Joseph O’Connor wins Irish Book of the Year 2025 with The Ghosts of Rome
Sequel to My Father's House is the second in the Escape Line trilogy, inspired by the true story of Fr Hugh O’Flaherty
Joseph O'Connor
Joseph O’Connor on Bread of Angels by Patti Smith: Vive la reine
Lucid new memoir – a sort of sequel to Just Kids – gives fascinating insight into the worldview of one of the greatest living artists of our time
I’m always surprised at the whiff of condescension that greets historical novels
Historical fiction is a broad church, spanning detective fiction, romance, family sagas, war stories, feminist polemics, political thrillers and more
Irish Book Awards: Brenda Fricker, Leo Varadkar, Manchán Magan and Andy Farrell shortlisted
Awards ‘remain the cornerstone of Ireland’s literary calendar’ and will be held on November 27th in Dublin
The best books for summer 2025: our critics’ top picks
Sarah Moss, Joseph O’Connor, Wendy Erskine, John Banville, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne and other authors and reviewers choose their top reads for the holidays
Good books: The 20 best holiday reads this summer
Chillers, thrillers, romance, comedy, a GAA travelogue and Chekov in the west of Ireland
The Guide: Gemma Hayes, Dr Strangelove, Jess Gillam and other events to see, shows to book and ones to catch before they end
February 1st-7th: The best movies, music, art and more coming your way this week
Joseph O’Connor: ‘I don’t know what modern Ireland is yet. I’m suspicious about the new sacred cows’
The Irish novelist on taking instruction from Vincent Browne, finding his way in fiction as a young man and coming to understand that the best writing has an inherent musicality
Fiction to look out for in 2025: From Eimear McBride to Ben Okri
Emma Donoghue, Joseph O’Connor and Colum McCann are just some of the big names with new books coming out in 2025. Here’s our pick of fiction for the year ahead
The Irish Times best books of 2024: Anne Enright, John Boyne, Joseph O’Connor, Mia Levitin and more reveal their favourites
Books by Ferdia Lennon, Miranda July, Donal Ryan, Mary Costello, Alan Hollinghurst, Christine Dwyer Hickey and Sally Rooney feature prominently in this trawl of the year’s best titles
‘There are a lot of sound people out there’: Amy Huberman, Paul Brady, Joseph O’Connor and more share their stories of kindness from strangers
Random Acts of Kindness Day, which falls today, offers a salutary reminder that even a small gesture can elevate someone else’s mood. Here, several well-known names share their stories
A truly great book is always about now. By that measure, Joyce’s Dubliners is great
Rite & Reason: James Joyce was our Cole Porter, our Bob Dylan, our Bessie Smith, and every story in Dubliners is a song
Paul Lynch’s Booker Prize winner is Ireland’s bestselling book of 2023
Prophet Song pips Liz Nugent’s Strange Sally Diamond and Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting
Joseph O’Connor: There are days you want to get into the wardrobe and stay there. They pass
If Christmas has a seam of holiness in a broken world, it is in gazing out on midwinter and telling the darkness to be gone
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices