How John McGahern wrote: ‘Everything begins in a copy book. Every draft would be by hand’
The author’s archive, going on show at Galway University, charts his working life and methods, beginning with copy books filled with his tiny writing
Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney 1939-2013 – “The space we stood around had been emptied” (Clearances, The Haw Lantern, 1987)
Derry dispatch: ‘Influencer’ Seamus Heaney plays a part in reclaiming city’s walls
Message of murals transforming Derry is of a new, shared identity that goes beyond green, white and orange or red, white and blue
The Writer’s Writer: A dive into John McGahern’s literary archive shows his huge impact
Leitrim writer’s archive features words of praise from Seamus Heaney, Brian Friel and Colm Tóibín, while Claire Keegan and Anne Enright also speak of his influence
Seamus Heaney and Catholicism: An astute account of religion’s afterlife in poet’s work
Chapters in Gary Wade’s book study clusters of collections by Heaney, with Station Island the pivot around which the whole turns
Belfast’s fleadh found space for Britishness in a celebration of Irishness
Belfast can be a claustrophobic place, but not last week, as what was once the most bombed hotel in Europe was booked out with ceilidhs
A Bitter Harvest: A Derry man’s family search for his ‘British state-sponsored’ killer
Garbhán Downey details the sinister murkiness of Seán Brown’s murder as well as its investigative failings
TV guide: the best new shows to watch
Highlights include Trinity’s Treasures, The Dark and The Chase Around the World
A Better Locksmith by Jane Coyle: Chronicle of an astonishingly fecund time in the theatre of Northern Ireland
The critic’s love and care shine through in this compendium of her theatre writing from 1984 to the present
‘I’ve become aware of how Irishness is considered abroad, how much it can be weaponised’
Author Sheila Armstrong talks about Seamus Heaney, Heinrich Himmler and why ‘more people should quit writing’
Hare coursing should not need to be debated, just ended
If ever there was a case for a conscience vote in the Dáil, this is it
Signed Samuel Beckett books and Pride and Prejudice among rare treasures for sale
Stirrings Still by Samuel Beckett, with illustrations by Louis le Brocquy, and second edition of Pride and Prejudice among this week’s finds
Surprise(d) guest: Frank McNally on the mysteries of Irish-English and the story behind the world’s greatest collection of Joyceana
Invited to join a conversation on Irish-English, I found my biggest challenge was to shut up
Marita Conlon-McKenna: ‘I write what I see and what I feel. I can sense things. I always have’
Our senses lead a pathway to what’s going on in a story, says the bestselling author
11 Parnell Square East: Ireland’s new home for poetry and heritage
Home to Poetry Ireland, the public will soon be able to visit the restored Georgian building for events, while the Seamus Heaney library will open in the autumn
Secret spots for wild swimming in Co Kerry
A father and son trace Ireland’s wildest swims along the Dingle Peninsula, from hidden lakes to Atlantic coves
‘Heaps of tresses’: What do poets really mean about Irish hair?
Debate about Irish people’s hair has endured for centuries
Seamus Heaney’s later years: Nicholas Allen explores his final poetry volumes
Allen examines ageing, illness and the enduring light of Heaney’s poetic world
Seamus Heaney: from ancient Greece to home turf, Northern shades and the Nobel Prize
Nicholas Allen traces the terrains that inspired the poet’s late work
Author Cathy Kelly: ‘I doubt there’s a writer alive who hasn’t used personal battles in their work’
If you’re absolutely full of fear and anxiety, sit down and find a pen/laptop, says seasoned novelist
Lyric Theatre at 75: ‘It was as improbable then as it is now. It took real vision’
The Belfast cultural institution began life in 1951, when the indomitable Mary O’Malley formed Lyric Players Theatre
Inhabit the Poem - Last Essays by Helen Vendler: A career of single-minded poetic devotion
The 20th century’s greatest poetry critic looks at the greatest of these poets and chooses WB Yeats
Nonfiction books coming in 2026: From a new memoir by Louise O’Neill to Roy Keane’s impact on modern Ireland
Among promising titles are a book about France’s dark side and Jon Ronson’s exploration of multimillionaires searching for meaning in New England
Around Ireland in 32 volumes: An island’s history, county by county
Series which began in 1985 concludes with 31 writers contributing essays on Co Antrim
Three Irish traditional music books from a piper, a flautist and a professor
The ‘profound artistry’ of Irish music through the words of Erick Falc’her Poyroux, Mick O’Connor and Seán Potts
My mother dragged me under protest aged 10 to see Seamus Heaney read, but the impact stayed
As an Irish man living abroad, the poet has cropped up again and again in different times and places of my life
Tom Paulin wins PEN Heaney Prize for Namanlagh
Poet honoured for his 10th collection, his firs tin more than 10 years
Human rights activist Michael Farrell: ‘We were in a period of progress, but now we seem to be galloping backwards’
Lawyer Michael Farrell represented transgender woman Lydia Foy after earning his stripes during the Troubles in the North
My first Inishowen Peninsula trip raises a big question: why would anybody live in a city?
Donegals landscapes, alpacas and lavish hospitality might just be the perfect recipe for life
Colm Tóibín on The Poems of Seamus Heaney: ‘A process of finding echoes and associations’
This book contains Heaney’s unpublished poems plus all those from his single books of poetry published
Seamus Heaney’s Ribbons: A beautiful poem about his sisters, published for the first time
The reader is transported by Heaney’s illuminating memory: we’re in a school, a photographer is visiting and the girls are having their picture taken
‘Tony O’Reilly should have been president of Ireland’: Jeffrey Archer on life, books and his God-given gift
Former Tory politician on his new novel End Game and - to the chagrin of his publisher - his secret final novel out next year
Honing the craft of the Irish Writers Centre: ‘It’s a great story to tell, as we are a nation of storytellers’
Charity seeks to help writers of all levels through mentoring, masterclasses, courses, writers’ residencies, bursaries and competitions
‘An honesty like no other’: Padraic Fiacc’s legacy recognised in his Belfast birthplace
The subversive voice of the poet, one of the foremost chroniclers of the Troubles, still echoes
Fr Oliver Crilly obituary: Scholar who overhauled the church’s publishing and attempted to negotiate an end to the 1981 hunger strikes
Amused to have lent his surname to Father Ted Crilly
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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