Winter Papers & An Alternative Irish Christmas: An exquisite hardy annual and a wonderful gift
Winter Papers 11 is a Christmas annual to stand the test of time, and An Alternative Irish Christmas is great for those jaded by other literary offerings
Mike McCormack
In pictures: Portraits of Irish writers as you have never seen them before
Former New Yorker photographer Steve Pyke has compiled a striking book of portraits beginning with Neil Jordan in 1985 and including Marian Keyes, Edna O’Brien, Sebastian Barry
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
Colm Tóibín: ‘I am much less sociable now, as I don’t drink any more’
For the author of A Long Winter and Ship in Full Sail, inspiration often comes subliminally. But he has also brought his inner self to the surface through therapy
A new generation of Irish artists is teaching us that we are global citizens
Poems, plays, films, visual and performing arts have all been travelling a lot recently, expanding the horizons of Irish culture
‘It’s a very hard time to be young’: author John Patrick McHugh on male adolescence
The Irish writer on his timely debut novel, Fun and Games; the tenderness and competitiveness of young male friendship; and his friendship with Sally Rooney
Irish Times readers pick Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These as the best Irish book of the 21st century
How do your top 25 books compare to the rankings of 60 experts? Claire Keegan’s work is a firm favourite among both groups
Books: Vote for the best Irish fiction of the 21st century
Our experts have ranked the best Irish novels and story collections published since 2000. Now it is your turn
‘We are living through the sixth extinction’: How contemporary Irish writers are pointedly addressing the climate crisis
Poetry cannot change the world, Seamus Heaney once said. But he also went on to clarify that what poetry could do is to allow the world to be viewed afresh
What do Irish writers read? Donal Ryan, Mark Tighe, Nuala O’Connor, Claire Hennessy and more give recommendations
The Irish Writers Handbook 2025 contributors recommend books and bookshops for Irish Book Week
This Plague of Souls by Mike McCormack: creates an utterly distinctive, utterly contemporary mood
Weighing in at a slender 179 pages, McCormack’s quarry is the elusive stuff of consciousness itself
Mike McCormack: ‘There is no good time to lose your father’
What happens to the father of Nealon, the protagonist of This Plague of Souls, his new novel, is also what happened to the author’s father
Kilkenny Arts Festival mixes risk and safe-bets in search of magical chance
From Rough Magic’s Tonic to Mozart’s Requiem, the festival starts August 6th
Kilkenny festival to present mixture of virtual and live events
‘Bringing people back together is really important,’ says director Olga Barry
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Family NoticesOpens in new window
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices