Lazy City/Rachel Connolly
Nothing Special/Nicole Flattery
Panenka/Rónán Hession
*went w/ 3 not listed yet, but love many of the writers already mentioned
I wish I had put The Rachel Incident/Caroline O'Donoghue on there too as that's another great one that may not be as well known (but what do I know, American). Have you read it?
Not sure they are contemporary if they are no longer with us, but these changed my life:
John McGahern: Memoir
Dermot Healy: A Goat's Song
Sebastian Barry: A Long Long Way
At the moment Egg/Shell by Victoria Kennefick, Ghostgirl by Annemarie Ní Churreáin (I know this is a pamphlet but deserves everything) and Alvy Carragher’s What Remains the Same! M’up poets, m’up women! There’s many more x
Beautiful World, Where Are You? -Sally Rooney
Dinner Party -Sarah Gilmartin
The Wren, the Wren -Anne Enright
I like to buy them online so they have the Irish cover art, then read in an awkward, showy way on the NYC subway hoping I'll connect with a savvy kindred spirit.
Spoiler: So far, no luck! 🤔
Milkman - Anna Burns
A Girl is a Half-formed Thing - Eimar McBride
The Marriage Portrait - Maggie O’Farrell 📚
#contemporaryirishwriters #writers #books #authors
Lingering over the exquisite sentences would have been so much more than enough, but then came that ending, so gently profound. Looking forward to the new one.
This Side of Brightness - Colum McCann (or any Colum McCann)
The Butcher Boy - Patrick McCabe (or any Patrick McCabe)
Normal People - Sally Rooney (the only one of hers I've read)
I’ve really enjoyed reading these responses, loads of inspiration for reads, timely given the impending Xmas gifting. Thank you for doing this, I think it’ll give sales of books by Irish authors a wee lift for the season.
I think you are right - I am an American and knew several, but not all, of the authors. Some of the names were a nudge to read things I'd always intended, and others are fresh.
Lovely to meet you Diana - I will bet I bump into you again on a book chat somewhere. 👍. This platform does not really necessitate follows as we kind of find each other at the coffee bar when the time is right. 🤎
too hard to pick just three!
Butter Intervention by Ellen Dillon
Seatangled by Nicholas Allen
A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
The Rule of the Land by Garrett Carr
Focal Den Fhírinne by Celia de Fréine
I refer to the audience for her book - demographic is a term used in marketing to denote who is a most likely buyer based on a few qualifications/profiles. It is not a derogatory term, simply a reflection of the reality of taste that can be based on different elements.
Thank you for the recommendation for My Name Is Leon. I am going to ask Lenny Henry read it to me, too. (I LOVE Audible and am a daily listener.) I liked both your others, too. I think of Sally Rooney's demographic as "under 40," but I have listened and loved all of her books. Her prose is gorgeous.
Mine is from my Hoopla library so it says a woman's name is reading it, but when I began listening they announced Lenny,
And yes, he is really, really perfect for the lovely story. So talented and such a match.
I love that book! One of the things I enjoy about her writing is how different her books are. You can really see her progression as a writer, and a person I suppose. I never saw the film, will check it out thanks
Lots of things that have already been mentioned above (esp. A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa, oh my word!) but also Minor Monuments by Ian Maleney.
Too hard to choose. Milkman by Anna Burns, A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa- extraordinary ground-breaking female voices. And anything at all by the Colms (McCann and Tóibín). And Jan Carson!
Claire Keegan Small Things Like These (and Foster!)
Eimear McBride A Girl’s A Half Formed Thing
Mike McCormack Solar Bones
Kevin Barry City of Bohane
(sorry, can’t do three, four is hard enough…😅)
These three for their gripping and original narrative voices:
A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
Solar Bones by Mike McCormack
That Old Country Music by Kevin Barry
Wendy Erskine - Sweet Home or Dance Move, Mia Gallagher - Hellfire or Beautiful Pictures of the Lost Homeland, Estelle Birdy - The Ravelling. Soooo many… anything by Ronan Hession also…
3 is too few, so anything by Anne Enright and I'd like to see Aingeala Flannery's The Amusements; Mary O'Donoghue's The Hour after Happy Hour; and Philip Ó Ceallaigh's Trouble added if they aren't already on this impressive & growing list! 💚📚
#contemporaryIrishwriters #writers #authors #books
Just stumbled upon yet another excellent Irish author. I'm looking forward to reading more books by Sebastian Barry. From Kirkus review, "Barry writes with a gloomy gloriousness... but there’s an elegant beauty even in the most fraught moments..."
Glorious Exploits - Ferdia Lennon - A marvellous story of ancient Syracuse & Athens. Incredible debut novel.
Prophet Song - Paul Lynch - a near future Ireland in which things are going very wrong indeed.
City of Bohane - Kevin Barry - a future Ireland in which things went very wrong some time ago.
I listed to City of Bohane on audio .After half an hour I’d decided I couldn’t understand what anyone was saying and was about to give up. But I had nothing else to listen to so I carried on. Another half an hour later I’d got my ear in and was hooked.
you might even have seen the film, "the boy in the striped pajamas, based on his 2006 novel of the same title. he wrote a sequel in 2022, "all the broken places."
Don't like to be negative, it just felt off to me. It's a hard topic. Movies about the Holocaust as experienced by children are very very difficult. "The Zone of Interest:" did it best, I think
The Wonder by Emma Donahue
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan (and the rest of his works)
Also want to sneak in the Writers Torch - responses by contemporary authors to short stories by mid 20th century writers
Still hard to believe he's dead, but he's still my contemporary and I have to have Things that Happen by the great Maurice Scully
Hafez: Translations and Interpretations of the Ghazals by Geoff Squires:
A Book Around the Irish Sea: History without Nations by David Brett
I have another copy here. Maurice was great about having copies at his readings, and sending typescripts in the post. I actually have a tack about a foot high. And there's thisL
She certainly was. I re-read some of her work for the recent Dalkey festival and I freshly appreciated this. Wonderful humanity running through her stories also.
Highly recommend Sophie White's Where I End for lovers of the dark and disturbing. Also, Sinead Gleeson's Constellations for the most flowy and readable essays on the body. Then literally anything Marian Keyes has written ever.
I just finished "A Lethal Legacy: A History of Ireland in 18 Murders" by Fin Dwyer. I am a big fan of his Irish history podcast and found this book to be a fantastic read.
I once read a book in a pinch:
'Prophet Song' was a gem! by Paul Lynch.
From Limerick he came--
Y'can tell from his name--
'Prophet Song' won the Booker: t'was a cinch!
#contemporaryirishwriters
Fíona Scarlett, Boys Don't Cry
Kevin Barry, Night Boat to Tangiers (still haven't read The Heart in Winter! I must remedy that.)
Maggie O'Farrell, Hamnet
Comments
A Girl is a Half Formed Thing by Eimear McBride
Watt by Samuel Beckett
John Boyne - The hearts invisible furies
Donal Ryan - The spinning heart
With honourable mentions for Ronan Hession - Leonard and hungry Paul
Anne Enright - The Gathering
Nothing Special/Nicole Flattery
Panenka/Rónán Hession
*went w/ 3 not listed yet, but love many of the writers already mentioned
John McGahern: Memoir
Dermot Healy: A Goat's Song
Sebastian Barry: A Long Long Way
Dinner Party -Sarah Gilmartin
The Wren, the Wren -Anne Enright
I like to buy them online so they have the Irish cover art, then read in an awkward, showy way on the NYC subway hoping I'll connect with a savvy kindred spirit.
Spoiler: So far, no luck! 🤔
Ghost in the Throat: Doireann Ní Ghríofa
Threshold: Rob Doyle
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors - Roddy Doyle
Let The Great World Spin - Colum McCann
The quiet whispers never stop - Olivia Fitzsimons
Trespasses - Louise Kennedy
All great books!
The Country Girls - Edna O’Brien
The Barry Town trilogy - Roddy Doyle
Dirty Linen - @martindoyle.bsky.social
#comtemporaryirishwriters #booksky 💙📚
Breakdown by Cathy Sweeney.
All Down Darkness Wide by Sean Hewitt.
A Girl is a Half-formed Thing - Eimar McBride
The Marriage Portrait - Maggie O’Farrell 📚
#contemporaryirishwriters #writers #books #authors
Star of the Sea - Joseph O’Connor
Antarctica - Claire Keegan
The Journey Home-Dermot Bolger
A Ghost in the Throat-Doireann Ní Ghríofa
and illustrators
I Am I Am I Am - Maggie O'Farrell
The Heart's Invisible Furies - John Boyne
The Alternatives--Caoilinn Hughes
Notes to Self--Emilie Pine
💛One - Sarah Crossan
💜Savage Her Reply - Deirdre Sullivan
🩷The Henna Wars - Adiba Jaigirdar
💙Fia and the Last Snow Deer - Eilish Fisher
🩵The Wordsmith- Patricia Forde
💜The Deepest Breath- Meg Grehan
🩵Be Wild Little One - Olivia Hope and Daniel Egnéus
🧡The Wilderness - Steve McCarthy
🖤Scùnc agus Smúirín- Muireann Ní Chíobháin and Paddy Donnelly
Big Girl Small Town, by Michelle Gallen
And coming soon: Nesting, by Roisin O’Donnell
Gub by Scott McKendry
Isdal by Susannah Dickey
#booksky
Claire Keegan’s short stories
I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell
Eimear McBride 'A Girl is a Half-formed Thing'
Sara Baume 'A Line Made By Walking'
The Colony by Audrey Magee
Foster by Claire Keegan
2) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
3) Angela's ashes by Frank McCourt
I’m looking forward to everyone’s’ lists.
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
MILKMAN by Anna Burns.
SOLAR BONES by Mike Mc Cormack.
THE GATHERING by Anne Enright.
ACADEMY STREET by Mary Costello.
Etc., etc.
The Untouchable - John Banville
A History of Loneliness - John Boyne
-egg/shell by Victoria Kenneflick
-Topographia Hibernica by Blindboy Boatclub
This Side of Brightness - Colum McCann (or any Colum McCann)
The Butcher Boy - Patrick McCabe (or any Patrick McCabe)
Normal People - Sally Rooney (the only one of hers I've read)
Threshold by Rob Doyle
Tongues of Fire by Seán Hewitt
:)
Niall Williams- This Is Happiness
Sally Rooney-Normal People
📚☘️
Strange Sally Diamond - Liz Nugent
Nothing Special by Nicole Flattery
Antarctica by Claire Keegan
I will enjoy reading and sharing.
🍭
Lovely to meet you Diana - I will bet I bump into you again on a book chat somewhere. 👍. This platform does not really necessitate follows as we kind of find each other at the coffee bar when the time is right. 🤎
A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
The Bee Sting, by Paul Murray
Butter Intervention by Ellen Dillon
Seatangled by Nicholas Allen
A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
The Rule of the Land by Garrett Carr
Focal Den Fhírinne by Celia de Fréine
Anything by Clair Keegan - especially "Foster".
Anna Burns "Milkman"
Sebastian Barry "Days without end"
& currently:
Kit de Waal's "My name is Leon".
(I am listening to Lenny Henry read to me )
I like Sally Rooney but I am not her demographic.
..and of course, you are welcome re Lenny and the generous Kit De Waal. :-)
And yes, he is really, really perfect for the lovely story. So talented and such a match.
Enjoy!!!
Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume
Leonard & Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession
The Butcher Boy - Patrick McCabe
Grace - Paul Lynch
Niall Williams - Time of The Child
Catherine Dunne - A Good Enough Mother
John Boyne - The Heart’s Invisible Furies
Maggie O’Farrell - Hamnet
#contemporaryirishwriters
The Queen of Dirt Island (Donal Ryan)
Intermezzo (Sally Rooney)
I could go on and on …
From a Low and Quiet Sea (Donal Ryan)
The Heart’s Invisible Furies (John Boyne)
Boys Don’t Cry (Fiona Scarlett)
Trespasses - Louise Kennedy
Maggie O’Farrell - Hamnet
I was introduced to here, believe it or not, through the film of her book "This must be the place" with Sean Penn. It was bizarre and entrancing.
I will check out your other authors as well.
Prophet song - Paul Lynch
The heart in winter - Kevin Barry
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4523933?shelf=ireland&sort=date_added&order=d
Milkman by Anna Burns
Eureka Street by Robert McLiam Wilson
grace Paul Lynch
Clare Keegan - all of them ( am cheating)
Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan
The Sea - John Banville
Let the Great World Spin, Colm McCann
The Sacred Scripture, Sebastian Barry
All of Claire Keegan’s work
Bee Sting, Paul Murray
Amongst Women by John McGahern
The Gathering by Anne Enright
#contemporaryirishwriters #books #authors #irishnovels
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray,
Beatlebone by Kevin Barry
Trespasses, by Louise Kennedy
Eimear McBride A Girl’s A Half Formed Thing
Mike McCormack Solar Bones
Kevin Barry City of Bohane
(sorry, can’t do three, four is hard enough…😅)
Young Skins - Colin Barrett
The Secret Scripture - Sebastian Barry
Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan
The Sea, John Banville.
The Raptures, Jan Carson
Boys Don’t Cry, Fiona Scarlett
A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
Solar Bones by Mike McCormack
That Old Country Music by Kevin Barry
Habitat by Catriona Shine
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
And… a brilliantly unsettling debut novel coming next year from @canongate.co.uk
The Wardrobe Department by Elaine Garvey
💙📚
Eggshells, by Caitriona Lally
Rebel Hearts, by Kevin Toolis
Milkman, Anna Burns
Four Letters of Love by Niall Williams
The Queen of Dirt Island by Donal Ryan
Solar Bones - Mike McCormack
Prophet Song - Paul Lynch
Twelve Thousand Days by Éilís Ní Dhuibhne
The Wild Laughter by Caoilinn Hughes
Nora Webster, by Colm Tóibín
Service, by Sarah Gilmartin
Pond, by Claire Louise Bennett
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne.
Just stumbled upon yet another excellent Irish author. I'm looking forward to reading more books by Sebastian Barry. From Kirkus review, "Barry writes with a gloomy gloriousness... but there’s an elegant beauty even in the most fraught moments..."
Alice Winn, In Memoriam
Donal Ryan, From a Low and Quiet Sea
Hazel Hayes, Out of Love
The Green Road - Anne Enright
Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan
Sweet Home - Wendy Erskine
Notes From An Apocalypse - Mark O’Connell
Prophet Song - Paul Lynch - a near future Ireland in which things are going very wrong indeed.
City of Bohane - Kevin Barry - a future Ireland in which things went very wrong some time ago.
John Boyne: "The Heart's Invisible Furies"
Alice Winn: "In Memoriam"
Tana French: "The Hunter"
The Temporary Gentleman - Sebastian Barry
Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan (and the rest of his works)
Also want to sneak in the Writers Torch - responses by contemporary authors to short stories by mid 20th century writers
As You Were by Elaine Feeney
All We Shall Know by Donal Ryan
Most recently, I enjoyed:
Niamh Mulvey - Hearts and Bones (2022)
Naoise Dolan - Exciting Times (2020)
💙📚 📖🦋
Bina, by Anakana Schofield
Ghost Mountain, by Rónán Hession
The Geometer Lobachevsky by Adrian Duncan
(Bonus: Barcelona, by Mary Costello)
Hafez: Translations and Interpretations of the Ghazals by Geoff Squires:
A Book Around the Irish Sea: History without Nations by David Brett
My odd choices.
https://bsky.app/profile/billymills.bsky.social/post/3la6vrlflom2l
In The Woods - Tana French
Circle of Friends - Maeve Binchy
🦖Dinosaurs on Other Planets by Danielle McLaughlin
🎣How to Gut a Fish by Sheila Armstong
Savage Her Reply - Deirdre Sullivan
Maybe... - Chris Haughton
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
Foster by Claire Keegan
Small things like these
Trespasses
#booksky
#3irishcontemporary
Derek Mahon, The Poems 1961-2020
Ciaran Carson, The Star Factory
Anna Burns "Milkman"
Sebastian Barry "Days without end"
That Old Country Music, Kevin Barry
A History of Loneliness, John Boyne.
2. The Heart In Winter by Kevin Barry
3. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Handiwork - Sara Baume
The Earlie King & the Kid in Yellow - Danny Denton
Nobber - Oisín Fagan
We Don’t Know Ourselves by Fintan O’Toole
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
What Are You Like, Anne Enright
The Testament of Mary - Colm Tóibín
Ravelling - Estelle Birdy (Lilliput)
The Dagger and the Flame - Catherine Doyle (Simon & Schuster)
Claire Keegan, Small Things Like These
Alan Murrin, The Coast Road
The Coast Road by Alan Murrin; and
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
🇮🇪
Strange Flowers, Donal Ryan
The Butcher Boy, Patrick McCabe
Anna Burns, Milkman
Paul Lynch, Prophet Song
Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
anything written by Claire Keegan
Beatlebone - Kevin Barry
From a Low and Quiet Sea - Donal Ryan
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Someone in the Attic by Andrea Mara
#contemporaryirishwriters
Colm Tóibín - The Magician
Sebastian Barry - Days without end
Oisín Fagan - Nobber
The Beesting/Paul Murray (such a vivid portrayal of small town Ireland )
Though The Bodies Fall /Noel O Regan (this story has lingered in my mind ever since I picked it off the shelf )
Milkman - Anna Burns
Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne
'Prophet Song' was a gem! by Paul Lynch.
From Limerick he came--
Y'can tell from his name--
'Prophet Song' won the Booker: t'was a cinch!
#contemporaryirishwriters
Barry, Old Gods Time
Feeney, how to Build a Boat
Kevin Barry, Night Boat to Tangiers (still haven't read The Heart in Winter! I must remedy that.)
Maggie O'Farrell, Hamnet
Milkman by Anna Burns
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Eggshells, by Catriona Lally
Leonard and Hungry Paul, by Rónán Hession
Love of the World - John McGarhern
Topographica Hibernica - Blondboy Boatclub
Breaking Point by Edel Coffey
The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney
That Old Country Music, Kevin Barry
A History of Loneliness, John Boyne.
Show Them A Good Time by Nicole Flattery
Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume