Blogs

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, Michelle Read reads the first three stories featured in The Long Gaze Back. Michelle Read, is an actor and voice artist and an advocate of reading aloud for adults. She reads ‘The Purple Jar’ by Maria Edgeworth; ‘Frank's Resolve’ by Charlotte Riddell; ‘Poisson d'Avril’ by Somerville and Ross.Recorded at the LexIcon on 12 April 2018, with thanks to Marian Keyes Dún-Laoghaire Rathdown Libraries for making the audio available to us.Maria Edgeworth (1768 – 1849) was a writer of adult and children’s literature. She was the most popular author writing in the early 19th Century, and her writing was also critically acclaimed by the critics of the day. Her most famous novel is Castle Rackrent, and Edgeworth is still the subject of study on academic curricula.Charlotte Riddell (1832-1906) was a prolific writer of novels and short stories, publishing 56 books in a writing career that spanned 44 years. To hear more about Charlotte Riddell, listen back to Recovered Voices, where Lisa Coen, Louise Kennedy and Kathleen McMahon and Sinead Gleeson discuss the forgotten writings of Charlotte Riddell, Norah Hoult and Mary Lavin.Somerville and Ross were cousins and writing partners Edith Somerville and Violet Florence Martin. Their most famous works are those featuring the Irish RM, but their novel The Real Charlotte is considered their finest piece of writing. To hear more about the interesting Somerville and Ross, listen back to a talk by Martina Devlin.You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books.

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, Nuala O’Connor and Lia Mills read from their short stories ‘Shut your mouth, Hélène’ and ‘The Crossing’ before discussing flash fiction, the historical short story, the tyranny of plot and how editing styles differ on each side of the Atlantic.And because we all love a book recommendation: Nuala’s favourite short story collections are Scary Old Sex by Arlene Heyman and The Boat by Nam Le, and she recommends Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott for writers, especially ones starting out.Nuala O’Connor (aka Nuala Ní Chonchúir) is a writer and poet who has published 14 books, including Miss Emily and Becoming Belle. She has been published in Granta, The Stinging Fly, and Guernica, among many others.Lia Mills writes novels, short stories and essays.  A memoir, In Your Face, describes her experience of mouth cancer treatment in 2006. Her novels include Another Alice, Nothing Simple, and Fallen, which was the Dublin: One City One Book title for 2016.  Recorded at Tallaght Library on 11 April 2018. Thanks to Mark Ward, South Dublin Library for making the audio available to us.You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books. 

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, author Kathleen Hill gives an introduction to the life and work of Maeve Brennan, and how Ranelagh and New York helped inform the themes of exile and loss that run throughout her writing. Maeve Brennan was born in Dublin in 1917. Although she grew up in Ranelagh, her family left Ireland to live in Washington D.C. when Maeve was 17.  Kathleen reads from Brennan's novella The Visitor, and short stories 'Stories of Africa' and 'The Poor Men and Women' both published in Springs of Affection.Introduction by jazz singer, composer and lyricist Emilie Conway who wrote "You Won't Forget Me" - A Celebration of Maeve Brennan in Words & Music.Kathleen Hill contributed an essay about Maeve Brennan to the anthology Nine Irish Lives (Algonquin Press), about nine Irish men and women who left Ireland to live in the United States. She has published two novels, Still Waters in Niger, named a notable book at the New York Times, and Who Occupies This House, an editors’ choice at the New York Times.  Her memoir She Read to Us in the Late Afternoons was published in 2017. She teaches in the MFA program at Sarah Lawrence College near New York City.  Recorded at Ranelagh Arts Centre on 15 April 2018.You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books.

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, The Long Gaze Back authors Bernie McGill, Lia Mills and Éilís Ní Dhuibhne read from their work and talk with Sinéad Gleeson about the anthology, their work, and being a female author in Ireland today.Recorded at Blanchardstown Library on 12 April 2018, with thanks to Fingal Libraries for making the audio available to us.Éilis Ní Dhuibhne is a novelist, critic and folklore scholar. Among her novels are Cailíni Beaga Ghleann na mBlath, The Dancers Dancing, and Fox, Swallow Scarecrow. Lia Mills writes novels (Another Alice, Nothing Simple, and Fallen, which was the Dublin: One City One Book title for 2016) short stories and essays. Sinéad Gleeson is the editor of The Long Gaze Back and The Glass Shore, two anthologies of stories by Irish women writers. Sinead's collection of essays Constellations was published in 2019 by Picador. Bernie McGill is the author of The Watchhouse, Sleepwalkers and of The Butterfly Cabinet.  She is currently Writing Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University, Belfast. Dublin City Libraries & Archives · Feast of Female Voices You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books. 

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, Looking Forward, Gazing Back, writers June Caldwell and Sinéad Gleeson and theatre maker and campaigner Lian Bell of #WakingTheFeminists movement discuss the practices, processes and contexts of Irish women’s writing today.  Chaired by Garret Fagan. Recorded at the National Library of Ireland on 21 April 2018, thanks to National Library of Ireland for making this audio available to us. June Caldwell's acclaimed collection of short stories Room Little Darker, was published in 2017. She is a prizewinner of the Moth International Short Story Prize. Her first novel, Little Town Moone, was published in 2019.Lian Bell works as a set designer, cultural project manager, and artistic collaborator. She was Campaign Director of #WakingTheFeminists, the highly successful one-year grassroots campaign for equality for women in Irish theatre. Sinéad Gleeson’s debut collection of essays: Constellations: Reflections from Life was published in April 2019 by Picador. She is the editor of The Long Gaze Back and The Glass Shore, two anthologies of stories by Irish women writers. She is currently working on a novel. Garrett Fagan works for UCD Adult Education and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature.You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books.

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, musician Eileen Gogan responds to stories from The Long Gaze Back and talks to editor Sinéad Gleeson. They discuss the parallels and crossovers between song writing and writing, the difficulty of choosing a title, writer’s block, influences and the parallels between poetry and lyrics. Eileen is accompanied by musician Ed McGinley.For rights reasons you will only hear clips from Eileen’s songs, to hear, including her new album Under Moving Skies visit https://eileengoganandtheinstructions.bandcamp.com/Recorded at Walkinstown Library on 9 April at 2018.  Dublin City Libraries & Archives · Notes of ChangeEileen chooses stories from The Long Gaze Back and pairs them with her songs that echo the same themes, feelings and ideas. Eileen performs Malibu Stacy, Planets, Home, Sweet Alice, Dreamtime Stories mentioned: ‘Berghain’ by Lisa McInerney ‘The Eldest Child’ by Maeve Brennan‘Somewhere to be’ by Siobhan Mannion‘The Meaning of Missing’ by Evelyn Conlon‘I’ll take you there’ by Niamh Boyce‘Infinte Landscapes’ by Roisín O’Donnell   Eileen Gogan's new album Under Moving Skies is out on 29 May 2020. Her first album, The Spirit of Oberlin, recorded with her band, The Instructions, was released to wide acclaim in 2015. Outside of her solo work, she has sung with The Would Bes’, The Revenants, The Drays and Microdisney.Ed McGinley, singer, song-writer and guitarist with The Dixons and The Winters. His first solo collection Tangled Roots & Twisted Tales was released in 2019.  You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books.

The latest DCLA podcast is the second part of "Selected Shorts", a discussion with authors Eilís Ní Dhuibhne, Lia Mills, Christine Dwyer Hickey and Anne Devlin, chaired by Catherine Dunne.The conversation explores whether the short story is a naturally introspective and self-reflective genre, and questions whether the form, described by Mary Lavin's as an "owl in flight", or "a slide under the microscope", has opened up or altered under the influence of television, poetry and film. If you haven’t already, we suggest listening to part one first, where you will hear actors Rose Henderson, Susie Lamb, Katie O'Kelly and Geraldine Plunkett perform readings by these four authors.Recorded at the New Theatre on Saturday 7 April 2018.This interesting discussion examines whether the short story is a naturally introspective and self-reflective genre, and questions whether the form, described by Mary Lavin's as an "owl in flight", or "a slide under the microscope", has opened up or altered under the influence of television, poetry and film. Éilís Ní Dhuibhne is a novelist, critic and folklore scholar. Among her novels are Cailíni Beaga Ghleann na mBlath, The Dancers Dancing, and Fox, Swallow Scarecrow.Lia Mills writes novels (Another Alice, Nothing Simple, and Fallen, which was the Dublin: One City One Book title for 2016) short stories and essays. Christine Dwyer Hickey is a novelist, playwright and short story writer. Her works include the novels Tatty, Last Train from Liguria, The Cold Eye of Heaven and The Narrow Land and the short story collection Parkgate Street and other Dublin StoriesAnne Devlin is a playwright and short story writer. Her works include The Waypaver Ourselves Alone (Royal Court, 1985) and After Easter (Royal Shakespeare Company, 1993) and the radio play The Forgotten (2009).You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books.

The latest Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast is the first of a two part episode, "Selected Shorts", we hear actors Rose Henderson, Susie Lamb, Katie O'Kelly and Geraldine Plunkett perform readings from The Long Gaze Back – stories by Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Lia Mills, Christine Dwyer Hickey and Anne Devlin. The second part will feature a discussion with the authors, chaired by Catherine Dunne.  Sit back and enjoy the following stories:Eilis Ní Dhuibhne’s ‘The Coast of Wales’ read by Rose HendersonLia Mills’ ‘The Crossing’ read by Susie LambChristine Dwyer Hickey’s ‘The Cat and The Mouse’ read by Katie O'KellyAnne Devlin’s ‘Winter Journey (The Apparitions)’ read by Geraldine Plunkett  Directors: Anthony Fox & Caroline FitzGeraldCoordinator: Jane McCarthy This event was recorded at the New Theatre on Saturday 7 April 2018. You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books.

In this episode of the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast Lia Mills talks to Sinéad Gleeson, Alan Hayes, Rob Doyle and Eimear Ryan about all things anthology. How do you start to compile an anthology? What do you need to think about (before and during)? Who do you include or exclude – and how do you handle the fallout? Following their discussion, Lia asks Sinéad, Rob, Eimear, Alan and Farmleigh writer-in-residence Philip St John, to read from their favourite short stories and to briefly outline why they resonate with them.You will also hear some beautiful music by Ciara Sidine accompanied by Conor Brady and Ciara’s daughters Ava and Romy.  For rights reasons you will only hear clips from Ciara’s songs, but we really recommend listening to the full songs on www.ciarasidine.comThe full panel were:Singer/songwriter Ciara Sidine (Shadow Road Shining, Unbroken Line) performs Finest Flower, Trouble Come Find Me, Watching the Dark and Little Bird Song.  As Ciara Considine, she is also a long-established literary editor with several anthologies to her credit.Conor Brady is one of Ireland’s finest guitar players. He has recorded with Terence Trent D’Arby and Toots and Maytals.Lia Mills writes novels (Another Alice, Nothing Simple, and Fallen, which was the Dublin: One City One Book title for 2016) short stories and essays. Sinéad Gleeson is the editor of The Long Gaze Back and The Glass Shore, two anthologies of stories by Irish women writers. Sinead's collection of essays Constellations was published in 2019 by Picador. Alan Hayes is publisher and editor at Arlen House – a press with a long history of supporting and promoting work by women. Rob Doyle is a novelist (Threshold, Here are the Young Men and This is the Ritual) who has also edited the anthology The Other Irish Tradition, from Dalkey Archive Press. Eimear Ryan is a writer and contributor to The Long Gaze Back and also a founding editor of the literary journal Banshee. The short stories picked by the writers can be found in the following books:(most of the links ar to the library catalogue so you can't access them now but you maight want to bookmark them for the future);The Merry Men by Robert Louis Stevenson (out of copyright, available online e.g. Project Gutenberg) The things they carried by Tim O'Brien read by Lia Mills San Francisco by Amy Hempel read by Eimear Ryan. Collected StoriesZidane's Melancholy by Jean-Philippe Toussaint read by Rob DoylePeople Like that are the Only People Here: Canonical Babbling in Peed Onk by Lorrie Moore read by Sinéad Gleeson. From The Collected Stories of Lorrie MooreAlan Hayes reads Butcher Bird by Geraldine Mills from The Weight of Feathers; The New Wife Órfhlaith Foyle from Clemency Brown dreams of gin; Staying Thin for Daddy by Deirdre Brennan; I, Caroline by Nuala O'Connor from To the World of Men, Welcome.The event was recorded at Farmleigh House on 6 April 2018You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books.

In this episode of the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast Lisa Coen, Louise Kennedy and Kathleen McMahon discuss the forgotten writings of Charlotte Riddell, Norah Hoult and Mary Lavin. Ger Ryan reads some of the works under discussion. Sinéad Gleeson chairs.The panel address questions such as how is a writer forgotten? How much is this influenced by gender? They also discuss the lives and works of Riddell, Hoult and Lavin.Ger Ryan gives a dramatised reading of extracts from When Miss Coles Made the Tea by Norah HoultFrank’s Resolve By Charlotte Riddell and In the Middle of the Fields by Mary Lavin.Lisa Coen is the co-founder of Tramp Press, which published Charlotte Riddell’s A Struggle For Fame, which was the first title in their Recovered Voices series. Louise Kennedy is a research student at Queens University Belfast. Her PhD thesis is ‘Journey Out of Print: the life and short stories of Norah Hoult’. She is working on a collection of her own stories with the assistance of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.Kathleen MacMahon  is a novelist, short story writer and journalist. Her first novel, This is How it Ends, was a Number One Bestseller for five weeks in Ireland and was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick in the UK. It was also nominated for two Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards and for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year. Kathleen is the grand-daughter of Mary Lavin.  Sinéad Gleeson’s debut collection of essays: Constellations: Reflections from Life was published in April 2019 by Picador. She is the editor of The Long Gaze Back and The Glass Shore, two anthologies of stories by Irish women writers. She is currently working on a novel. Previously, she worked as a journalist and broadcaster, presenting The Book Show on RTÉ Radio One for four years. She regularly moderates and chairs panel events.Ger Ryan is one of Ireland’s best known actors and received an IFTA for her work on Stardust. She has been nominated twice by The Royal Television Society for her work on the Family and Amongst Women.Recorded at Pearse Street Library on 19 April 2018.You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books.