Irish Fiction Reading Group: Contemporary and Classic

Fáilte romhat! Our next reading group will be Irish Fiction: Contemporary and Classic Novels. We’ll be immersing ourselves in a range of Irish novels, expanding the breadth of reading to encompass contemporary and classic Irish fiction.

To start off, we’ll be looking at the three books listed below, all published in the past fifteen years, and considering how each novel fits with - or doesn’t fit with - our preconceptions of Irish writing.

21st January: The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan

25th February: A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride

18th March: Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy

There’s no need to prepare - just bring your lovely self - but if you feel like it please feel free to mention a passage or character you particularly enjoyed from the novel over the course of the evening.

For our first meeting, we will be reading The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan (2012).

In the aftermath of Ireland's financial collapse, dangerous tensions surface in an Irish town. As violence flares, the characters face a battle between public persona and inner desires. Through a chorus of unique voices, each struggling to tell their own kind of truth, a single authentic tale unfolds.

The Spinning Heart speaks for contemporary Ireland like no other novel. Wry, vulnerable, all-too human, it captures the language and spirit of rural Ireland and with uncanny perception articulates the words and thoughts of a generation. Technically daring and evocative of Patrick McCabe and J.M. Synge, this novel of small-town life is witty, dark and sweetly poignant.

Each entry place costs £5, fully redeemable as a voucher towards a copy of the book. We hope you’ll join us for some great conversation, and a glass of wine or Barry’s tea on us!