Red Line Book Festival

Join award-winning author Paul McVeigh as he discusses his new short story collection, I Hear You, with journalist and critic Niamh Donnelly.

Paul McVeigh’s short stories have been in anthologies, journals and newspapers, and read on BBC Radio 3, 4 and 5, RTE Radio, as well as Sky ARTS. His ten-part short story series, The Circus, aired on BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio Foyle and BBC Radio 4. He co-founded London Short Story Festival and has edited three anthologies. His collection of stories written for radio, I Hear You, was published in March 2025. His debut novel, The Good Son, won The Polari First Book Prize and The McCrae Literary Award and his writing has been translated into eight languages.

Niamh Donnelly  is a journalist, critic, and writer from Dublin. A regular contributor to The Irish Times, she covers books, arts, and a wide range of other topics.  Her work can also be found in Business Plus Magazine, The Irish Independent, New York Magazine, The Financial Times, The Business Post, The Sunday Times, and many other publications. Her short fiction has appeared in Granta, The Dublin Review, Banshee, and elsewhere. She has been shortlisted for five Irish Journalism Awards.

DateMonday October 13th
Time7pm 
AdmissionFree, booking required 
VenueLucan Library

Free but booking required here.

Interviewing Donal Ryan

Heart, Be At Peace: Donal Ryan in conversation with Paul McVeigh

Donal Ryan has rapidly become one of Irelands most celebrated authors. Join Donal as he talks about his new book, Heart, Be at Peace, and his career, with author Paul McVeigh.

Donal Ryan, from Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, is the author of six number one-bestselling novels and a short story collection. He has won several awards for his fiction, including the European Union Prize for Literature, the Guardian First Book Award and four Irish Book Awards, and has been shortlisted for several more, including the Costa Book Award and the Dublin International Literary Award. He was nominated for the Booker Prize in 2013 for his debut novel, The Spinning Heart, and again in 2018, for his fourth novel, From A Low and Quiet Sea. In 2016 his debut novel, The Spinning Heart, was voted Irish Book of the Decade. In 2021 he became the first Irish writer to be awarded the Jean Monnet Prize for European Literature. His work has been adapted for stage and screen and translated into over twenty languages. A law graduate and former civil servant, Donal has lectured in Creative Writing at the University of Limerick since 2014 and lives in Castletroy with his wife Anne Marie and their two children. His seventh novel, Heart, Be At Peace, will be published worldwide in August 2024.

Paul McVeigh’s debut novel, The Good Son, won The Polari First Novel Prize, The McCrea Literary Award and was shortlisted for many others including the Prix de Roman Cezam. His short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, journals and newspapers, as well as, on BBC Radio 3, 4 & 5, and Sky Arts. He edited the Queer Love anthology and The 32: An Anthology of Irish Working Class Voices. His writing has been translated into seven languages. 

His collection of short stories written for BBC Radio, I Hear You, will be published by Salt Publishing in March 2025.

DateWednesday October 16th
VenueRathfarnham Castle
Admission€10 / €8
Time7pm

Book here.

Red Line Book Fest, Oct 10, Dublin

Delighted to be reading alongside these great authors in one of my favourite cities. Here’s the blurb…

This Voice: Writing & The Working Class

A working class hero is something to be…Although working class characters are well represented in the Irish literary canon, more often than not, the writers behind the stories derive from more privileged backgrounds.Hosted by poet and writer Colm Keegan (Randomer), a panel of top authors explore the challenges faced by working class writers and the valuable perspectives they have to offer. Joining Keegan are Polari prize-winner Paul McVeigh (The Good Son), acclaimed author Frankie Gaffney (Dublin Seven) and bestselling writer June Caldwell (Room Little Darker).
  • VENUE: Rua Red
  • TIME: Wed 10 Oct, 7.00pm
  • PRICE: €8/€5

 

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