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Burning Books Ireland

Burning Books

If your house was on fire, what books would you save from the flames?
The Books Ireland podcast features authors and well-known cultural figures discussing the titles that have formed the backdrop to their lives—their childhood memories perhaps, or books they fell in love with. Maybe there are authors they return to over and over, or novels which formed their world view—stories that shaped them or books which offered a refuge or a life raft. Editor Ruth McKee asks each guest which books they’d save, which they’d leave behind, and what other non-book treasure they would rescue from the flames.

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#58
June 29 · 54 min
58: John O’Donnell
John O’Donnell’s fiction has been published in Counterparts (The Stinging Fly Press), The Hennessy Book of Irish Fiction, The Sunday Tribune, The Sunday Independent, The Stinging Fly, Books Ireland, The Irish Times, and RTÉ’s The Book on One. Awards include the Hennessy Award for Emerging Fiction and Cúirt Festival of Literature New Writing Prize for Fiction. He has also published four poetry collections, the latest of which is Sunlight: New and Selected Poems (Dedalus Press, 2018). His latest short story collection is Mr Hoo and Other Stories (Doire Press).
#57
June 5 · 46 min
57: Niamh MacCabe
Niamh MacCabe tells Ruth McKee which books she would save if her house was on fire. Niamh Mac Cabe is an award-winning writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and hybrid prose. She's also a visual artist, and a lecturer on the Degree in Writing & Literature, the Degree in Performing Arts, and the Masters in Creative Practice programmes at ATU Sligo. Her debut short story collection Four Night Seas, is published by The Lilliput Press.
#56
April 28 · 53 min
56: Danielle McLaughlin
Danielle McLaughlin tells Ruth McKee which books she would save if her house was on fire. Danielle McLaughlin's debut collection of short stories Dinosaurs on Other Planets was published in Ireland by The Stinging Fly Press in 2015 and her first novel The Art of Falling (John Murray) was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award in 2022. In 2023 she was a recipient of a Markievicz Award. Her latest novel Rituals is out now with The Stinging Fly Pres
#55
March 27 · 42 min
55: Charleen Hurtubise
Charleen Hurtubise tells Ruth McKee which books she’d save if her house was on fire. Charleen Hurtubise is a novelist, essayist, and artist. She is author of The Polite Act of Drowning, published in Ireland and the UK by Eriu/Bonnier in 2023. She holds an M.Sc. from Trinity College Dublin and an MFA in creative writing from University College Dublin, where she has facilitated creative writing seminars. Her latest book, Saoirse, is out now with Eriu (UK/Ireland) and with Celadon in the US.
#54
March 23 · 1 hr 11 min
54: Gerard Beirne
Author Gerard Beirne tells Ruth McKee which books he would save if his house was on fire. Gerard Beirne is a novelist, poet, and short story writer, and curates the online magazine The Irish Literary Times. His work includes the novels The Eskimo in the Net (Marion Boyars, 2003), Turtle ( Oberon, 2009), Charlie Tallulah (Oberon, 2013), and The Thickness of Ice (Baraka Books, 2024). He currently teaches on the BA Writing and Literature Program at the Atlantic Technological University in Sligo.
#53
February 6 · 48 min
53: Tanya Sweeney
Tanya Sweeney tells Ruth McKee which books she’d save if her house was on fire. Tanya Sweeney is a journalist and Weekend magazine columnist at the Irish Independent and is a regular contributor on Irish radio & TV. Her work in the music, film & TV industries helped inspire her debut novel, Esther is Now Following You (Penguin), a funny, fresh and deeply affecting story about celebrity fandom and what happens when it all becomes a bit too real.
#52
January 30 · 50 min
52: Annemarie Ní Churreáin
Annemarie Ní Churreáin tells Ruth McKee which books she’d save if her house was on fire. Annemarie Ní Churreáin is a poet from the Donegal Gaeltacht, Ireland. Her books include Bloodroot (Doire Press, 2017), Town (The Salvage Press, 2018), The Poison Glen (The Gallery Press, 2021), and Hymn to All the Restless Girls (The Gallery Press, 2025). She is a recipient of the Irish Arts Council’s Next Generation Artist Award and a co-recipient of The Markievicz Award. Ní Churreáin has held literary fellowships in the U.S. and throughout Europe. She was the 2022-23 Decades of Centenaries Artist in Residence at Donegal County Archives. Ní Churreáin is the Poetry Editor at The Stinging Fly Magazine.
#51
Dec 18, 2025 · 55 min
51: Elaine Feeney
Elaine Feeney tells Ruth McKee which books she’d save if her house was on fire. Elaine Feeney is an acclaimed novelist and poet from the West of Ireland. Her debut novel, As You Were, was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize and the Irish Novel of the Year Award, and won the Kate O’Brien Award, the McKitterick Prize and the Dalkey Festival Emerging Writer Award. How to Build a Boat was also shortlisted for Irish Novel of the Year, longlisted for the Booker Prize, and was a New Yorker Best Book of the Year. With her third novel, Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way, Feeney was shortlisted again for Irish Novel of the Year and won the Library Association of Ireland Author of the Year. Feeney has published the poetry collections Where’s Katie?, The Radio Was Gospel, Rise and All the Good Things You Deserve, and lectures at the University of Galway.
#50
Dec 8, 2025 · 37 min
50: Audrey Whitty
Audrey Whitty talks about the importance of place, an early passion for history, and the mystery of time as she tells Ruth McKee which books she would save if her house was on fire. Audrey Whitty is an Irish archaeologist, librarian and curator, and the director of the National Library of Ireland.
#49
Nov 21, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min
49: Gill Perdue
Gill Perdue talks about fairytales, the Sue Barton series, her experience of boarding school and much more as she tells Ruth McKee which books she’d save if her house was on fire. Gill Perdue is the author of bestselling crime novels If I Tell, When They See Me, and most recently The Night I Killed Him, all published by Penguin.
#48
Nov 7, 2025 · 50 min
48: Éilís Ní Dhuibhne
Éilís Ní Dhuibhne tells Ruth McKee about the books which have been important in her life, through childhood, love, and loss—and talks about how her writing practice has evolved. Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, The Laureate for Irish Fiction, writes in both Irish and English. A member of Aosdána, she is Writer Fellow at UCD, where she teaches MA-level Creative Writing. She has been the recipient of many literary awards, most recently the Pen Award for an Outstanding Contribution to Irish Literature, and a Hennessy Hall of Fame Award, many Oireachtas Awards for her writing in Irish, and the Stuart Parker Award for Drama. Her novel, The Dancers Dancing, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2000. She has published several collections of short stories, the most recent being Selected Stories (Blackstaff 2023) and Fáínne Geal and Lae (Clo Iar Chonnacht 2023).
#47
Oct 28, 2025 · 51 min
47: Brendan Mac Evilly
Brendan Mac Evilly talks about Jean Paul Sartre, Dermot Healy, the art world and the artist as he tells Ruth McKee which books he’d save if his house was on fire. Brendan Mac Evilly is director and co-editor of Holy Show, an annual arts journal and production company. He is the 2024/25 Emerging Curator in Development at Kilkenny Arts Office. His debut novel, Deep Burn, is published by Marrowbone Books.
#46
Aug 11, 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
46: Theo Dorgan
Theo Dorgan talks about Doris Lessing, Robert Graves, observation and imagination as he talks to Ruth McKee for the latest episode of Burning Books. Theo Dorgan has published ten collections of poetry, and is also a translator, editor, essayist, novelist, broadcaster and documentary screenwriter. Volumes of his work have been published in Spanish, Italian, Greek and French, while among his own translations are three collections from the French of Syrian poet Maram al Masri and a version in Irish Gaelic of Lorca’s Romancero Gitano. His latest novel, Camarade, is out now with Mercier Press.
#45
Jun 25, 2025 · 50 min
45: Gráinne O’Brien
Gráinne O’Brien talks about moving to California, the influence of music in her life and work, and how she became a bookseller and writer as she tells Ruth McKee which books she’d save if her house was on fire. Gráinne O'Brien is a bookseller and the founder of Rontu Literary Service, which is dedicated to supporting writers of fiction for children. She is the author of the children’s book A Limerick Fairytale (O’Brien Press). Solo is her debut verse novel for young adults (Little Island Books).
#44
May 23, 2025 · 31 min
44: Rosemary Jenkinson
Rosemary Jenkinson talks about not being able to find the university library, living up to her Wikipedia page, and her experience in Ukraine, as she tells Ruth McKee which books she would save if her house was on fire. Rosemary Jenkinson is an award winning author who writes plays, short stories, and recently a collection of poetry. Now she has published her debut novel, The Memorisers, with Arlen House.
#43
May 19, 2025 · 1 hr 21 min
43: Claire Hennessy
Claire Hennessy talks about Malory Towers, Wonder Boys, Rachel’s Holiday and all kinds of everything from depression to editing as she tells Ruth McKee which books she would save if her house was on fire. Claire Hennessy is a writer, editor and creative writing facilitator. Best known as an author and reviewer of YA fiction, In the Movie of Her Life (Doire Press) is her debut collection of short stories for adults.
#42
Mar 3, 2025 · 49 min
42: Patrick Holloway
Patrick Holloway talks about acting, language, and art as a deeper way of communication as he tells Ruth McKee which books he would save if his house was on fire. Patrick Holloway’s debut novel, The Language of Remembering, is out now with Époque Press.
#41
Dec 6, 2024 · 45 min
41: Ashwin Chacko
Ashwin Chacko talks about Curdie and the Goblin, Lord of the Rings, The Shack by Paul Young, the Bible and more as he tells Ruth McKee which books he’d save if his house was on fire. Ashwin Chacko is an author, illustrator, and motivational speaker who specialises in positively playful, visual storytelling. His books include Keep At It, Little Optimist, Everybody Feels Fear, and his most recent, Wild City which is published by The O’Brien Press.
#40
Nov 1, 2024 · 36 min
40: Julianne Mooney Siron
Julianne Mooney Siron talks about growing up in Greystones, her travels after college, and returning to Ireland and the Dublin Book Festival as she tells Ruth McKee which books she’d save if her house was on fire. Julianne Mooney Siron has been programming the Dublin Book Festival since 2010. Alongside the festival, she has worked at The Ark, is author of The Time Out Guide to Ireland and was Reader-in-Residence for Dublin City Public Libraries and DLR Libraries.
#39
Oct 25, 2024 · 48 min
39: Jessica Traynor
Poet Jessica Traynor talks about The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Linda Gregg’s All of it Singing, and Mary Ruefle as she explores growing as an artist, a time of loss, and the joy of mystery in poetry as she tells Ruth McKee which books she’d save if her house was on fire. Jessica Traynor is the author of Liffey Swim (Dedalus Press), The Quick (Dedalus Press), and Pit Lullabies (Bloodaxe Books), and is the poetry editor of Banshee. Her forthcoming collection is New Arcana, which will be published by Bloodaxe Books.

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