The Irish Times

In praise of Kate O’Brien, by Éilís Ní Dhuibhne

Celebrating Irish women writers: ‘Kate O’Brien is a master of classic realism. And that’s okay now. Mount Parnassus has many mansions’

Sat Mar 07 2015 - 09:00

A poem for Ireland, poetry for everyone

The countdown is on to find Ireland’s favourite Irish poem, so we’ve asked a selection of writers and readers to tell us their favourite few lines of verse, and to nominate which poem they think is best from RTÉ’s A Poem for Ireland shortlist

Sat Feb 28 2015 - 06:00

Brought to Book: Anakana Schofield on parallel reading, the literary patriarchy and books as portals

‘I write in a very troubling manner that I wouldn’t advise anyone to adopt’

Mon May 19 2014 - 01:00

Imagination in the classroom – and how, in the past, schools destroyed creativity

Forget the inspirational teachers and creative encouragement that many writers experienced at school. Playwright Frank McGuinness recalls a schooling in the 1950s and 60s that sickens his stomach, and ‘beat the lining out of any love for exploring the intricacies of language’

Tue Mar 11 2014 - 02:00