ILFDublin Podcast

Today, we’re bringing you an exclusive recording of Omar El Akkad in conversation with Alex Clark at our recent #OffThePage event at the Pepper Canister Church on February 13, 2025.

The ILFD podcast is back! For our final episode of 2023, as many of us head home for the winter holidays, we're listening back to Kirsty Bell discuss her book 'The Undercurrents', an exploration of the city she calls home -- Berlin. __ Kirsty Bell’s 'The Undercurrents' is a story of Berlin, fusing memoir and criticism through a succession of lives and experiences grounded in one historic building...

The ILFD podcast is back! In case you missed it, this year's Booker Prize winner is Irish author Paul Lynch — we thought there would be no better time to listen back to his 2013 visit to the festival. ___ Dublin Writers Festival brings together two emerging Irish novelists whose distinctive prose style and strong sense of place has marked them out as writers to watch. 'John the Revelator', Peter M...

The ILFD podcast is back! On Monday 20 November, we celebrated World Children's Day, so today we're listening back to an event with one of our favourite children's authors — Eoin Colfer. From the 2023 edition of the festival. ___ Whether he’s cloud gazing or saving the world, author Eoin Colfer has so many stories up his sleeve, it’s a wonder they don’t all fall out! Expect stellar storytelling an...

The ILFD podcast is back! Award-winning writer Neil Gaiman celebrates his birthday later this week, so let's listen back to his last visit to ILFD in 2018. ___ What doesn’t Neil Gaiman write? One of the greatest living storytellers, he is the author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre, and movies, including The Sandman comic book series, Stardust, American Gods, an...

The ILFD podcast is back! With Halloween just around the corner, let's listen back to authors Kirsty Logan & Anya Bergman talking all things witches with moderator Sarah Maria Griffin. Part of the 2023 edition of ILFD. ___ How far would you go for justice? In two powerful additions to the witchlit canon, Kirsty Logan and Anya Bergman dig into the painful realities of life in the shadow of the witc...

The ILFD podcast is back! Kicking off with a listen back to Irish writer and comedian Marise Gaughan talking about her book 'Trouble' for the 25th anniversary edition of the festival in 2022. CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains strong language and mentions of suicide, sex, and substance abuse; it may not be appropriate for young listeners. __ Comedian extraordinaire (her words) Marise Gaughan i...

Nominated by Ottawa Public Library, Canada The 2022 DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 79 books has been painstakingly narrowed down to a shortlist of just 6 titles; this exclusive limited podcast series, hosted by Jessica Traynor and Séan Hewitt, is designed to give you access to the authors and translators behind the books. In this episode, Jessica and Seán discuss ‘Noopiming: The Cure for White...

Nominated by Helsinki City Library, Finland The 2022 DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 79 books has been painstakingly narrowed down to a shortlist of just 6 titles; this exclusive limited podcast series, hosted by Jessica Traynor and Séan Hewitt, is designed to give you access to the authors and translators behind the books. In this episode, Jessica and Seán discuss ‘The Death of Vivek Oji’, nomi...

Nominated by Bibliothèque de Reims, France The 2022 DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 79 books has been painstakingly narrowed down to a shortlist of just 6 titles; this exclusive limited podcast series, hosted by Jessica Traynor and Séan Hewitt, is designed to give you access to the authors and translators behind the books. In this episode, Jessica and Seán discuss ‘At Night all Blood is Black’,...

Nominated by Auckland Libraries, New Zealand and Dunedin Public Libraries, New Zealand The 2022 DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 79 books has been painstakingly narrowed down to a shortlist of just 6 titles; this exclusive limited podcast series, hosted by Jessica Traynor and Séan Hewitt, is designed to give you access to the authors and translators behind the books. In this episode, Jessica and...

Nominated by Bibliothèque publique d’information, Paris, France The 2022 DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 79 books has been painstakingly narrowed down to a shortlist of just 6 titles; this exclusive limited podcast series, hosted by Jessica Traynor and Séan Hewitt, is designed to give you access to the authors and translators behind the books. In this episode, Jessica and Seán discuss ‘The Art o...

The 2022 DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 79 books has been painstakingly narrowed down to a shortlist of just 6 titles; this exclusive limited podcast series, hosted by Jessica Traynor and Séan Hewitt, is designed to give you access to the authors and translators behind the books. In this episode, Jessica and Seán discuss ‘The Art of Falling’, nominated by Cork City Libraries, Ireland. Their con...

Best-selling author Caroline O’Donoghue talks YA, feminism, and weaving the intriguing, mystical thread of tarot into a teenager’s world in her writing, with StoryMachine curator Janet Smyth. Caroline O’Donoghue’s YA debut was described as ‘Stranger Things meets Sabrina The Teenage Witch’. All Our Hidden Gifts is the story of Irish teenager Maeve Chambers, who has been lonely since falling out wit...

Who, why, what and how awards work? What makes for the very best writing for children and young people? Dr Pádraic Whyte and MPhil students in Children’s Literature at Trinity College Dublin discuss the major prizes for writing for children, and the books and writers who receive them. How do prizes and awards reflect publishing and writing trends or societal influences? The conversation follows th...

Exploring the Urban Jungle: the City in Children’s Writing Join Dr Pádraic Whyte and MPhil students in Children’s Literature at Trinity College Dublin on a walk through cities, both real and imagined, in this wide-ranging and informative exploration of the relationship between children’s writing and the city. Explore recurring themes, motifs and narratives within different genres for children and...

Lisa Marie Griffith explores the history of Dublin Book Clubs and asks: if reading is a solitary pursuit, why do so many of us love book clubs? The size and type of book clubs in Dublin knows no boundaries! During lockdown, book clubs became an important space for people to come together to recreate sociability, to share ideas, and to support each other. Dublin has had a lively book club scene sin...

Conair Filíochta: Ar Dhá Thaobh na Life Conair filíochta dhátheangach atá féin-stiúrtha Éist le cúigear scríbhneoirí a bhfuil guth láidir acu i bhfilíocht chomhaimseartha na Gaeilge – Aifric Mac Aodha, Áine Ní Ghlinn, Mícheál Ó Ruairc, Seosamh Ó Murchúagus Paddy Bushe ina measc. Déan do bhealach féin tríd an gconair filíochta dhátheangach seo, roghnaithe ag Ciara Ní É. File, taibheoir, agus craolt...

“For the perfect flâneur, for the passionate spectator, it is an immense joy to set up house in the heart of the multitude, amid the ebb and flow of movement.” Charles Baudelaire A flâneur is a man who saunters about, observing the city. A romantic and a thinker, he can blend into the city space without fear for his safety: a luxury that men and women don’t share equally. Dublin is a very walkable...

Exploring landscape and environment in David Almond’s writing. Award-winning author David Almond and StoryMachine curator Janet Smyth discuss the ways in which his writing explores the connections between past and present; civilisation and wilderness; and language, myth and folklore. David’s latest novel, Bone Music, follows Sylvia as she moves into wild Northumberland from the city of Newcastle....

Explore the ‘lost’ buildings of Dublin's northside on this atmospheric and evocative self-guided audio walk, and discover a surprisingly multi-layered city and society. View the route map here: https://ilfdublin.com/whats-on/festival/strand/boundless/lost-ireland-dublin-northside-edition-by-orla-fitzpatrick-self-guided-audio-walk/ From Hector Grey’s bargain shop to places destroyed in the 1916 Ris...

Landscape and environment in historic and contemporary children’s literature. Join Dr Sinéad Moriarty and MPhil students in Children’s Literature at Trinity College Dublin for a fascinating discussion on the role of landscape and environment within the world of historical and contemporary children’s writing and illustration. Whether these landscapes are green spaces, sacred spaces, road and pathwa...

The DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 49 has been narrowed down to a diverse and exciting shortlist of six, and the award will be presented during ILFDublin. This exclusive limited podcast series is hosted by Maeve Higgins and Jessica Traynor. Their conversation about Girl, Woman, Other is followed by Jessica’s interview with Bernardine Evaristo. Evaristo’s remarkable eighth novel follows 12 chara...

The DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 49 has been narrowed down to a diverse and exciting shortlist of six, and the award will be presented during ILFDublin. This exclusive limited podcast series is hosted by Maeve Higgins and Jessica Traynor. Their conversation about Hurricane Season is followed by Maeve’s interview with Fernanda Melchor and translator Sophie Hughes. An acclaimed and inventive mu...

The Dublin Literary Award longlist of 49 has been narrowed down to a diverse and exciting shortlist of six, and the award will be presented during ILFDublin. This exclusive limited podcast series is hosted by Maeve Higgins and Jessica Traynor. Their conversation about The Nickel Boys, a powerful novel that evokes the grim realities of a Florida reform school with care and compassion, is followed b...