the air burns in a garden in Paris soldiers carry guns

“Airports” by Leontia Flynn via Wake Forest University Press

It's time we talked about Irish literary exceptionalism: the fact that Irish writers and writing are unique, extraordinary, and inherently superior to all others. It's a burden to bear, but we do so with characteristic humility, grace, and magnanimity.

Just read a review of a novel which says “it’s a bit like a comic book without the art”…….

Thanks very much to the GAA Museum in Croke Park for choosing The Last Ditch for their book club. Did an interview today with Julianne Mc Keigue of the Museum which I enjoyed very much.

New hardback forthcoming of Bowen's novels The Last September & The Death of the Heart. Intro by #tessahadley Published 30 July 2026 | Everyman’s Library | £17.99 | Hardback '...depths of private tragedy with a subtle ferocity and psychological complexity reminiscent of Henry James.'

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"He uses in all conversation about anything a three-age system: things happened 'before I did my PhD', "when I was doing my PhD' or 'after my PhD'." "He has a PhD?" "It's funny you should ask that."

Great to listen to @martinadevlinbooks.bsky.social talk about brilliant literary women at #westportlibrary last night. Martina's always been a huge supporter of @gutterbookshop.bsky.social. A great talk on some of Ireland's (& Irish adjacent) women writers - I learnt loads! #IrishWomenWriters

Just a reminder about the literary workshops & talks coming up at Cairde Arts Festival in beautiful Sligo, including one that I'm delighted to be facilitating: The Shape of Writing, a workshop for beginning and emerging writers www.cairdefestival.com/2026/tag/Lit...

I wrote a book set in a heatwave. If undercover cops pretending to be a couple, suburban murder and a twisty mystery sound appealing, this is for you. Also features a dog called Pippin.

"You must stifle this longing for vulgar sensation, Tuppence."

"You must stifle this longing for vulgar sensation, Tuppence."

Honoured to read the introduction I wrote for This England, the new photography by Barry Delaney, at this evening's launch in Dun Laoghaire. Am such a fan of Barry's work – this is his tour of post-Brexit England.

Happy to be on the list for best collection. Good luck to everyone on the lists xx

‘Concrete proposals’ being prepared by EU on restricting social media use for under-16s

Thanks to @ofmooseandmen.bsky.social all the booksellers, readers and everyone who has supported Ghost Mountain. I am so grateful to you all 💚

"It's over Over" www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVtg...

I wrote this 7 years ago In it I called for cities to better embrace greenery, reflective coatings, water and shading to tackle urban heat. More relevant than ever…. www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/...

I know this has been pointed out many times by many people but I just want to reiterate: Anthropic is basically using Kurt Vonnegut's drawing of an asshole as the Claude logo

Another cracker coming your way – Salt sign Ian Nettleton's gripping and funny crime novel, Out of Nowhere.

In broad daylight.

Heatwave by Ted Hughes

Kyle Books has acquired a new cookbook from Irish chef and broadcaster Clodagh McKenna. 👇

Signed copies of The Lightning by Jamie Guiney are now in Irish Fiction! Published by Bluemoose, independent press extraordinaire behind Rónán Hession’s Leonard and Hungry Paul, it is atmospheric literary fiction with serious chops. Jamie Guiney Bluemoose Books

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As per yesterday's Reuters on the heatwave: 'At least 18 people died in France, including two children left in a hot car' - and this is the picture they chose It's not new that the media is complicit in climate denialism, but that doesn't mean we have to accept it.

They grow up so quickly

The main thing I've learned is that building policy on culture war issues that have no basis in fact is a disaster but I'm not sure anyone in mainstream politics has learned from that. Lots of folk are still very angry because their real issues were not actually caused by the thing that was "fixed"

🔥Vivienne McKechnie reads from her new collection, Shades of Red (Revival Press)🔥 @poetryireland.bsky.social @limericklitfest.bsky.social booksirelandmagazine.com/poetry-happe...

A little late posting but there's a new @booksireland.bsky.social article up: my interview with @thatstephendaly.bsky.social We chatted about his debut novel The Last Death Poet (@rocktheboatnews.bsky.social), all things Belfast, and the importance of humour in Irish YA

Maeve O'Sullivan @maevedos.bsky.social interviewed on 'Poetry People' for your pleasure.

Kris would have turned 90 today. Lovely version here from the great @ronsexsmith.bsky.social

Peaceful out here

Ocious P. Potter is alive and well

so sick and burnt out last week I missed my own Irish Examiner op-ed on how communities have organised to resist the far right and repair the damage left behind once politicians have lost interest and the press have moved on to the next story www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

If you're in Mexico city tonight or tomorrow night...

And that’s a wrap on Dalkey Book Festival - it rained, it shone, there were lots of old friends, some new friends, a rake of great chats and Salman Rushdie (best thing of all)

“What am I looking at? Ships?” Read from @rid9way.bsky.social’s new novel, Dooneen.

Two poems by Seamus Heaney for Father’s Day #fathersday. “A Call” from The Spirit Level (1996) and “Follower” from Selected Poems 1966–1987 (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).

The Giant at my Shoulder' | Seamus Heaney & Czesław Miłosz 📅 Sat, 27 June at 2pm: https://ow.ly/6CfA50Z71JS From source of inspiration to a respected friend, join us Seamus Heaney: Listen Now Again for a special talk exploring Miłosz’s remarkable life.

I wrote about Lucy Grealy's Autobiography of a Face in Constellations, and returned to it on its republication this year. It remains one of the most compelling (and brutal) accounts of illness and surgery, and a novelistic memoir of stunning sentences. www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...

Two poems by Seamus Heaney for Father’s Day #fathersday. “A Call” from The Spirit Level (1996) and “Follower” from Selected Poems 1966–1987 (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).

RIP. So many great albums and always transcendent live.

Delighted to share that I’ll be a guest on tomorrow (Sun) evening’s Poetry People programme with @rachaelhegarty.bsky.social. It’s on @rteradio1.bsky.social at 7pm. Since it’s #midsummer & #fathersday, I’ll read some #haiku & #senryu on those themes from my brand new collection ‘Wishing Tree Note’

The 1992 BBC adapt. of Muriel Spark’s Memento Mori is quite the treat: Maggie Smith, Thora Hird, Michael Hordern, Renée Asherson, Stephanie Cole, Zoë Wanamaker,& Cyril Cusack. The close-ups of faces alone make it worth watching, though Maggie Smith’s hose-and-suspenders close-ups run a close second.

Downloadable Resource | Irish Folklore and Fairy tales in the Work of WB Yeats www.nli.ie/learn/downlo...

Did DoD just admit in a court filing that it used xAI's Grok Gov Model to hit the girls' school on the first day of the Iran war? Based on some passages flagged by @rgoodlaw.bsky.social in DoD's recent filing in NAACP's case against X, it looks like it did 1/