#thomas-connors

[ follow ]
#irish-literature
Books
fromIndependent
4 days ago

My husband died suddenly. One final task remained: to publish the book he'd spent 25 years of his life working on

Editing a book on James Joyce took over two decades of research and writing, followed by three and a half years of editing.
London food
fromIndependent
1 week ago

John Connell: 'I was running on empty and the mental health issues emerged. It started a journey that took a few years'

Spring lamb signifies the arrival of the season in Longford, blending cooking with discussions on various topics.
Cancer
fromIndependent
1 week ago

'Writing allows me to face what is happening now. And what is happening now is that I'm dying'

Gabriel Rosenstock faces mortality with peace, relying on poetry and philosophy for support during his battle with terminal cancer.
fromIndependent
4 days ago

Conor McKeon: The truth is the Munster SHC is one of the purest cultural institutions of this poxed nation

Brian Cody's views on the media at large, or at least that wretched part of it tasked with covering hurling, were dim. Roughly similar in wattage to Bobby Knight.
Books
Writing
fromThe Atlantic
2 days ago

The Feeling of Becoming Less and Less of a Person

The advent of the smartphone marked a significant shift in human perception and relationships, altering the human sensorium since June 2007.
fromIndependent
2 weeks ago

Meet the Kerry Japanese artist bringing sean nos and Irish language to life for a new generation

Amano De Londra Miura showcased her stunning sean nós talents live on TV, putting the Irish language back on the map and highlighting its cultural importance.
London music
#bryan-dobson
fromIndependent
2 weeks ago
Media industry

Bryan Dobson: 'I have a wonderful letter written by my father to his mother-in-law when my parents got married'

fromIndependent
2 weeks ago
Media industry

Bryan Dobson: 'I have a wonderful letter written by my father to his mother-in-law when my parents got married'

fromEmilysneddon
2 weeks ago
Typography

Fran Sans Essay - Emily Sneddon

Fran Sans is a display font inspired by the unique destination displays of San Francisco's diverse public transit system.
fromIndependent
2 weeks ago

Love/Hate actor John Connors calls on Travelling community 'to stop feuding ... and return to God' in wake of Limerick attack

John Connors has called on members of the Travelling community involved in feuding to step back from violence and 'return to God'.
NYC LGBT
Books
fromThe Atlantic
5 days ago

Unconventional Novels About Conventional People

Aging revolutionaries and conformists share parallel narratives of disillusionment and the loss of youthful dreams in recent literature.
London politics
fromIndependent
2 weeks ago

Shane Ross: My father almost completely cut me out of his will as he felt I had lost the run of myself and become utterly obnoxious

Government actions are targeting savings set aside by parents for their children.
fromIndependent
5 days ago

Louise O'Neill: 'I wanted to write the book that I'd like to have read in the early days of my break-up'

"I wonder why I wanted to be famous," she muses now, as we sit across from each other in The Pavilion cafe in Cork.
Books
fromwww.npr.org
3 weeks ago

Keith O'Brien talks about his latest book, 'Heartland'

You know, this story is a bit different, right? We always do the Bird-Magic thing where we combine the narratives of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. And really, what I wanted to do with this book was just tilt the camera a little bit differently, change that perspective and zoom in on that origin story in rural Indiana in the 1970s.
LA Clippers
fromIndependent
2 weeks ago

'You need to probably prepare yourself for the notion that you'll be broke': Mick Flannery on his parents' reaction to his career choice

"I haven't heard him sing yet," Flannery confesses, in answer to the burning question, when we sit down after a rehearsal in Nuns Island theatre in Galway.
London music
#poetry
fromwww.theguardian.com
6 days ago
Books

The best recent poetry review roundup

The collection features unrhymed sonnets exploring the relationship between landscape, language, and human experience amidst themes of illness and trauma.
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago
Books

The best recent poetry review roundup

Three recent poetry collections explore lyric craft, ecological fragility, and personal memory with precise observation, painterly imagery, and elegiac intensity.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
6 days ago

The best recent poetry review roundup

The collection features unrhymed sonnets exploring the relationship between landscape, language, and human experience amidst themes of illness and trauma.
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
3 weeks ago

The Shift That Happens When You Write a Non-Fiction Book

Writing a book transforms tacit knowledge into explicit frameworks, forcing experts to articulate intuitions they've developed through experience into clear, communicable ideas.
#irish-film-industry
fromIndependent
3 weeks ago
Film

'Culturally, we've always punched pretty hard,' says 'Harry Potter' star Gleeson as Oscar Wildes' 'Irish' rally behind Jessie Buckley

fromIndependent
3 weeks ago
Film

'Culturally, we've always punched pretty hard, it makes me proud,' says Gleeson as Oscar Wildes' 'Irish' rally behind Jessie Buckley

fromIndependent
3 weeks ago
Film

'Culturally, we've always punched pretty hard,' says 'Harry Potter' star Gleeson as Oscar Wildes' 'Irish' rally behind Jessie Buckley

fromIndependent
3 weeks ago
Film

'Culturally, we've always punched pretty hard, it makes me proud,' says Gleeson as Oscar Wildes' 'Irish' rally behind Jessie Buckley

#immigration
Writing
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

I've learned first-hand how evil is tolerated': Colm Toibin on living in the US under Trump

A character's decision to return home is influenced by political climate and personal connections.
Books
fromAnOther
1 week ago

Djamel White's Novel Is Irish Fiction's Gangland Answer to Heated Rivalry

Djamel White's debut novel, All Them Dogs, blends crime fiction, romance, and tragedy, featuring a complex protagonist navigating the criminal underworld.
Writing
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

Enough Said by Alan Bennett review a man for all seasons

Repetition in Alan Bennett's diaries reveals layered meanings, especially regarding his reflections on the pandemic and personal experiences.
Podcast
fromIndependent
4 weeks ago

Doireann Garrihy: 'I did drama and theatre studies in Trinity and often just didn't feel smart enough for the theory of it'

Doireann Garrihy discusses motherhood experiences, challenges with post-baby recovery expectations, and advocates for banning social media access for children under 16.
Media industry
fromIndependent
3 weeks ago

Marty Morrissey: 'I miss my mum every day. She was a great woman, a mad rebel from Cork'

Marty Morrissey, an RTÉ GAA correspondent, reflects on his childhood in the Bronx, his mother's loss, and his aspirations for a Dancing with the Stars return.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

The News from Dublin by Colm Toibin review subtle short stories about being far from home

The stories in Colm Toibin's collection explore themes of displacement and the emotional complexities of living away from home and loved ones.
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer-winning author who turned unlikely subjects into bestsellers, dies aged 80

Tracy Kidder's gifts for storytelling and tireless reporting are an enduring reflection of the empathy, integrity, and endless curiosity he brought to everything he did.
Books
Writing
fromHarvard Gazette
3 weeks ago

The art of College poetry - Harvard Gazette

Harvard College hosts three National Youth Poet Laureates who emphasize performance techniques, personal storytelling, and the transformative power of poetry in their academic and artistic pursuits.
fromIndependent
1 month ago

From life coaching to painting lighthouses... what are former TDs doing after a life in politics?

The 24/7 grind of a politician is not for the faint-hearted as the likes of Simon Coveney and Catherine Martin will tell you. Former TDs who stood down or lost their Dáil seat at the last general election say why they haven't looked back.
Miscellaneous
Music
fromIndependent
1 month ago

Declan Lynch: The Greatest Irish Song of All Time is Dearg Doom by Horslips. And the Liveline Seamus Culleton silence continues

The Táin by Horslips was selected as RTE Choice Classic Irish Album for 2026, with endorsements from Will Leahy and John Creedon.
fromHyperallergic
1 month ago

The Irish Do It Best

The Irish government will give 2,000 artists unrestricted weekly stipends in a program officials described as a "recognition, at government level, of the important role of the arts in Irish society." After a successful three-year pilot, the Irish government made its basic income program for artists permanent. Similar pilots have been launched here in the United States, but they're supported primarily by the nonprofit sector.
Arts
Writing
fromElite Traveler
4 weeks ago

Life Lessons With Author David Coggins

Living an interesting life requires embracing improbable efforts, starting from the ground floor in unfamiliar pursuits, prioritizing face-to-face conversation, and developing deep attachment to specific places.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Plan to turn Irish borderlands into Unesco region of literature'

A literary heritage initiative aims to rebrand the Ireland-Northern Ireland border as a Unesco region of literature, creating nine guided routes through 11 counties associated with major writers like Yeats, Beckett, and Heaney.
Health
fromIndependent
1 month ago

'I'm nothing if not resilient' - author Cathy Kelly on overcoming sexual assault, bulimia, divorce and cancer

Cathy Kelly, nearing 60, was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2023 but is recovering well and feels relieved after a recent health scare.
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

A Beautiful Loan by Mary Costello review a profound exploration of the inner life

From the outset, in the novel's prologue, Anna tells us she is determined to account for herself and her life. But we are to expect no ordinary narrative, concerned only with actual events, evidence-based or relying on historical data. No, Anna is interested in the climate of the psyche and the vibrations of the soul. Can it be that the very things we cannot quantify or rationalise are what make life meaningful?
Books
Europe politics
fromThe New Yorker
2 months ago

The Country That Made Its Own Canon

Sweden released a national culture canon, sparking controversy over national identity as immigration rises and the nationalist Sweden Democrats gain political influence.
fromIndependent
2 months ago

Liam Collins: My lifetime collection of 'stuff' might look like junk - but every piece has meaning

When you reach a certain age, one of the things you notice at the turn of the year is the "stuff" you have accumulated. Old newspapers, documents and books jostle with the detritus of life, from pieces of dead coral from Barbados to an old label that never made it onto a bottle of Guinness. I have spent the last decade preaching to my adult children, telling them to stop buying things.
Mindfulness
UK politics
fromIndependent
1 month ago

Fionnan Sheahan: Morgan McSweeney was the only Irishman to buy into the Mandelson myth - and he has paid the price

A 2000 dinner at Iveagh House between Irish and British ministers erupted into a heated dispute between Brian Cowen and Peter Mandelson.
Relationships
fromIndependent
1 month ago

'Love never dies' - what Irish psychiatrist learned from reading 20 medical romance novels

Hospitals, including emergency departments, are depicted as fertile settings for passionate romantic and sexual relationships in medical romance novels.
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: Celtic Magic - Medievalists.net

Ancient and medieval Celtic-speaking peoples maintained distinctive magical beliefs and practices whose evidence appears in inscriptions, classical accounts, medieval manuscripts, charms, and medical recipes.
Philosophy
fromAnOther
2 months ago

A Reading List by Ocean Vuong: Part Two

Post-success disillusionment reveals pride, a false vocation to teach without knowledge, and pervasive self-deception among artists.
Books
fromHarvard Gazette
1 month ago

That's a book? - Harvard Gazette

Italo Calvino used tarot card decks as a computational system to generate interconnected narratives, predating modern AI by decades and demonstrating how structured systems can create complex literary works.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

The best recent poetry review roundup

Andrew Motion's latest collection explores mortality and loss through elegies, showing a shift toward rootedness and acceptance of death as a universal human experience rather than personal bewilderment.
from48 hills
2 months ago

Live Shots: 'Finnegan's Wake' summons Irish ghosts to SF Mint - 48 hills

Finnegan's Wake: An Immersive Ghost Story, presented by 13th Floor Theater, plunges audience members into the beautiful, dysfunctional Finnegan-Plurabelle family. Scenic designer Treigh Buchet, lighting designer Meghan Schultz, and ephemera designer Michelle Josette Crashette transfigure the San Francisco Mint into an Irish family home on the banks of a mystical river. Audience members are free to explore the spaces before the show begins with libation in hand. When the dinner bell rings, the show commences.
Arts
UK politics
fromIndependent
1 month ago

David W Higgins: Morgan McSweeney's legacy is starting an open and honest conversation about immigration

Macroom hosts international protection applicants in former hotels; Riverside Park Hotel plans expansion while Penns Hotel was decommissioned in late 2025 amid local service-stretch concerns.
Miscellaneous
fromIrish Independent
2 months ago

'A brilliant operator and a great character' - tributes to journalist Paddy Clancy who has died aged 82

Veteran Irish journalist and broadcaster Mr Clancy, who had a six-decade career and presented It Says In The Papers for three decades, has died.
fromIndependent
2 months ago

Eilis O'Hanlon: Stick to praising Paul Mescal, Jessie - it's better than pontificating on politics

Buckley's tribute to her Hamnet co-star at the Critics' Choice awards was better than the preaching we often hear The identity of Jessie Buckley's husband is wrapped in more mystery than the whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant, or why anyone watches Mrs Brown's Boys. It is known that his name is Freddie, that he is British (which is not his fault) and he works in mental health. His surname and age have never been revealed.
Film
Arts
fromwww.npr.org
2 months ago

Julian Barnes' playful new book is also his 'official departure'

An aging writer confronts mortality, memory, and repetition while considering retirement and revisiting past relationships through fiction blending autobiography and invention.
fromIrish Independent
2 months ago

Renowned traditional singer and educator Sean O Se dies aged 89

A legend, Seán was an iconic figure in Irish education, culture and traditional music who had an extraordinary impact on Irish music and song,
Music
Arts
fromHyperallergic
1 month ago

Remembering Ted Berger, Christopher White, and Hudson Talbott

Multiple notable figures across the arts passed away, including patrons, curators, photographers, sculptors, illustrators, painters, and cartoonists with lasting cultural impact.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

What we're reading: writers and readers on the books they enjoyed in February

Claire Baglin's 'On the Clock' uses narrow focus on fast-food work to reveal profound truths about contemporary alienation and precarity with compassion and emotional depth.
Books
fromThe Nation
1 month ago

Has Contemporary Fiction Ignored the Working Class?

Work's grip on life demands vigilance; allowing career to consume identity risks losing oneself entirely to labor's demands.
Writing
fromThe New Yorker
2 months ago

Joseph O'Neill on Why a Story Should Be Like a Poem

People conceal shameful deeds and also quietly perform unrecognized good acts; withholding specifics preserves mystery and influences how others perceive moral character.
#friendship
Writing
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

The Writer's Secret Weapon

Swimming and physical exertion enhance creative thinking by muffling sensory input, boosting neurotransmitters, and enabling deeper, more original idea generation.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Cameo by Rob Doyle review a fantasy of literary celebrity in the culture war era

Perky, satirical portrait centred on a globe-trotting Dublin figure whose sensational life—crime, drugs, sex, espionage—and pettiness lampoon contemporary literary culture and celebrity.
Books
fromIndependent
2 months ago

'I don't see there is any point retrospectively criticising people for the way that they behaved' - 'Butcher Boy' novelist Patrick McCabe

Patrick McCabe remains rooted in Irish counter-culture while engaging with communal rituals and symbols.
fromwww.newyorker.com
2 months ago

Joseph O'Neill Reads Light Secrets

Skip to main content Illustration by The New Yorker; Source photograph Michael Lionstar Listen and subscribe: Apple | Spotify | Google | Wherever You Listen Sign up to receive our weekly Books & Fiction newsletter. Joseph O'Neill reads his story Light Secrets, from the January 26, 2026, issue of the magazine. O'Neill is the author of a story collection and five novels, including Netherland, which won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction in 2009, The Dog, and Godwin, which was published in 2024.
Books
Books
fromwww.newyorker.com
2 months ago

Tessa Hadley Reads John McGahern

Tessa Hadley reads John McGahern’s 'Gold Watch'; she has published thirteen books including Bad Dreams and After the Funeral, and won the 2016 Windham-Campbell Prize.
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

The Writer's Magic Trick

A writer is a kind of magician. Their job is to create living, three-dimensional people out of the ordinary stuff of ink and paper. This is no easy task, because readers can't literally hear, touch, or observe a character. Everything that defines a human being in real life-the physical space they occupy, or how they smell, feel, and sound-is stripped away, replaced by description. But authors have one major, mystical advantage: They can show you what's happening inside of someone's brain.
Books
Books
fromHarvard Gazette
2 months ago

The stories behind the books - Harvard Gazette

Harvard's library collection includes books that use layered images, movable elements, and raised type to create interactive, tactile, and accessible reading experiences.
Books
fromwww.npr.org
1 month ago

February may be short on days but it boasts a long list of new books

February brings multiple commemorations and a wave of new, translated and genre‑blending book releases that invite readers to dive into fresh literary work.
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

A Biography Without 'The Boring Bits'

Sophia Stewart poses a choice that many biographers struggle with: "what to do with the boring bits."
Books
Books
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

George Saunders Has a New Mantra

George Saunders writes with a luminous, frequently supernatural imagination that pairs large-heartedness with unsparing wit and a ritualized, anywhere-capable writing practice.
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

More heartache than Hamnet?: Maggie O'Farrell's best books ranked!

The ghost of a previous lover is always a challenge, particularly if you (mistakenly) believe that she's actually dead. This is the unenviable situation for Lily, the protagonist of O'Farrell's second novel, who is swept off her feet by dashing architect Marcus and in short order moves in with him. Lily takes his assurances that her predecessor Sinead is no longer with us to mark a more permanent absence;
Books
Books
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

Tom Stoppard's Secret-And Mine

Tom Stoppard's Leopoldstadt parallels hidden Jewish family histories, reflecting both Stoppard's and the narrator's late discovery of Jewish ancestry and Holocaust losses.
Books
fromwww.npr.org
2 months ago

'Even the Dead' wraps up John Banville's smart, moody mystery series

Quirke mysteries combine noir darkness with literary prose, following a Dublin coroner confronting trauma, moral ambiguity, and hidden crimes in 1950s settings.
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Beyond Trainspotting: The World of Irvine Welsh review uniquely funny writer holds court

The extended footage of Welsh in conversation is certainly engaging, as he discusses his writing and the movies it created, and his own youth in Edinburgh. Some of the rest of the interviewees aren't quite so gripping, however, and the film is padded out with a fair bit of redundant anecdotage from people on the subject of getting hilariously wasted in Irvine's company or at least his approximate vicinity.
Books
Books
fromThe Walrus
2 months ago

"It's Not Something I'm Squeamish About": Heated Rivalry Author on Writing Explicit Sex Scenes | The Walrus

Rachel Reid experienced a rapid surge in visibility, sales, and professional opportunities after the TV adaptation of Heated Rivalry, creating both excitement and overwhelm.
Books
fromMedium
1 month ago

How to start writing (like it's easy)

A profoundly immersive book can deeply alter readers and provoke self-doubt about one's own creative abilities.
Books
fromThe New Yorker
2 months ago

How Do You Write About the Inexplicable?

Rational skepticism coexists with a persistent tendency to personify evil and read coincidences as omens.
Books
fromScary Mommy
2 months ago

People On Reddit Are Sharing The Book That Turned Them Into "Readers"

Childhood favorites, household libraries, and life events like parenthood often spark or revive lifelong reading habits.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

What we're reading: George Saunders, Erin Somers and Guardian readers on the books they enjoyed in January

Re-reading classics and contemporary novels reveals diverse literary powers: playful zaniness, dense language, sweeping ambition, humane realism, and restorative small-scale storytelling.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Ali Smith: Henry James had me running down the garden path shouting out loud'

Early exposure to Beatles labels, Charlotte's Web, and Liz Lochhead’s poetry sparked a lifelong love of reading and inspired a desire to write.
[ Load more ]