• Bookmark: Will O’Connor

    September 24, 2015 - By 

    Will O’Connor is a producer and recording engineer based in Galway. His band Grounds For Invasion released their debut album Dying Stars in February. He mostly reads fiction. Photos by Sean McCormack. Cormac McCarthy – The Border Trilogy It’s hard to sum up what McCarthy did with these novels. Yes, they’re violent and tragic, but they’re also fiercely beautiful. Have a Spanish-English dictionary handy. * Although this might be me being an arse again. Raymond Chandler – The Big Sleep Thrilling, funny and entertaining. Guy drives around a lot, gets punched a lot, drinks a lot, meets lots of inexplicably…

  • Bookmark: JR Ryall (Pastry Chef at Ballymaloe House)

    July 8, 2015 - By 

    In this installment of Bookmark we head to the famous Ballymaloe House in Cork to meet pastry chef JR Ryall, to discuss the cookery books which helped to shape his culinary art and culture. Photos by Melanie Mullan. The Ballymaloe Cookbook – Myrtle Allen Myrtle Allen’s seminal book, first published in 1977, contains the collection of recipes from which I trained when I began working at Ballymaloe House. This book is full of witty and eccentric stories that highlight the fun and mischief, the highs and lows and also the challenges of running a restaurant kitchen. It captures a particular time…

  • Bookmark: Una Mullally

    May 6, 2015 - By 

    In this installment of Bookmark we spend some time with Una Mullally, a journalist with The Irish Times and a recently published author, while she discusses her favourite and most influential books. Photos by Abigail Denniston. Tales Of The City – Armistead Maupin I don’t read much fiction, but these books had a big impact on me and on my aspirations to explore writing fiction. They’re so smart and nifty and more-ish. Fun Home – Alison Bechdel This is a work of genius. The ground Bechdel breaks with Fun Home is monumental, both with the form she pioneers and the subject…

  • Bookmark: Bennie & Davey (little xs for eyes)

    April 15, 2015 - By 

    In this installment of Bookmark, we hang out with Bennie Reilly and Davey Moor from little xs for eyes to discuss some of their collective and personal favourite books.  Photos by Abigail Denniston. Gary Shteyngart – Super Sad True Love Story Davey: Our protagonist, Lenny Abramov, loves books.  He loves all kinda other antiquated old stuff too.  In our western reality he might be what we understand as a hipster, but in the (very) near future of this 2010 novel, he is a fish thoroughly out of water.  The young woman he loves, Eunice Park – a recent graduate with…

  • Bookmark: Nadine O’Regan

    March 31, 2015 - By 

    In this installment of Bookmark we spend some time with Nadine O’Regan, who is the Books and Arts Editor with The Sunday Business Post and presents Songs in the Key of Life on Dublin station TXFM (www.txfm.ie and 105.2FM) on Saturdays from 11am. Photos by Mark Earley. Jeffrey Eugenides- Middlesex  American author Jeffrey Eugenides writes novels incredibly slowly – he has published just three in his 55 years and for Middlesex, his 2002 novel which won the Pulitzer Prize, his American editor had to fly to Berlin, where Eugenides was living at the time, to wrest the manuscript from his grasp. Luckily…

  • Bookmark: Joe Lindsay

    March 25, 2015 - By 

    In this installment of Bookmark we chat to Belfast broadcaster and DJ Joe Lindsay about some of his all-time favourite books. Photos by May Chan. Lou Reed – Victor Bockris I am a huge fan of Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground. I couldn’t believe when I started in radio that my first interviewee was to be Victor Bockris. I loved his book Uptight: The Story Of the Velvet Underground and there I was, about to interview him about his new book on Lou Reed. The dark lord of three chords. White noise and black leather. The Velvet Underground opened some many…

  • Bookmark: Stephen White (The Last Mixed Tape)

    March 17, 2015 - By 

    In the latest installment of Bookmark, Stephen White from music blog The Last Mixtape shares his thoughts on some of his all-time favourite books, featuring many a modernist classic. Photos by Abigail Denniston. High Fidelity – Nick Hornby Unfortunately, in far too many ways, I am Rob Fleming. There’s few things that scream “music snob” more than being a music blogger… I think that’s why High Fidelity has stayed with me for so long. It’s funny one moment and raw to the bone the next – how Hornby keeps you routing for Fleming despite his various character flaws is astounding. Plus John Cusack is…

  • Bookmark: Colm Kenny-Vaughan

    February 23, 2015 - By 

    Bookmark is the first of a new series where we explore the collected books of those who entertain us in the world of arts and literature. We chat to Colm Kenny-Vaughan, a Dublin based theatre actor and choral singer about the books that have influenced and inspired him in his line of work. Photos by Abigail Denniston. George R.R Martin – A Dance With Dragons I know Game of Thrones is a very popular TV series at the moment, and it’s not hard to see why based on the books (collectively entitled A Song of Ice and Fire). This latest installment…