Judged by Maggie O’Farrell, Ben Miles and Chigozie Obioma, the Hilary Mantel prize for fiction will recognise emerging talent, and pay tribute to the Wolf Hall author’s legacy www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...

What a rollcall of writers and top editor Brendan Barrington!

Join us for a lively and engaging afternoon of book conversation at this year’s @dublincitylibs.bsky.social Readers’ Day event featuring authors Christine Dwyer Hickey, Miriam O’Callaghan, Joseph O’Connor and David Park 🎟️ bit.ly/4gCodbO

Occasional reminder that my book ‘Darker With the Lights On’ is available from @transitbooks.bsky.social. My stories have been praised by Helen Garner, Claire-Louise Bennett, Max Porter, Elizabeth McCracken, Kevin Barry, Wendy Erskine & Eimear McBride, among others. www.transitbooks.org/books/darker

Daily bunny no.3081 just has to make it across

I’m not sure timeline cleanse is the right phrase…

Sky over Howth, Dublin Bay

Patti Smith plays @3arenadublin.bsky.social on 6 Oct, not Vicar St!!

@lisehand.bsky.social is on Arena @rteradio1.bsky.social tonight between 7 & 8 talking about Patti Smith and the great Horses album @ 50! & in advance of her gig at Vicar St, Dublin on 6 Oct.

How to sum up the impact and legacy of The Hounds of Love by @katebushmusic.bsky.social? Tonight, ahead of the 40th anniversary of the album's release, @graemethomson.bsky.social and I will attempt this on @rteradio1.bsky.social's Arena at 7pm. www.rte.ie/radio/radio1... @paulashields.bsky.social

'Tynan’s characters live for the transcendent intensity promised by a great night out.' Michael Hughes on the lives of ‘compulsive sessioners’

Hey, Frey. A lot of people seem sad. I think you'd better do the thing. You know - the thing with the vibes. Yeah. That's the one. #freythings

In the night garden …

“Good morning, my little minions.”

I’m off to Clifden Arts Festival in Connemara to talk to Donal Ryan on Friday 19th Sept at 3pm. It will be lively!

More fab TV - SO looking forward to this - David on Dev! @mcculld.bsky.social no doubt @anniewestdotcom.bsky.social will be watching ...!

Books and writers and @damianbarr.bsky.social - fantastic TV incoming!!!

Colours of a storm #Shetland

Twenty years ago we re-mortgaged our house to start Bluemoose and find great new writers who were being overlooked by the industry. In the last 2 years we've had 2 BBC TV series adapted from books we published. Not bad eh! www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...

Watching The Thursday Murder Club. It makes Midsomer Murders look like The Wire.

And in case you missed them... www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

That was some album review slot tonight. Swords out🤺 www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

I love this dog & their floofy pantaloons

Timeline cleanse c/o this fluffy overlord.

In the home of IKEA to have not flatpacked this, put it on a trolley, with a couple of Allen keys and an instruction manual is unforgivable. news.sky.com/story/swedis...

It’s publication day for the new edition of my first poetry collection, ‘You Took the Last Bus Home’. It’s been unavailable for nine months, following the demise of its original publisher, Unbound. I’m so delighted that Picador stepped into the breach to bring out this shiny new edition.

Well Reader, I loved it. Need to re-read regularly. Astonishing writing, hard to describe, which is as it should be.

Steve Martin on meeting Elvis Presley in 1971: ‘After a gig opening for Ann-Margret in Las Vegas, I was in my dressing room when Elvis came in & said: “Son, you have an oblique sense of humour”

Loud Woman on Phone just said she feels more connected to god lately. That’s because he can BLOODY HEAR YOU ON YOUR PHONE.

Now available to listen back or wherever you get your podcasts... www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

Man, dog and misty Dublin Bay this evening.

Does anyone know someone who produces podcasts as a job who would like to talk to me about it for 30 to 45 minutes? I am thinking about changing careers but *to what* I don’t quite know so I’m being curious about lots of things. I love listening to podcasts. Reposts most welcome.

He died for our thinth.

Furthest I’ve been: N: Ullapool S: Durban E: Agra W: San Francisco

Enjoyed speaking to ⁦‪Hugh Linehan about my book The Root of All Evil: The Irish Boundary Commission on the Irish Times Inside Politics podcast‬⁩. You can listen to our conversation here. www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/ins...

My story ‘From the Mountains’ in @winterpapers.bsky.social archive. winterpapers.com/selected-wor...

I'm live on Arena on @rteradio1.bsky.social at the earlier time of 6.30 to 7.30 for the next few weeks. Tonight we have a panel with a selection of music, film, books and visual art to transport you to another place, and we pay one last tribute to our beloved Seán Rocks in poetry and music.

We are broadcasting an Arena RTE special with the band Kíla this evening (from 6th May) - it was a great night. Listening now, everything Sean Rocks was is in the voice - lively, funny, warm, charming and smart.

Ridiculous situation. A man who has spent the last thirty years being one of the most inventive, prolific and funniest stand-ups out there. You should make a beeline for this, I'd say.

Tonight at 7, on Arena @rteradio1.bsky.social we are broadcasting a terrific public interview Sean Rocks did with Claire Keegan in Oct 2023.

www.rte.ie/culture/2025... - yesterday on Arena, the arts show on @rteradio1.bsky.social we made a programme we didn’t expect to- with authors like Anne Enright and Colm Tóibín and musicians like Gavin Friday- to hail our late, great front man Sean Rocks. You can listen back at the link (I hope!)

RIP Robert Wilson, theatrical and operatic collaborator with Philip Glass, Lou Reed and many more, including here with Tom Waits and William S. Burroughs. youtu.be/lbQkzAbCjio?...

A very sad day here. What a tremendous loss. Thank you for all you gave to the world, Seán. You indeed made it a better place. Massive condolences to his family and to all at Arena and @rteradio1.bsky.social, including @paulashields.bsky.social

I may be old but at least I’ll never have to do another forward roll again.

Doesn't happen very often out here in the wilds but every so often you're caught off guard and rather abruptly reminded how fickle people can be *gazes fondly at loyal dogs

Cross stitch update - Tis done!!