Events

A stunning, lyrical novel told in twenty-one voices Donal Ryan's Heart Be at Peace is a stunning, standalone literary novel in its own right, and a sequel to Donal Ryan's multi-award-winning bestseller, The Spinning Heart. Donal Ryan will be in conversation with writer and radio producer Paula Shields. The event will open with a reading by Geraldine Mitchell from her latest book Naming Love.

This event brings together nature writer Eoghan Daltun and poet Jane Clarke to explore the connecting themes of restoration and hope in their work.

The sea has always been a part of Nuala Moore’s life: her earliest memory is of jumping off her father’s fishing boat in Dingle Harbour and swimming back to shore. Since then, she’s swum in some of the coldest, most remote and dangerous waters in the world, from the Bering Strait to the Drake Passage. After years of marathon swimming, Nuala struggled to balance sacrifice and achievement. Her work–life balance, coupled with caring for her father, forced a change in her pathway. She turned to ice swimming. For Nuala, these extreme situations offered freedom and a chance to find her true north. This special talk will be on board the Ku-Ee-Tu. Nuala will be in conversation with Nathan O'Donnell a Nenagh native and author of The Book of Invasions an exploration of swimming in Lough Derg.

Inspired by his passionate interest in Ireland’s architectural heritage and its preservation, in 2012 writer Robert O’Byrne established The Irish Aesthete, a blog and social media phenomenon dedicated to sharing and showcasing the treasures of Ireland’s built environment. His new book, The Irish Aesthete: Buildings of Ireland, Lost and Found was born from O’Byrne’s tireless work charting the hidden glories of Ireland’s buildings. In this true everyman’s guide, Robert has set out to highlight these landmarks, and to demonstrate how readers young and old can enjoy them.

John McKenna's book Absent Friend is a meditation on a thirty year friendship between Leonard Cohen and Irish writer John MacKenna. Through their letters, emails and MacKenna's exploration of his favourite Leonard Cohen songs, the book builds a picture of a comradeship that culminated in their creating. Between Your Love and Mine, a requiem Mass for theatre, in the months before Leonard's death. This afternoon Leonard Cohen’s songs will be performed by Katie Jacques with readings and reflections by John McKenna on a very important and unique friendship.