The Irish Itinerary Podcast

In their conversation with Jessica Bundschuh, Padraig Regan reads from old and new work and discusses Timothy Morton’s work on ecology. Padraig also discusses their scepticism towards the concept of ‘nature’, their interest in embodiment and how eating makes us confront the actual, material fact of our bodies; the landscape as a genre of image and how its grammar encodes our attitude to how we occ...

In her conversation with M. Teresa Caneda-Cabrera, Evelyn Conlon discusses the impact of the lockdowns and her aversion to ‘doomscrolling’; being a writer who is a feminist and being political by engaging in stories that are not considered the norm; using literature to dip into the corridors of truth while history sticks to the facts; reworking Joyce’s story ‘Two Gallants’; and being more Irish wh...

In this special Bloomsday conversation with Carolina P. Amador-Moreno, Nuala O’Connor discusses the research for her novel Nora (2021); her rewritings of Joyce's letters; her search for Nora Barnacle’s voice; the difficulty of finding a balance between the flavour and authenticity of a language and just too many convoluted constructions; the beauty of Irish prose and how it is perceived in th...

In her conversation with Alessandra Boller, Mary Morrissy discusses the elasticity of short story fiction; her recent turn to flash fiction; the differences between her ‘exploded novel’ Prosperity Drive (2016) and her upcoming short story cycle 20/20 Vision ; her new speculative historical novel on Nora Barnacle, whom she describes as a prisoner of Joyce’s fiction; and she ponders whether writing...

In her conversation with Chris Cusack, Caoilinn Hughes reads her poem ‘The Party Faithful’ and discusses being a slow reader and a monotasker and how this has influenced her journey from poetry to prose and makes her a writer of sentences, who favours participation and reciprocity in her relationship to the reader. Among other things, she talks about the similarities in the work of scientists and...

 In her conversation with Radvan Markus, Kateřina García discusses growing up in a multilingual space, surrounded by the work of her great-grandfather Alphonse Mucha; singing in multiple languages and especially Irish; capturing fragile and fleeting moments in her songs; working with various talented musicians; bringing the cultural and literary aspect into her linguistic research on Judeo-Spanish...

In his conversation with Caroline Lusin, Michael Hughes reads from his novel Country (2018) and discusses his journey from actor to writer; the ludic element in his writing; his relationship to Northern Ireland and its authors; the link between the intangible Irish border and mime in his short story "Marcel Marceau"; as well as the Illiadic structure, lingo, distinct narrative voice, and...

In his conversation with Lance Pettitt, Visiting Professor in Irish Studies at the University of Wuppertal, Lenny Abrahamson explores the challenges of creating dramatic stories for television, showing how - in his view - the aesthetics, structures and intimacy of  film and TV intersect in the compelling viewing experience that is the  hallmark of a hit show. He talks about the upcoming series Con...

In his conversation with Jessica Bundschuh, Stephen Sexton reads from Cheryl's Destinies (2021) and discusses tensions in post-Brexit Belfast and during the pandemic; Golden Age philosophies; borderlines between the absurd and the tragically real; the significance of graveyards in Cheryl's Destinies; twinnings in poetry and history; the Romantic, romances, and Keats and Shelley in Italy;...

In her discussion with Rania M Rafik Kahil, award winning playwright Marina Carr discusses the trait of transgression in her female characters, its imperative within her writing, and its recurrence across various literary styles and contexts. Expanding on this theme, she elaborates on the challenge of adapting characters from literary history to address contemporary themes and subjects while retai...

In this anniversary episode of the Irish Itinerary Podcast Jan Carson and Katharina Rennhak take up their conversation where it all started a year ago in June 2020. Jan Carson looks back on one year of “writing and being a writer” in lockdown and reads from the works that were published during the last 12 months: Postcard Stories 2 (2020) and The Last Resort (2021). She reflects on the recurring p...

In her conversation with Jessica Small, Nigerian-born Irish writer Melatu Uche Okorie discusses the character-driven nature of her writing and exploring personality as a basis for narrative. She also goes into detail on the universality of themes such as motherhood and its centrality to her work and personal life, as well as the capacity for cultural transfer in her work in the face of potentially...

In her discussion with Claire Lynch, Helen Cullen reads from her 2018 debut novel The Lost Words of William Woolf and from her latest novel The Dazzling Truth (2020), she discusses her contrasting responses to the ongoing pandemic, and its impact on her work. She offers her opinion on being grouped within the ‘Up Lit’ genre of contemporary fiction and emphasises the emotional catharsis that comes...

In her conversation with Marie Mianowski, Ruth Gilligan reads from Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan (2016) and discusses her representation of the Irish-Jewish community. She also reads from her latest historical novel The Butchers (2020) and reflects on parallels between the BSE scandal that enveloped British and Irish farming during the 1990s and the current post-Brexit border issues and Covid19, as...

In her conversation with Elke D’hoker, Sara Baume talks about her life as an author and artist in times of Covid19, the significance of daily routines, the migration of birds, differences between writing fiction and memoirs, truth(s) in novels and non-fiction, art and death, folk art, climate change and inequality, and her reluctance to see herself as an activist. Sara Baume also reads from her no...

In their conversation, Belinda McKeon and Kate Costello-Sullivan situate the rich spareness and reticence in McKeon’s fiction in its socio-cultural Irish context. They talk about navigating the balance between continuing literary traditions and creating innovative narratives; about the influence that settling down in the United States has had on McKeon’s style; about writing male characters and sh...

In his conversation with Jonathan McCreedy Jack Harte talks about narrow definitions of the short story that limit the genre’s potential, about the emotional force of the aisling, the influence of the Catholic church and of economic migration to the Irish midlands in the 1950s as represented in his novel In the Wake of the Bagger ; as well as his literary connections to Bulgaria and writing out a...

In her conversation with Christoph Reinfandt, Mary O'Donnell reads from her most recent publications in the fields of poetry, short fiction, and the novel. She talks about metapoetic meditations, travel vignettes, autobiographical reflections, and political interventions in Massacre of the Birds (2020); Christoph and Mary also reflect on the narrative representation of the Easter Rising and f...

In her conversation with Hedwig Schwall Lucy Caldwell talks about narrative perspective in general and you-narrations in particular, about the influence of James Joyce and Lucia Berlin on her short story collections Multitudes and Intimacies and about family dynamics. She reflects on motherhood and autobiographical writing, on the act of choosing love over fear, and on the power of literature to h...

In her conversation with Krisztina Kodó, Lisa McInerney discusses forms of heritage and its impact on multicultural, modern Ireland; questions of identity at the intersection of age, nationality, gender and religion; as well as the theme of exile as presented through the eyes of her fictional characters and its relevance in contemporary Irish society . The interview also offers some first glimpses...

In their conversation with Ondřej Pilný, Kevin Barry and Olivia Smith discuss their conception and development of the literary and artistic journal The Winter Papers , addressing the challenges of introducing a physical form periodical into a marketplace dominated by digital publishing. Kevin also reads from his latest short story collection, That Old Country Music , while explaining the difficult...

In his conversation with Frank Shovlin, poet Seán Hewitt reads from his debut collection Tongues of Fire. He discusses the significance of birds and observance of the natural world in his work, elaborates on his poetic influences, stresses the importance of musicality and rhythm and emphasises the need for poetry to retain clarity in meaning. Seán Hewitt also highlights the subtle interplay of Bri...

In her discussion with Rióna Ní Fhrighil, English and Irish language poet, playwright, screenwriter and librettist Celia de Fréine discusses the challenging dynamic of literary bilingualism, the process of translation as a creative act, and the imperative of writing to matters of public consciousness.  www.efacis.eu

In her conversation with Daniela Theinová, Irish language poet Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh reads from her poetry, discusses the socio-geographical situatedness of her work, talks about her experiences as an ERASMUS student and the pleasures of anonymity in big continental cities, the challenges of going with and against literary traditions, the difficulty of translating one’s own poetry, the dangers of...

In his conversation with Michal Lachman, Irish filmmaker and author Maurice Fitzpatrick discusses his documentary In The Name of Peace,  which considers the late nationalist politician John Hume and his lasting impact on the political and cultural makeup of contemporary Ireland.  www.efacis.eu