to the authors and translators shortlisted for the award, the winner of which will be announced on the 22nd of October. For the first time, the winner announcement will take place as part of International Literature Festival Dublin, which like the award, is sponsored by Dublin City Council. You can book your free ticket to attend the online awards ceremony at www.ilfdublin.com.
In this episode, Caelainn and Jessica discuss 'The Friend', published by Virago Press, and speak to author Sigrid Nunez.
Welcome to the 2020 International Dublin Literary Award Shortlist podcast, presented as part of International Literature Festival Dublin.
In this special podcast series, Caelainn Hogan and Jessica Traynor explore each novel in detail as they chat exclusively to the authors and translators shortlisted for the award, the winner of which will be announced on the 22nd of October. For the first time, the winner announcement will take place as part of International Literature Festival Dublin, which like the award, is sponsored by Dublin City Council. You can book your free ticket to attend the online awards ceremony at www.ilfdublin.com.
In this episode, Caelainn and Jessica discuss 'Washington Black', published by Serpents Tail Ltd., HarperCollins Canada and Alfred A. Knopf., and speak to author Esi Edugyan.
Welcome to the 2020 International Dublin Literary Award Shortlist podcast, presented as part of International Literature Festival Dublin.
In this special podcast series, Caelainn Hogan and Jessica Traynor explore each novel in detail as they chat exclusively to the authors and translators shortlisted for the award, the winner of which will be announced on the 22nd of October. For the first time, the winner announcement will take place as part of International Literature Festival Dublin, which like the award, is sponsored by Dublin City Council. You can book your free ticket to attend the online awards ceremony at www.ilfdublin.com.
In this episode, Caelainn and Jessica discuss 'The Silence of the Girls', published by Hamish Hamilton, and speak to author Pat Barker.
Welcome to the 2020 International Dublin Literary Award Shortlist podcast, presented as part of International Literature Festival Dublin.
In this special podcast series, Caelainn Hogan and Jessica Traynor explore each novel in detail as they chat exclusively to the authors and translators shortlisted for the award, the winner of which will be announced on the 22nd of October. For the first time, the winner announcement will take place as part of International Literature Festival Dublin, which like the award, is sponsored by Dublin City Council. You can book your free ticket to attend the online awards ceremony at www.ilfdublin.com.
In this episode, Caelainn and Jessica discuss 'History of Violence', published by Harvill Secker, and speak to the book's author, Édouard Louis, and translator, Lorin Stein.
Welcome to the 2020 International Dublin Literary Award Shortlist podcast, presented as part of International Literature Festival Dublin.
In this special podcast series, Caelainn Hogan and Jessica Traynor explore each novel in detail as they chat exclusively to the authors and translators shortlisted for the award, the winner of which will be announced on the 22nd of October. For the first time, the winner announcement will take place as part of International Literature Festival Dublin, which like the award, is sponsored by Dublin City Council. You can book your free ticket to attend the online awards ceremony at www.ilfdublin.com.
In this episode, Caelainn and Jessica discuss 'Drive Your Plow Over the Bones', published by Fitzcarraldo Editions, and speak to the book's author, Olga Tokarczuk, and translator, Antonia Lloyd-Jones.
Welcome to the 2020 International Dublin Literary Award Shortlist podcast, presented as part of International Literature Festival Dublin.
In this special podcast series, Caelainn Hogan and Jessica Traynor explore each novel in detail as they chat exclusively to the authors and translators shortlisted for the award, the winner of which will be announced on the 22nd of October. For the first time, the winner announcement will take place as part of International Literature Festival Dublin, which like the award, is sponsored by Dublin City Council. You can book your free ticket to attend the online awards ceremony at www.ilfdublin.com.
In this episode, Caelainn and Jessica discuss 'All the Lives We Never Lived', published by MacLehose Press and Atria Books, and speak to author author Anuradha Roy.
Welcome to the 2020 International Dublin Literary Award Shortlist podcast, presented as part of International Literature Festival Dublin.
In this special podcast series, Caelainn Hogan and Jessica Traynor explore each novel in detail as they chat exclusively to the authors and translators shortlisted for the award, the winner of which will be announced on the 22nd of October. For the first time, the winner announcement will take place as part of International Literature Festival Dublin, which like the award, is sponsored by Dublin City Council. You can book your free ticket to attend the online awards ceremony at www.ilfdublin.com.
In this episode, Caelainn and Jessica discuss 'An American Marriage', published by Algonquin Books, and speak to author Tayari Jones.
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Pat McCabe & Nicole Flattery with Danny Denton, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin 2019, presented in association with Bealtaine Festival.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
As part of ILFDublin 2019, authors Jan Carson and David Keenan joined Irish Times Books Editor Martin Doyle in conversation at Smock Alley Theatre.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
As part of ILFDublin 2016, authors Louise O'Neill and Sarah Crossan joined Aoife Murray of Children's Books Ireland in conversation at Smock Alley Theatre.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Hosted by Caelainn Hogan, Portals is a special podcast series from ILFDublin that takes listeners beyond their radius, through conversations with a half-dozen writers based across the globe, all of whom were scheduled to read at ILFDublin 2020, prior to its postponement.
In this episode, speaking from The Netherlands, Iraqi-Dutch writer Rodaan Al Galidi discusses his book 'Two Blankets, Three Sheets', an inspiring tale of survival, a close-up view into the hidden world of refugees and human smugglers, and a sobering reflection of our times.
You can order the book from our festival bookseller, The Gutter Bookshop here: https://gutterbookshop.com/product/two-blankets-three-sheets-by-rodaan-al-galidi/
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council and kindly supported by the Arts Council. Visit ilfdublin.com for all the latest festival news and to sign up to our newsletter.
Hosted by Caelainn Hogan, Portals is a special podcast series from ILFDublin that takes listeners beyond their radius, through conversations with a half-dozen writers based across the globe, all of whom were scheduled to read at ILFDublin 2020, prior to its postponement.
In this episode, Franco-German writer Géraldine Schwarz speaks from Germany about her award-winning book, 'Those Who Forget', a riveting account of her German and French grandparents’ lives during World War II, an in-depth history of Europe’s post-war reckoning with fascism, and an urgent appeal to remember as a defence against today’s rise of far-right nationalism.
You can order the book from our festival bookseller, The Gutter Bookshop here: https://gutterbookshop.com/product/those-who-forget-by-geraldine-schwarz-may-2020-hardback/
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council and kindly supported by the Arts Council. Visit ilfdublin.com for all the latest festival news and to sign up to our newsletter.
Hosted by Caelainn Hogan, Portals is a special podcast series from ILFDublin that takes listeners beyond their radius, through conversations with a half-dozen writers based across the globe, all of whom were scheduled to read at ILFDublin 2020, prior to its postponement.
In this episode, speaking from Japan, English writer David Peace chats about his latest book 'Patient X' and looks ahead to the publication of the final part of his Tokyo Trilogy in 2021. You can order his books from our festival bookseller, The Gutter Bookshop: http://ilfdublin.com/news/ilfdublin-presents-portals
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council and kindly supported by the Arts Council. Visit ilfdublin.com for all the latest festival news and to sign up to our newsletter.
Hosted by Caelainn Hogan, Portals is a special podcast series from ILFDublin that takes listeners beyond their radius, through conversations with a half-dozen writers based across the globe, all of whom were scheduled to read at ILFDublin 2020, prior to its postponement.
In this episode, speaking from Washington D.C., Esther Saftan Foer discusses her book 'I Want You to Know We're Still Here about her search for knowledge about her half-sister and family killed in the Holocaust. You can order the book from our festival bookseller, The Gutter Bookshop: https://gutterbookshop.com/product/i-want-you-to-know-were-still-here-by-esther-safran-foer-hardback/
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council and kindly supported by the Arts Council. Visit ilfdublin.com for all the latest festival news and to sign up to our newsletter.
Hosted by Caelainn Hogan, Portals is a special podcast series from ILFDublin that takes listeners beyond their radius, through conversations with a half-dozen writers based across the globe, all of whom were scheduled to read at ILFDublin 2020, prior to its postponement.
In this episode, Mexican writer Fernanda Melchor discusses her International Booker Prize-shortlisted novel, 'Hurricane Season', a formidable portrait of Mexico and its demons and a masterpiece of contemporary Latin American literature. You can order the book from our festival bookseller, The Gutter Bookshop: https://gutterbookshop.com/product/hurricane-season-by-fernanda-melchor/
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council and kindly supported by the Arts Council. Visit ilfdublin.com for all the latest festival news and to sign up to our newsletter.
Hosted by Caelainn Hogan, Portals is a special podcast series from ILFDublin that takes listeners beyond their radius, through conversations with a half-dozen writers based across the globe, all of whom were scheduled to read at ILFDublin 2020, prior to its postponement.
In this first episode, The New Yorker's Moscow correspondent Joshua Yaffa lifts the lid on Putin's Russia, discussing his book 'Between Two Fires'. You can order a copy of the book through our festival bookseller, The Gutter Bookshop, at the link below. https://gutterbookshop.com/product/between-two-fires-by-joshua-yaffa/
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council and kindly supported by the Arts Council. Visit ilfdublin.com for all the latest festival news and to sign up to our newsletter.
As part of ILFDublin 2018, Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer, essayist, novelist, editor and filmmaker Michael Ondaatje joined Anne Enright in conversation at Liberty Hall.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
As part of ILFDublin 2019, we were delighted to welcome Sophie Collins, Zaffar Kunial and Hannah Sullivan, three exciting new voices in poetry. The event was presented in association with Faber & Faber for their 90th anniversary, and kindly supported by Poetry Ireland.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
As part of ILFDublin 2017, ethnologist, evolutionary biologist and author Richard Dawkins joined Shane Bergin in conversation.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
As part of ILFDublin 2018, renowned writer, psychotherapist and feminist thinker Susie Orbach is joined in discussion by novelist and playwright, Gillian Slovo and Danielle Mclaughlin, author of Dinosaurs On Other Planets.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Award-winning writer John Banville; writer and editor of literary magazine A Public Space Yiyun Li; celebrated poet, playwright, novelist and publisher Dermot Bolger; and short story writer Danielle McLaughlin joined Roy Foster to remember the late, great William Trevor at ILFDublin 2018.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Yiyun Li in conversation with Martina Devlin at Smock Alley Theatre, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin 2018.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Caitlin Moran in conversation with Róisín Ingle at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, as part of a special International Literature Festival Dublin Off The Page event in September 2018.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Joseph O'Connor in conversation with Olivia O'Leary at Smock Alley Theatre, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin 2019.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Seamus Heaney celebrated his 70th birthday with a special event at the National Concert Hall, as part of the 2009 Dublin Writers Festival.
The event is introduced by journalist and broadcaster Olivia O'Leary.
Tana French in conversation with Anna Carey at Smock Alley Theatre, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin 2019.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Paul Mason in conversation with Vincent Browne at Smock Alley Theatre, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin 2019.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Tracey Thorn and Sinéad Gleeson in conversation with Jim Carroll at Smock Alley Theatre, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin 2019.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Recorded at Smock Alley Theatre as part of ILFDublin 2019, Paul Muldoon reads poems by some of the greats from Faber and Faber’s illustrious history, to mark their 90th anniversary, as well as previewing poems from his collection, Frolic and Detour.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Emma Dabiri in conversation with Reni Eddo-Lodge at Smock Alley Theatre, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin 2019.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Peter Carey in conversation with Joseph O'Connor at the Peppercanister Church, Dublin, as part of a special International Literature Festival Dublin Off The Page event in January 2018.
The Festival returns Autumn 2020. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Elizabeth Gilbert in conversation with Anna Carey at the O'Reilly Theatre, Dublin, as part of a special International Literature Festival Dublin Off The Page event in June 2019.
The Festival returns Autumn 2020. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Bret Easton Ellis in conversation with Nadine O'Regan at the O'Reilly Theatre, Dublin, as part of a special International Literature Festival Dublin Off The Page event in April 2019.
The Festival returns Autumn 2020. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
A special ILFDublin edition of the Irish Writers Centre's 'Takin' The Mic', hosted by Marcus Mac Conghail and recorded at Smock Alley Theatre at ILFDublin 2019.
RJ Palacio in conversation with Elaina Ryan at O'Reilly Theatre, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin 2019.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Erling Kagge in conversation with Manchán Magan at Smock Alley Theatre, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin 2019.
ILFDublin is an initiative of Dublin City Council, kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Naomi Klein in conversation with Lorna Gold at the National Stadium, Dublin, as part of a special International Literature Festival Dublin Off The Page event.
The Festival returns Autumn 2020. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in conversation with Sinéad Gleeson at the Convention Centre Dublin, as part of the 2018 International Literature Festival Dublin.
The Festival returns May 17th - 26th 2019. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Rachel Kushner in conversation with Rob Doyle at Smock Alley Theatre, as part of the 2018 International Literature Festival Dublin.
The festival returns May 2019. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Richard Ford in conversation with Brendan Barrington at The Pillar Room, as part of the 2017 International Literature Festival Dublin.
The Festival returns May 19th - 27th 2018. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Jo Nesbø in conversation with Hugh Linehan at the RDS Concert Hall, as part of the 2017 International Literature Festival Dublin.
The Festival returns May 19th - 27th 2018. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Colm Tóibín in conversation with Sinéad Crowley at Smock Alley Theatre, as part of the 2017 International Literature Festival Dublin.
The Festival returns May 19th - 27th 2018. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Rebecca Solnit in conversation with John Hutchinson at Smock Alley Theatre, as part of the 2013 International Literature Festival Dublin.
The Festival returns May 19th - 27th 2018. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Arundhati Roy in conversation with Selina Guinness at the RDS Concert Hall, as part of the 2017 International Literature Festival Dublin.
The Festival returns May 19th - 27th 2018. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Elizabeth Strout in conversation with Sinéad Gleeson at the O'Reilly Theatre, as part of the 2017 International Literature Festival Dublin.
The Festival returns May 19th - 27th 2018. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Werner Herzog in conversation with Carlo Gebler at the National Concert Hall, as part of the 2017 International Literature Festival Dublin.
The Festival returns May 19th - 27th 2018. See www.ilfdublin.com for the latest news and programme info.
Having been mentored by Marilynne Robinson (Housekeeping, Gilead) at the famous Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa, Paul Harding became the first debut novelist in over a decade to win the Pulitzer Prize, for his 2010 novel Tinkers, ‘a beautiful, moving and elegiac lament on the human condition’ (The Times).
John Boyne found international fame with his 2006 novel for younger readers The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. It won two Irish Book Awards, topped the New York Times Bestseller list and was made into an award-winning Miramax film. His ninth novel (his seventh for adults) is The Absolutist, a tender and poignant story of two young privates during the Great War whose lives are briefly but intensely intertwined.
Chairperson: Niall MacMonagle
Sofi Oksanen has long been celebrated in her native Finland. But it was her bestselling novel Purge, a dazzling tale of two generations of Estonia women grappling with Soviet occupation and the sudden freedoms of the 1990s, that shot her to international fame. She talks to award-winning Soviet historian Anne Applebaum about When the Doves Disappeared, a novel that tells the gripping story of two cousins – principled freedom fighter Roland and slippery Edgar – whose paths cross in the 1960s, when Edgar is a communist apparatchik desperate to conceal his past.
“Jane Austen’s story and Joanna Trollope’s voice make the perfect marriage.” Sophie Kinsella
“Baker not only creates a richly imagined story of her own but recasts Austen’s novel in a startlingly fresh light.” The Guardian
Chairperson: Edel Coffey
In recent years Jane Austen’s work has inspired a host of new novels, from PD James’ Death Comes to Pemberley to Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. But what are the pitfalls of adapting classics for the modern age? Should you expect your readers to know the originals, and what happens when you change the point of view? Jo Baker certainly does: Longbourn reimagines the story of Pride and Prejudice from the servants’ point of view. Sarah is a housemaid at Longbourn House, where the servants are ruled with an iron fist by Mrs Hill, but the arrival of a new footman turns the Bennet household upside down. Joanne Trollope is one of the UK’s best-loved and most successful authors. Her Sense & Sensibility is the first novel in the Austen Project: a publishing venture designed to bring Austen’s work to a new generation, and Trollope brings the story of the Dashwood sisters bang up to date, complete with drugs, depression and internet trolls.
‘Translating Ireland’ brings together three leading Irish novelists to share their experiences of being translated, read excerpts from their work, and to talk about the translations that have most inspired them. In novels like A Long, Long Way (Ein Langer, Langer Weg in German, trans. Hans-Christian Oeser), Sebastian Barry has shone a light into the dark corners of Irish life, focusing on the ordinary people whose lives are neglected, forgotten or written out of history. Booker Prize-winner Anne Enright is celebrated for her capacity to explore serious issues with compassion and wry humour in works like The Forgotten Waltz (La Valse Oubliée in French, trans. Isabelle Reinharez). Hugo Hamilton is the bestselling author of seven novels and two memoirs, including The Speckled People (Sproetenkoppen in Dutch, trans. Miebeth Van Horn), a memoir of his German-Irish childhood that won a clutch of European awards.
Autobiography? Fiction? Essay?
When I Love Dick was published in the US back in 1997, readers weren’t sure what to make of it. But over the last 20 years the ‘novel’, like Kraus herself, has acquired an army of devoted fans. For one thing, it’s very funny.
I Love Dick tells the story of ‘Chris’, a ‘failed’ video artist who falls for, and writes a series of love letters to, her husband’s friend Dick (based on real-life cultural theorist Dick Hebdige).
In the wake of the (long overdue) UK publication, Chris Kraus comes to Dublin to discuss her startlingly original take on femininity, desire and the epistolary novel in the company of journalist and broadcaster Una Mullally.
The trumpet-playing surfer Marcus du Sautoy might be ‘the world’s least likely maths professor’ (The Guardian), but over the last decade he has done more than any mathematician before him to transform public attitudes to maths.
Through books, TV series, radio programmes and public lectures, Du Sautoy’s infectious enthusiasm, coupled with a rare ability to explain complex ideas, has opened our minds to the mystery and beauty of numbers.
His latest book, What We Cannot Know, explores the limits of human knowledge, asking whether, despite the extraordinary scientific advances of the last few decades, some things will remain forever out of reach.
Maeve Brennan’s short stories have long been admired by writers and cherished by readers.
Born in Dublin in 1917, she became a staff writer at the New Yorker, and brought her formidable powers of perception and scathing wit to stories of childhood, marriage, longing and exile before dying in obscurity in the early nineties. Now a new edition of her celebrated Dublin stories, The Springs of Affection, aims to bring her to a wider readership.
Join us as publisher Declan Meade talks to broadcaster and critic, Sinéad Gleeson, and Brennan’s biographer, Angela Bourke, about her troubled life; and actress Caitriona Ní Mhurchú reads extracts from the work of one of the forgotten greats of twentieth-century Irish fiction.
Presented in association with The Stinging Fly.
Since We Need to Talk About Kevin, her dazzling novel about the mother of a high school murderer, won the Orange Prize in 2005 and catapulted her to international fame, Lionel Shriver has continued her fearless exploration of some of the biggest questions of our time. From illness in So Much for That to love in The Post-Birthday World and terrorism in The New Republic, Shriver skewers her targets with wit, style and intelligence. Her bold new novel, The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047, is no exception, charting the disintegration of one affluent family as financial crisis engulfs an America of the near future.
The event is chaired by writer Cathy Rentzenbrink.
Jon Ronson in conversation with Irish journalist Shane Hegarty, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin 2011.
Jon Ronson is a Welsh journalist, author, documentary filmmaker and radio presenter whose works include the best-selling The Men Who Stare at Goats (2004) and The Psychopath Test (2011).
Ronson has published nine books and his work has appeared in British publications such as The Guardian, City Life and Time Out. He has made several BBC Television documentary films and two documentary series for Channel 4.
Join ILFDublin for a whistle-stop tour around the world of Oliver Jeffers, interviewed here by Margaret Anne Suggs.
Northern Irish artist Oliver Jeffers' picture books have been translated into over 30 languages. He won an Emmy in 2010 for his collaborative work with MacPremo, with whom he co-directed the U2 video 'Ordinary Love' in 2013.
Performer, writer, director and political activist, Margaretta D'arcy is a tireless and inspirational figure. She worked in theatre from the age of fifteen, first as an actress and then as an accomplished playwright, but it is perhaps as an activist that she is best known. Over the years her activism has taken many forms, from anti-nuclear campaigns to the H-Block protests in Armagh (an experience that inspired her book Tell Them Everything).
Now, in the wake of her latest campaign (against the use of Shannon Airport by US military planes), Ireland’s ‘Guantanamo Granny’ reflects on her extraordinary life in the company of Jim Sheridan, the acclaimed director of 'My Left Foot' and 'In The Name of the Father'.
Writer Naomi Klein in conversation with Aine Lawlor, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin.
Join Sinead Gleeson in conversation with Laura Bates from Every Day Sexism, Dearbhail McDonald, writer and editor, and Jenny Dunne of Hollaback! as they discuss writing, activism and sexism.
The talk originally took place Friday 23 May 2014, at Smock Alley Theatre.
Music is by Geppetto, featuring vocals from Louise Gaffney of Come On Live Long.