Books | Latest News & Reviews For Bookworms

Broken threads - microjourneys into and out of Liverpool

Writer, academic, and curator Catherine Morris introduces an extract from her new book Intimate Power: Autobiography of a City, a unique literary journey described as 'a meditation on forms of personal losses that we carry with us all our lives'.

Books • 13 Mar

The Lock-Keeper's Wife by John McKenna - read an extract

After the devastating loss of her two infant children, Julie McDermot is released from a psychiatric institution to a lonely life along the canal.

New Irish Writing • 11 Mar

The Woman in the Water by Henrietta McKervey - read an extract

Pearl Day has always lived in the background - companion to her childhood friend, the dazzling and unpredictable Lady Eleanor Nicholson...

Books • 10 Mar

John Banville, Irish writer, Milano, Italy, September 2005. (Photo by Leonardo Cendamo/Getty Images)

John Banville to headline inaugural Rush Festival Of Writing

The Rush Festival of Writing has announced the full programme for its inaugural one‑day literary event, taking place in the north County Dublin seaside town on April 25th 2026.

Books • 10 Mar

New Irish Writing: Philip O'Ceallaigh's A Short History of Decay

As if nothing could fall: Essays on monuments takes us through distant vistas and past worlds, monolithic structures and forgotten ideas.

Books • 09 Mar

Banshee - female voices reimagine the legends of ancient Ireland

Editor Ailbhe Malone introduces her new anthology Banshee, which sees a formidable line-up of acclaimed female writers (amongst them Naoise Dolan, Megan Nolan, Wendy Erskine and Sarah Maria Griffin) breathing new life into ancient Irish myths...

Books • 07 Mar

Group of children sitting on library floor and searcing a books

RTÉ KIDS Book Club: Léigh Leabhar Gaeilge this month

This RTÉ KIDS Book Club, with thanks to our friends at Children's Books Ireland, features titles from theLéigh Leabhar Gaeilge recommended reading guide.

Book Club • 09 Mar

Why you should pick up a book for Ireland Reads Day

Ireland Reads Day is more than a date on the cultural calendar - it's a nationwide invitation to celebrate the joy of reading.

Books • 25 Feb

A Beautiful Loan by Mary Costello - her new novel extracted

In 1985 Dublin, nineteen-year-old Anna Hughes is in thrall to Peter Gallagher, an older, worldly man.

Books • 09 Mar

'Edna O'Brien is best known for her era-defining novels like The Country Girls, but dismiss her short stories at your peril.'

10 of the best Irish short story collections

We are a nation of storytellers - and if you ever needed proof, you need look no further than our short story writers.

Listicles • 13 Jan

The Nowhere Girls by Carmel Harrington - read an extract

Two little girls are found alone at Pearse Station in Dublin, and their mother vanishes without trace.

Books • 05 Mar

Book Of The Week: Poet Tim MacGabhann's ode to Rory Gallagher

In an era when the very craft of writing looks in danger of either appeasing the lowest common denominator or appealing to preset tastes determined by algorithms...

Book Of The Week • 02 Mar

New Irish Writing: Love & Other Liabilities by Fiona McCann

When a financial crisis sends emotionally-hardened accountant Lily Barrett to the West Cork island of Inish Ruin, to put her deceased Nana's beloved cottage on the market, she's determined to keep "the feels" to a minimum...

Books • 18 Feb

Something For The Weekend: Dearbhla Mescal's cultural picks

On Sunday 8 March, Dublin Book Festival heads down to the stunning Powerscourt Estate in Co. Wicklow for a day of events celebrating women's voices on International Women's Day.

Something For The Weekend • 04 Mar

Sunday Miscellany: Remembering Michael Longley, by Olivia O'Leary

The music and humanity of language, a gift from the great poet to a young and nervous journalist in 1970's Belfast

Sunday Miscellany • 03 Mar

City Girls Forever - Patricia Scanlon's new book extracted

We present an extract from the new novel from bestselling author Patricia Scanlon.

Books • 03 Mar

Sally Rooney speaks onstage during the Hulu Panel at Winter TCA 2020 at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on 17 January, 2020 in Pasadena, California

Rooney and Ní Mhaoleoin lead 2026 Dublin Literary Award longlist

Dublin City Council has announced the 20 novels longlisted for the 2026 Dublin Literary Award, marking the 31st year of the international prize.

Books • 28 Feb

Glass Houses by Edel Coffey - an extract from her new thriller

Twenty years after the Juliet Fox case destroyed her career, journalist Eddie cannot resist returning to Manhattan's elite when a new luxury tower rises beside the crime scene.

Books • 04 Mar

Book Of The Week: George Saunders' timely ghost story Vigil

When news broke that George Saunders would be releasing a new novel this year, it rippled across book-loving communities like rumours of snowfall on a school morning.

Book Of The Week • 24 Feb

Ordinary Saints - author Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin (Pic: Julie Broadfoot)

Ordinary Saints by Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin - read an extract

Brought up in a devout household in Ireland, Jay is now living in London with her girlfriend, determined to live day to day and not think too much about either the future or the past...

Books • 23 Feb

Meet the long-forgotten woman behind the Irish Tricolour

Author and historian John Crotty reveals new origins for the Irish Tricolour and other symbols of Irish identity, in an extract from his new book The Irish Tricolour - The Truth behind the Symbols and Struggles that Defined a Nation.

History • 17 Feb

Saoirse - read an extract from Charleen Hurtubise's new novel

In the wilds of Donegal, circa 1999, Saoirse is an artist living an outwardly idyllic life...

Books • 03 Mar

Why the Boys of Tommen books have become so popular

Chloe Walsh's romance novels set in Co Cork are a hit already thanks to BookTok, but an Amazon Prime TV series will see her fanbase soar

Boys of Tommen • 23 Feb

The Sky Is Not Enough by June O'Sullivan - read an extract

We present an extract from The Sky Is Not Enough, the new novel by June O'Sullivan.

New Irish Writing • 28 Feb

Mo Chara, DJ Provaí and Móglaí Bap of Kneecap perform during day four of Glastonbury

Rock on: veteran music journalist Stuart Bailie on his new memoir

Do you remember a time, pre-internet, when fans relied on magazines like the NME and Melody Maker to find out about new music?

Music • 17 Feb