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A good read guaranteed with our top picks for summer
A good read guaranteed with our top picks for summer
Whether you’re a fan of fiction, a politics addict, or a history buff, there is plenty to throw into your book bag this summer

Fri, 18 Jul, 2025

Books are my business: Dublin Unesco City of Literature director Anne-Marie Kelly
Books are my business: Dublin Unesco City of Literature director Anne-Marie Kelly
'I help to promote Dublin as a city of literature, support the literary community, and strengthen links between the partners'

Sat, 12 Jul, 2025

Book are my business: Children’s Books Ireland publications officer Ruth Concannon
Book are my business: Children’s Books Ireland publications officer Ruth Concannon
'I believe that a book can really spark something that can change the course of your life'

Sat, 05 Jul, 2025

Karl Whitney: Why you should sketch your cats before attempting to paint tigers
Karl Whitney: Why you should sketch your cats before attempting to paint tigers
With the works of an old master in mind, Karl Whitney considers the value in building a base for important work and engaging our critical skill to improve technique

Fri, 04 Jul, 2025

Books are my business: Bookbinder Tommy Duffy
Books are my business: Bookbinder Tommy Duffy
'I am a fourth-generation bookbinder; the business spans three generations'

Sat, 28 Jun, 2025

Books are my business: Librarian at Bantry Library Denis Murphy
Books are my business: Librarian at Bantry Library Denis Murphy
'Approaching high summer, the West Cork Literary Festival concentrates most of my attention'

Fri, 20 Jun, 2025

Books are my business: Irish Writers Centre CEO Mags McLoughlin
Books are my business: Irish Writers Centre CEO Mags McLoughlin
My job is to elevate awareness of the centre, its story, and get more money in for more writers to do more writing

Sat, 14 Jun, 2025

Books are my business: Bookshop children’s section manager Méabh McDonnell
Books are my business: Bookshop children’s section manager Méabh McDonnell
The former newspaper sub-editor found her dream job in Charlie Byrne's bookshop and believes there is 'a book out there for every child'

Sat, 07 Jun, 2025

Karl Whitney: When the journey of a writer hits a wall, it’s the perfect time to reflect
Karl Whitney: When the journey of a writer hits a wall, it’s the perfect time to reflect
While writers ply their trade due to their love of the medium, waiting to reach the next stage in a writer’s career is a unique creative challenge

Fri, 06 Jun, 2025

10 books for June: Michelle McDonagh, Bill Clinton, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and more
10 books for June: Michelle McDonagh, Bill Clinton, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and more
Some of this is True by Michelle McDonagh stays close to home in her latest book, where, on an icy morning in January, a young tourist’s body is discovered at the bottom of the Wishing Steps at Blarney Castle

Tue, 03 Jun, 2025

Books are my business: Bookshop owner Antonia Daly
Books are my business: Bookshop owner Antonia Daly
Antonia Daly is currently putting books together to sell at the Hinterland Festival, making sure that she has books from all the authors attending the festival

Sun, 01 Jun, 2025

'Female friendship is not a perfect love story any more than a romantic relationship is'
'Female friendship is not a perfect love story any more than a romantic relationship is'
From Sex and the City to The White Lotus, the complexities of women’s companionship has been a source of fascination for many. Vicki Notaro tells Elle Gordon how the idea of ‘the one’ in female friendships inspired her latest novel

Sat, 24 May, 2025

Books are my business: Specialist bookshop owner Caroline Sullivan
Books are my business: Specialist bookshop owner Caroline Sullivan
Working in the children’s section in Hodges Figgis bookshop in Dublin inspired her to set up Tales for Tadpoles

Sat, 24 May, 2025

Books are my business: Owner and founder of EDB Studios Elize de Beer
Books are my business: Owner and founder of EDB Studios Elize de Beer
When it comes to making books, I find that because I use such a traditional technique, there’s no real way to speed it up

Sat, 17 May, 2025

ANDREA MARA
From daydreaming about bank heists to TV adaptations: Andrea Mara on her writing career
She left her job in finance to be a freelance writer. Today, Andrea Mara has eight books under her belt — and a TV adaptation with Sarah Snook and Dakota Fanning in the works, writes Deirdre McArdle

Sun, 11 May, 2025

Books are my business: Poolbeg Press publisher Paula Campbell
Books are my business: Poolbeg Press publisher Paula Campbell
'I have been through every aspect of the business, from the literal bookselling to wholesaling to publishing'

Sat, 10 May, 2025

Karl Whitney: Opening a world to books that beg to be unearthed
Karl Whitney: Opening a world to books that beg to be unearthed
When I read about people ‘discovering’ and republishing ‘lost classics’, I often think: Well, they were in print once

Fri, 09 May, 2025

Books are my business: O’Brien Press senior editor Helen Carr
Books are my business: O’Brien Press senior editor Helen Carr
'A lot of my job is reassuring authors and letting them know we want to do the best for their book'

Sat, 03 May, 2025

Books are my business: Head of books at Eason Lynda Laffan
Books are my business: Head of books at Eason Lynda Laffan
'I’ve been at Eason about four years. I have been in and out between bookselling and publishing, and I love both sides'

Sat, 19 Apr, 2025

Vacant pub in Swinton 'The Football' with boarded windows on a quiet street.
Karl Whitney: Hitting ‘no changes’ when, in truth, almost everything has changed
Reviewing work can be a window into another moment in time, in our lives, and an opportunity to examine how old words can take on new meaning

Fri, 18 Apr, 2025

Books are my business: President of Publishing Ireland Peter McKay
Books are my business: President of Publishing Ireland Peter McKay
'It seems to me that for 30 years, one way or another, I have been involved in a fight to defend copyright'

Sat, 12 Apr, 2025

Beginner’s pluck: Part-time GP Claire Gleeson
Beginner’s pluck: Part-time GP Claire Gleeson
Hearing stories of familicide, Claire wondered what it would be like to survive and carry on living

Sat, 12 Apr, 2025

‘There was a story that had waited long enough to be told’
‘There was a story that had waited long enough to be told’
After penning a Parisian debut novel, there was only one city in the world that would do for its successor, writes Lynda Marron

Fri, 11 Apr, 2025

Cork author Louise Hegarty on her first novel: ‘I’ve been training for this for 25 years’
Cork author Louise Hegarty on her first novel: ‘I’ve been training for this for 25 years’
Every so often, a debut novel stands out from the pack. This year, that book is ‘Fair Play’, says Aoife Barry. Cork author Louise Hegarty talks growing up in Glanmire, learning her craft from Agatha Christie, and the joy of being a debut novelist in her 30s

Sun, 06 Apr, 2025

Elaine Loughlin: Ireland is dangerously exposed to sabotage beneath the sea — and we’re not ready
S Elaine Loughlin: Ireland is dangerously exposed to sabotage beneath the sea — and we’re not ready
Ireland’s seabed carries our data, power and gas — but political inaction leaves us dangerously open to attack

Sat, 05 Apr, 2025

Books are my business: Director of the Cúirt International Festival of Literature Manuela Moser
Books are my business: Director of the Cúirt International Festival of Literature Manuela Moser
Her role as director means she does everything — from programming the festival and managing the budget to set design and buying vases 

Sat, 05 Apr, 2025

Beginner’s pluck: Bookshop manager Gráinne O’Brien
Beginner’s pluck: Bookshop manager Gráinne O’Brien
Every teenager, and every parent of one, will surely relate to the story in 'Solo'

Sat, 05 Apr, 2025

Found in translation — an Irish publishing success story
Found in translation — an Irish publishing success story
Bullaun Press, which started life on the Aran Islands and published its first book only three years ago, has been named on the longlist for the International Booker Prize

Fri, 04 Apr, 2025

Books are my business: Kenny’s Bookshop, Galway, head buyer Gráinne O’Brien
Books are my business: Kenny’s Bookshop, Galway, head buyer Gráinne O’Brien
'I love having my hands on books. I love to meet the authors, and I love to hear about their journey'

Sat, 29 Mar, 2025

Beginner's pluck: Journalist and author Róisín Lanigan
Beginner's pluck: Journalist and author Róisín Lanigan
'I Want To Go Home But I’m Already There' is funny, engaging, and thought-provoking

Sat, 22 Mar, 2025

Books are my business: Librarian Mary Conway
Books are my business: Librarian Mary Conway
Mary Conway is the Waterford City and County librarian and head of culture covering libraries and arts

Sat, 22 Mar, 2025

Books are my business: Bookstation's head of marketing Alan Johnston
Books are my business: Bookstation's head of marketing Alan Johnston
There’s a huge amount of forecasting involved in my job, what we’re going to sell, how many books we’re going to need

Sat, 08 Mar, 2025

Catherine Kirwan: A love letter to a city in desperate need of affection
Catherine Kirwan: A love letter to a city in desperate need of affection
Cork is a wonderful place to live, full of history and inspiration, but a lot needs to change if it’s to fulfil its true potential

Fri, 07 Mar, 2025

Mayo's Sally Rooney up for British Book Award — along with Gillian Anderson and Boris Johnson
Mayo's Sally Rooney up for British Book Award — along with Gillian Anderson and Boris Johnson
British Book Award winners will be announced at a ceremony in central London on Monday, May 12

Fri, 07 Mar, 2025

Books are my business: Literary agent Faith O’Grady 
Books are my business: Literary agent Faith O’Grady 
My job is to find authors whose work I am excited about and to sell their work to publishers

Sat, 01 Mar, 2025

Karl Whitney: A story is a deal but a book is not an aubergine
Karl Whitney: A story is a deal but a book is not an aubergine
Conventional story structures often feel tired and even off-putting, but writing can be so much richer

Fri, 28 Feb, 2025

Books are my business: Gill Books commissioning editor Sarah Liddy
Books are my business: Gill Books commissioning editor Sarah Liddy
An internship at Lilliput Press  was the lucky break that got Sarah Liddy in the door of a publishing house and she has built her career from that 

Sat, 22 Feb, 2025

Books are my business: Children’s Books Ireland CEO Elaina Ryan
Books are my business: Children’s Books Ireland CEO Elaina Ryan
We have a very simple vision which is ‘every child a reader’

Sat, 15 Feb, 2025

Books are my business: Picture book illustrator and author Paddy Donnelly
Books are my business: Picture book illustrator and author Paddy Donnelly
Most of the time, I illustrate other people’s stories — for every three or four I do for someone else, I do one of my own

Sat, 08 Feb, 2025

Books are my business: Dubray bookshop Cork manager Emma Shannon
Books are my business: Dubray bookshop Cork manager Emma Shannon
'There’s no better feeling than when a customer comes back and lets you know they really enjoyed the book you recommended to them'

Sat, 25 Jan, 2025

using a laptop in a cafe
Karl Whitney:  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll hurl: writing a first draft is never easy
The first draft doesn’t need to be perfect. It’s about preserving the flow of the text rather than getting everything right first time

Fri, 24 Jan, 2025

Books are my business: Freelance editor and writer Seán Farrell
Books are my business: Freelance editor and writer Seán Farrell
I got into editing because of writing; sharing my work with other writers, giving and receiving feedback

Sat, 18 Jan, 2025

Books are my business: UCD Press executive editor
Books are my business: UCD Press executive editor
We’re an academic press, and we aim to publish well-researched, beautifully produced books at a price point that’s affordable

Sat, 11 Jan, 2025

Gems to keep an eye on during 2025
Gems to keep an eye on during 2025
Marjorie Brennan reveals the coming releases worthy of your attention and time this year

Sat, 11 Jan, 2025

Books for 2025: Turn the page after 2024 with the best of Irish fiction and non-fiction
Books for 2025: Turn the page after 2024 with the best of Irish fiction and non-fiction
Crime is to the fore in 2025, from the fictional detective Charlie Parker to a real-life familicide and a daughter’s fight for justice, writes Marjorie Brennan

Fri, 10 Jan, 2025

Books are my business: Publishing Ireland manager Orla McLoughlin
Books are my business: Publishing Ireland manager Orla McLoughlin
Publishing Ireland is a membership organisation representing book publishers in Ireland

Sat, 04 Jan, 2025

Hospital stock
Karl Whitney: How one long day in hospital brought perspective on connection
Thirteen hours in the emergency department gives plenty of time for musing on the nature of waiting for the next step

Fri, 03 Jan, 2025

Books of the year: 2024 shows its literary power with these books
Books of the year: 2024 shows its literary power with these books
From Alan Hollinghurst’s book of the decade to Neil Jordan’s excellent memoir, along with a debut to remember, Sue Leonard selects her books of the year

Fri, 03 Jan, 2025

Books are my business: Brookside Publishing Services sales and marketing manager
Books are my business: Brookside Publishing Services sales and marketing manager
Brookside is a sales and marketing agency serving trade, academic and specialist publishers throughout Ireland

Sat, 28 Dec, 2024

TOLKIEN
Books of the year: Worlds of fantasy and fame brought home to the local
From JRR Tolkien’s letters, and Matthew Gasada’s plays, to Back to the Local by Maurice Gorham, Michael Duggan selects his books of the year

Fri, 27 Dec, 2024

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