Three emerging Irish writers offer insight into their lives, their work, and what it's like to be a writer in Ireland right now. Paul Murray’s first novel, An Evening of Long Goodbyes, was shortlisted for the 2003 Whitbreat Award. His second novel, Skippy Dies, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Murray studied English at Trinity College Dublin and received his Master’s … [Read more...] about Young Irish Writer Part 3: Paul Murray
Issues
Irish Writer Finds Room at the Top
EDITOR: On Sunday, June 10 actress Brie Larson won the 2016 Golden Globe award for best actress in a motion picture, drama for her emotional turn as Ma in the film adaptation of Emma Donohue's Room. In her acceptance speech she singled out Donohue. "This movie means so much to me and so I need to start at the beginning with Emma Donohue who wrote the novel that inspired all of … [Read more...] about Irish Writer Finds Room at the Top
A Bit on the Side
By William TrevorFebruary / March 2011
From the Selected Stories by William Trevor IN THE JAPANESE CAFE he helped her off with her coat and took it to the line of hooks beneath the sign that absolved the management of responsibility for its safety. They weren’t the first in the cage, although it was early, ten past eight. The taxi-driver who came in most mornings was reading the Daily Mail in his usual corner. Two … [Read more...] about A Bit on the Side
Tory Island: Rugged Beauty, Pirate Past
"...like it or not, we are, all of us, Tory Islanders under the skin." – Marius O'hEarcain The remotest of Ireland’s inhabited islands, Tory has Neolithic and Bronze Age roots and a fascinating mythology all its own. But for the past several decades the Island has been feeling its way into the Big World, venturing into new, uncharted waters: it’s become a tourist destination … [Read more...] about Tory Island: Rugged Beauty, Pirate Past
Corner of Ireland in America
The Irish Mansion in Greeneville, Tennessee. William Dickson left County Antrim, Ireland at the age of 16 for a better life in Greeneville, Tennessee. He succeeded. By 1796, when he was 21, he was commissioned by President George Washington to be the town’s first postmaster, a lifetime appointment. He also amassed a considerable fortune as a merchant. This mountainous region … [Read more...] about Corner of Ireland in America