Burning Books Ireland

Catherine Dunne talks about her childhood in Clontarf, an inspiring teacher, and what led her to write her new novel as she tells Ruth McKee which books she would save if her house was on fire.  Catherine Dunne is the author of several award-winning novels, essays, and one work of non-fiction. She received the 2018 Irish PEN Award for Outstanding Contribution to Irish Literature and is a member of Aosdána. Her latest book, A Good Enough Mother, is out now (Betimes Books).

Rónán Hession talks about the natural buoyancy of observations which make it to the page, using a fragment from the day in his writing, and the juice at the heart of a creative work as he tells Ruth McKee which books he'd save if his house was on fire.  Rónán Hession is the multi award winning novelist of Leonard and Hungry Paul (Bluemoose Books, 2019), and Panenka (Bluemoose Books, 2021). His latest novel, Ghost Mountain, is out now, with Bluemoose Books. 

Jane Casey talks about The Hounds of the Morrigan, The Secret History, The Wild Places and more as she explores how it feels to live between London and Dublin, writing the beloved character Maeve Kerrigan, and how there is one book she is reluctant to ever finish. Jane Casey is the best-selling author of the Maeve Kerrigan crime series, and the stand-alone The Killing Kind. Her latest book, A Stranger in the Family, is out now with Harper Collins.  

Jackie Lynam talks about her early reading, Marianne Power, Bob Geldof, the inspiration of Constellations by Sinéad Gleeson, and how a book started the romance with her future husband as she tells Ruth McKee which books she would save if her house was on fire. Jackie Lynam is the author of Traces, her debut collection of poems and essays which engage with the body, illness, motherhood, music, family and friendship. You can find Traces in Books Upstairs, Alan Hanna's Bookshop, and borrow it from libraries nationwide.

Noel O’Regan talks about a reading switch turning on as a teenager, Carver, McGahern, learning from Claire Keegan, and his desire to become a writer as he tells Ruth McKee which books he would save if his house was on fire.   Noel O’Regan is from Tralee, in Co. Kerry. His short fiction is published in The Stinging Fly, Granta, Ambit, Banshee and The London Magazine. His debut novel, Though the Bodies Fall, is published by Granta Books. 

Órfhlaith Foyle talks about a kind of faith in creativity, a different way of being in the world as a writer, and a sense of the other-worldly as she tells Ruth McKee which books she would save if her house was on fire.   Órfhlaith Foyle writes fiction, poetry and drama and lives in Galway. Her work includes the novel Belios (Lilliput Press) and the collections Revenge, Red Riding Hood's Dilemma, Somewhere In Minnesota, and Clemency Browne Dreams of Gin (Arlen House). Her latest short story collection is Three Houses in Rome, published by Doire Press.

Anne Tannam talks about Angus Fletcher, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, and the crone energy which runs through her forthcoming collection as she tells Ruth McKee which books she would save if her house was on fire.  Anne Tannam is Poet in Residence with Poetry Ireland (2023 - 2025). She is the author of three poetry collections: Take This Life (Wordonthestreet 2011), Tides Shifting Across My Sitting Room Floor (Salmon 2017) and Twenty-six Letters of a New Alphabet (Salmon 2021). Her fourth collection dismantle is forthcoming with Salmon in early 2024.

Thomas Morris talks about The Outsider by Albert Camus, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, and discovering an inner life as he tells Ruth McKee which books he’d save if his house was on fire.   Thomas Morris’s debut story collection We Don’t Know What We’re Doing won The Wales Book of the Year Award, The Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award, and a Somerset Maugham Prize. Born and raised in Caerphilly, South Wales, he now lives in Dublin, where he is Editor-at-Large at The Stinging Fly. His new collection Open Up, is out now with Faber.

Kevin Curran talks about Claire Keegan, William Faulkner, Cormac McCarthy and many more, revealing how teaching, reading and writing are the touchstones of his life—as he tells Ruth McKee which books he’d save if his house was on fire. Kevin Curran is from Balbriggan and has been a secondary-school teacher in his hometown for over a decade. His fiction largely concentrates on working class life in the Dublin suburbs. His first novel, Beatsploitation, was published in 2013 and brought him national attention due to his depiction of Ireland’s new multicultural landscape. Citizens was published in 2016, and his new novel, Youth, is out now with Lilliput Press.

Author Una Mannion talks about Pippi Longstocking, Anne Carson, and the distillation and immediacy of the short story as she tells Ruth McKee which books she would save if her house was on fire. Una Mannion’s first novel, A Crooked Tree, was published in 2021. Her latest book, Tell Me What I Am, is out now with Faber.

Claire Kilroy talks about the genesis of her new novel Soldier, Sailor which took over a decade to emerge, how early motherhood affected her creativity, and the profound rewiring that happens to you as an artist and as a person when you have a child. Claire Kilroy won the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature in 2004, and is the author of All Summer, (Faber 2003), Tenderwire, (Faber 2006), All Names Have Been Changed, (Faber 2009), and The Devil I Know (Faber 2012), which was described by The Guardian as “a satiric danse macabre of brio and linguistic virtuosity.” Her new novel, Soldier, Sailor (Faber) is out now.

John Banville talks about the mystery in great art, the escape into life rather than out of it, the observation at work in the heart of good writing, bearing witness to the world in all its beauty and horror—and also cats and dogs… John Banville, who won the Booker Prize in 2005 for his novel The Sea is known for his exquisite use of language, acutely observed characters, and novels which are not afraid to look into the dark. He has written a library of literary masterpieces, including Mefisto (1986), The Infinities (2009), and Ancient Light (2012). His latest book The Lock-Up is out now with Faber.

Shane Hegarty talks about Douglas Adams, Clive James and Marvel comics, exploring the balance of funny and profound as he chooses the books he would save if his house was on fire. Author and journalist Shane Hegarty is one of Ireland’s most popular writers of children’s fiction, including the best-selling series Darkmouth and Boot. His new book, Big Berry Robbery, is the next in The Book of Impossible Ice Creams series, and is out now with Hachette. 

Sophie White talks about Stephen King, Nuala O'Faolain, and Marian Keyes, exploring why she is drawn to horror stories, the choppy waters of motherhood, and much more besides, as she chooses the books she would save if her house was on fire. Sophie White is a writer and podcaster from Dublin. She is the author of several books, including the recent highly acclaimed Corpsing: My Body and Other Horror Shows (2021), and Where I End (2022), both published by Tramp Press.

Andrew Meehan talks about Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Amy Bloom, Joan Didion, Ivan Turgenev and much more as he discusses love, endings and sadness with Ruth McKee, choosing the books he would save if his house was on fire. Andrew Meehan’s debut, One Star Awake was longlisted for the 2018 Desmond Elliott Prize, the UK’s most prestigious award for debut novelists. His second book, The Mystery of Love, is a moving and unique reimagining of the relationship between Oscar and Constance Wilde. His latest novel, Instant Fires, is out now with New Island.

Martina Devlin talks about Benedict Kiely, Mary Shelley and a woman who turns into a fox as she tells Ruth McKee which books she would save if her house was on fire. Martina Devlin is an award winning journalist and author. Her latest novel Edith, based on the life of Edith Somerville, is out now with Lilliput Press. 

Roma Wells talks about the search for meaning, the joy in small things and the solace she finds in nature as she tells Ruth McKee which books she’d save if her house was on fire—with titles from Camus, Nabokov, Lemony Snicket and many more. Roma Wells is the author of Seek the Singing Fish, her debut novel published by époque press.

Bernie McGill talks about Aesop’s Fables, the Irish short story, Lincoln in the Bardo and the pact between the author and the reader as she tells Ruth McKee which books she would save if her house was on fire.  Bernie McGill is the author of two novels, The Butterfly Cabinet and The Watch House and two collections of short stories, Sleepwalkers, and most recently This Train is For, published by No Alibis Press. 

The next episode of Burning Books features novelist and short story writer Bernie McGill, who talks about Aesop’s Fables, Lincoln in the Bardo and much more as she tells Ruth McKee which books she would save if her house was on fire. 

Olivia Fitzsimons talks about Hans Christian Andersen, Raymond Carver, Donna Tartt, and echoes through time as she tells Ruth McKee which books she would save if her house was on fire. Olivia Fitzsimons is an award-winning short story writer whose debut novel, The Quiet Whispers Never Stop, is out now with John Murray.