The Laureate For Irish Fiction

08/08/2024

Huge congratulations to Colin Barrett for being longlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize for 'Wild Houses'!

If you haven't yet discovered his brilliant work, now is the perfect time to dive in! We highly recommend revisiting our Art of Reading episode where Laureate Colm Tóibín sat down with Colin Barrett to discuss 'Homesickness', his collection of short stories.

Check it out here: https://bit.ly/3WVmyFQ

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Libraries Ireland

01/08/2024

This August, we're diving into Dermot Bolger's 'The Lonely Sea and Sky'! "Part historical fiction, part coming-of-age narrative, this is a perceptive and exciting novel about life at sea as a way of dramatizing human relations at their most intense.”

Stay tuned for a link to Laureate Colm Tóibín and Dermot Bolger's fascinating discussion at the end of the month. For now, happy reading!

30/07/2024

29/07/2024

Edna O'Brien was a beacon in Irish Literature. Fiercely brave and sharply intelligent, her writing was groundbreaking, unflinching and shot through with a deep empathy and humanity. The truth mattered to her.

We deeply mourn her loss and we celebrate her life and her extraordinary contribution to literature

29/07/2024

Edna O'Brien was a beacon in Irish Literature. Fiercely brave and sharply intelligent, her writing was groundbreaking, unflinching and shot through with a deep empathy and humanity. The truth mattered to her.

We deeply mourn her loss and we celebrate her life and her extraordinary contribution to literature.

25/07/2024

The conversation between Laureate Colm Tóibín and Alan Murrin about his captivating debut novel 'The Coast Road' is now available on our website.

Don't miss this insightful discussion—head over now to watch or listen!

https://bit.ly/4flnOsY

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Libraries Ireland Sligo County Library Bloomsbury Publishing UK

24/07/2024

"I'm very interested in [...] the ways in which women's lives were held to a different set of rules and standards."

Can't wait to hear more of Colm Tóibín and Alan Murrin's fascinating conversation on The Coast Road? Tune in tomorrow when we'll post a link to the full recording!

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Libraries Ireland Sligo County Library Bloomsbury Publishing UK

22/07/2024

Last week, Colm Tóibín welcomed guest writer Dermot Bolger to Naas Library, which led to an engaging conversation about Bolger's novel, ‘The Lonely Sea and Sky’.

Check out these photos from the event, and catch the recording here on August 29!

09/07/2024

"It must have seemed an eccentric project even at the time."

In his newest blog post, Laureate Colm Tóibín reflects on Yvor Winters' obscure poetry anthology and the life of poet Thom Gunn, whose biography 'A Cool Q***r Life' will be published next week.

Visit https://bit.ly/3RW6z7K to read the full story!

Image: Man with Vertical Bar 2/40 by Patrick Hall, 1980. Collection of The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon

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01/07/2024

Our summer read is The Coast Road by Alan Murrin!

July's book, hand-picked by Laureate for Irish Fiction Colm Tóibín, promises to be a compelling page-turner. Actress Gillian Anderson called this story of two Irish women "the last great book [she] read".

So, join us this July, and grab a copy to read along. As always, we'll post the recording of Alan Murrin and Colm Tóibín's conversation here on the last Thursday of the month.

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Libraries Ireland Sligo County Library Bloomsbury Publishing UK

28/06/2024

'Who will ever forget the large celebrations in Sheffield, led by Neil Kinnock the leader of the Labour Party, a week before the UK general election of 1992? Kinnock arrived at the event by helicopter. To high happy laughter and great joy, he introduced each member of his shadow cabinet as ‘the next minister’ for whatever role he had assigned to them.

He, in turn, was introduced as the next Prime Minister. There were a lot of balloons. The stage show cost a vast sum of money. It did not help that the event was held on 1 April.'

In the latest Laureate for Irish Fiction blog post, Colm Tóibín shares his experiences in London as the 1997 UK election approached: https://bit.ly/3W0byqm.

Image: Bed & Breakfast by Stephen Brandes, 2005. Collection of The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon

28/06/2024

The next Art of Reading event will take place on Tuesday 16 July, at 7pm! Naas Library in County Kildare will host Colm Tóibín and Dermot Bolger, for a discussion on The Lonely Sea and Sky.

Register here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/naaslibrary/1288322

Kildare Library Service Libraries Ireland The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Dermot Bolger

Join us for The Art of Reading Book Club hosted by Colm Tóibín, the Laureate for Irish Fiction in Naas Library & Cultural C...

27/06/2024

"I think that Irish life offers those kinds of opportunities, to lift things out of ordinariness"

Curious to hear what else Belinda McKeon had to say when discussing her novel Solace? We've just posted her conversation with Laureate Colm Tóibín to our website! Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4eKavlx

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Libraries Ireland Offaly Libraries Picador books

26/06/2024

Earlier this month, Colm Tóibín and Belinda McKeon sat down to discuss her debut novel .

Catch the full recording of their conversation here tomorrow!

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Libraries Ireland Offaly Libraries Picador books

13/06/2024

Scenes from Tubbercurry library last night where Colm Tóibín’s Art of Reading guest writer was Alan Murrin.

They discussed small town tensions, Irish marriages pre the divorce referendum and how Murrin approached this in his debut novel ‘The Coast Road’.

The recording will be shared here in 25 July.

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Libraries Ireland Cormac Kinsella Tubbercurry Community Sligo County Library

12/06/2024

Colm Tóibín on the road in Tullamore library with guest writer Belinda McKeon.

A recording of their brilliant discussion about McKeon’s novel ‘Solace’ will be shared here on 27 June. The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Offaly Libraries Libraries Ireland Cormac Kinsella

01/06/2024

"Belinda McKeon succeeds in subtly reconfiguring and updating the archetypal story of a son’s quarrel with his father. In her hands, it becomes a profound and exacting conjuration with the pyscho-social shifts taking place in contemporary Ireland."

Solace is June's book! Pick up a copy and read along with us, and check back here on the last Thursday of the month, for the recording of Colm Tóibín and Belinda McKeon's conversation.

Happy reading this bank holiday weekend!

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Libraries Ireland Offaly Libraries Picador books

30/05/2024

In this month's episode, Colm Tóibín chats with Megan Nolan about her novel .

Head over to the Arts Council website to hear more about the Greens, Megan's writing journey, and their shared experience of moving away from Ireland.

https://bit.ly/4bZEZ0J

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Libraries Ireland Cork City Libraries Penguin Books Ireland

29/05/2024

"I am able to access people"

Tune in tomorrow to watch Colm Tóibín in conversation with Megan Nolan! We'll post the link to the recording on our socials.

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Libraries Ireland Cork City Libraries Penguin Books Ireland

27/05/2024

Another in-person Art of Reading event with Colm Tóibín coming up next month, in Co. Sligo!

Laureate Colm Tóibín will be in Tubbercurry Library to chat to Alan Murrin about his debut novel ‘The Coast Road’, described by ‘The Sunday Times’ as ‘a perfect book club read’.

To reserve a place for this event which takes place on Wednesday 12 June at 7pm contact the library directly at [email protected] /(071) 911 1705. Tubbercurry Community Sligo County Library Libraries Ireland The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon

20/05/2024

Congratulations to Colm Toibin, our brilliant Laureate for Irish Fiction, on the publication of his outstanding new novel ‘Long Island’. This highly anticipated sequel to ‘Brooklyn’, which is published this week, will captivate and enthrall.

As Clare Clark writing in The Guardian says ‘This deceptively quiet novel is the work of a writer at the height of his considerable powers…’ We couldn’t agree more.

10/05/2024

'As Joyce was writing ‘Ulysses’, two of his friends who had appeared in ‘A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man’ as McCann and Davin were murdered by British forces, Francis Sheehy-Skeffington (the model for McCann) in 1916 and George Clancy (the model for Davin) in 1921.

If ‘A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man’ has a sequel called ‘Ulysses’, is it possible that it also has another sequel: Irish history between 1916 to 1921.’

Catch up on Colm Tóibín’s recent Laureate blog here: https://bit.ly/3QD4NYp

Image: Being haunted by the breezes, now how do you exist? By Cecilia Bullo, 2023. From the collection of The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon

01/05/2024

"Where Nolan really excels is in the delineation of complex, sometimes contradictory interior states, the water we all swim in and call 'reality'," writes The Financial Times.

Megan Nolan's second novel: Ordinary Human Failings is this month's book! Read along with us to find out what happens to the Green family after the death of a young girl...

We'll post a link to the recording of Colm Tóibín in conversation Megan Nolan here at the end of the month.

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Libraries Ireland Cork City Libraries Penguin Books Ireland

01/05/2024

is coming to Tullamore library on Tuesday 11 June at 7pm! See below for booking details.

Join Laureate for Irish Fiction Colm Tóibín as he chats to Belinda McKeon about her novel 'Solace'. It's his Art of Reading book choice for June. A recording of this event will be shared here from Thursday 27 June.

Join us for The Art of Reading Book Club at Tullamore Library hosted by Colm Tóibín, the Laureate for Irish Fiction.

On June 11th from 7pm to 8pm the Laureate will meet with Irish author Belinda McKeon in Tullamore library to discuss Belinda’s novel Solace. Readers, book lovers and book clubs everywhere are invited to attend. Spaces are limited. Phone Tullamore Library on 05793 46832 or email [email protected] to reserve you seat.

Irish Arts Council The Laureate For Irish Fiction County Council Ireland

25/04/2024

Colm Tóibín chats to Deirdre Madden about diurnal novels and how she approached writing one without chapters in ‘Molly Fox’s Birthday’.

Catch up on the latest episode of Book Club on video or podcast at the following link bit.ly/4b8RqXz

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Libraries Ireland The School of English, Trinity College Dublin Faber Books dlr Libraries

25/04/2024

Every day is a good day to enjoy a little poetry but especially today for

Today is !

Join Poetry Ireland / Éigse Éireann in celebrating the day's 10th birthday! With events online and in person there's a way for everyone to join the fun & enjoy being Good Sports!

See how you can join in today: https://www.poetryireland.ie/poetry-day

24/04/2024

Did writing Molly Fox's Birthday go effortlessly for Deirdre Madden?

Check out the teaser for tomorrow's episode, where she discusses the ins and outs of writing the novel with Laureate Colm Tóibín.

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon Libraries Ireland dlr Libraries The School of English, Trinity College Dublin Picador books

15/04/2024

Join in with the Book Club!📚

The 2024 booklet is out now. Follow along each month with the The Laureate For Irish Fiction selection. Then at the end of the month enjoy Colm Tóibín & the authors conversations in the Art of Reading podcast, available on YouTube, Spotify & SoundCloud.

Libraries Ireland

https://www.artscouncil.ie/Arts-in-Ireland/Literature/Laureate-for-Irish-Fiction/The-Art-of-Reading-Book-Club/

10/04/2024

Interested in keeping up-to-date with all the latest activities and events involving the Laureate? 📚

Why not subscribe to our newly launched Laureate for Irish Fiction Newsletter!

Sign up here 👉 https://bit.ly/3JijSu8

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