Books for Breakfast
A podcast focussing on fiction and poetry hosted by poets and writers Peter Sirr and Enda Wyley. Also features the Toaster Challenge where guest writers are given the time it takes to make toast to talk about a book that has resonated with them.
Episodes
74 episodes
73: John Montague: A Poet's Life
How much do we need to know about a writer's life? How does the life impinge on the work? What is the human price of art? In this episode we talk to biographer Adrian Frazier about
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56:25
72: Andrew Miller, The Land in Winter
In the darkness of an old asylum, a young man unscrews the lid from a bottle of sleeping pills. In the nearby village, two couples begin their day. Local doctor, Eric Parry, mulling secrets, sets out on his rounds, while his pregnant wife sleep...
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57:47
71: Keith Payne builds a boat and translates Luisa Castro; 2024 highlights
On today’s show, the last of 2024, we talk to Keith Payne about his recent boat building and poem writing project. Currachs and naomhógs are among the only sea craft built upside do...
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1:06:45
70: Books of the Year with Adam Wyeth and Henrietta McKervey
Join us for a lively discussion of some of the best books published this year. At the breakfast table to discuss their poetry and fiction choices are poet Adam Wyeth and novelist Henrietta McKervey. Plenty of stocking filler ideas...
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50:07
69: The Amergin Step, An Exploration in the Imagination of Iveragh
This episode sees us back in Books Upstairs in Dublin’s D’Olier Street again. This time we’ve come for a conversation between Paddy Bushe and poet and academic Ben Keatinge on the occasion of the Dublin launch of
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37:06
68: Oksana Makysmchuk, Still City: Diary of an Invasion
As we write it is 1002 days since the fullscale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, but over ten years since Putin first seized Crimea and sponsored insurrection in the Donbas. And even longer that he has sought to meddle in Ukrainian affairs. So we...
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26:55
67: IMRAM festival, Kelly Michels' American Anthem
First up on today's show, I chat with Liam Carson, who is back again with another episode of the Irish language Festival, IMRAM. And we hear from Kelly Michels, whose Forward Prize shortlisted debut co...
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54:10
66: Mícheál McCann and Katie Donovan
Today's show features conversation and poems from two poets with new collections: Katie Donovan, whose collection May Swim, is published by Bloodaxe Books, and ...
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38:43
65: Christine Dwyer Hickey, Alba de Cespedes, Catullus
We're back from the summer break and in conversation with Christine Dwyer Hickey, who was the subject of our very first Books for Breakfast podcast. This time around we're talking to her about her latest novel
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51:41
64: Summer journals, Tessa Hadley, Noel Monahan
On today's edition, the last before our summer break, we look at new editions of Poetry Ireland Review and
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41:03
63: Neil Astley on Soul Feast and more
On today's show we interview poet, novelist and publisher of Bloodaxe Books Neil Astley. We talk to Neil about the latest Bloodaxe Books poetry anthology, Soul Feast<...
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39:58
62: Strokestown International Poetry Festival
Today’s show marks 25 years since the foundation of the Strokestown International Poetry Festival in Co. Roscommon. This year’s festival takes place over the May Bank weekend, May 3 - 5. We spoke t...
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40:44
61: Paul Muldoon on his new book; Strokestown shortlisted poets
Today’s show marks Poetry Day Ireland with readings by the five poets shortlisted for the Strokestown International Poetry Competion, the winner of which will be announced at the
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49:59
6O: Mary Costello on Barcelona
We’re joined on this morning’s show by Mary Costello, whose new collection of short stories, Barcelona, has just been published by Canon...
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36:20
59: Victoria Kennefick on Egg/Shell
On this mornings's show we talk to Victoria Kennefrick about her new collection Egg/Shell, just published by Carcanet, a double album, as she describes...
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35:17
58: Fleur Adcock, Kerry Hardie and Aoife Lyall
On today's show we discuss Fleur Adcock's Collected Poems, newly published by Bloodaxe Books, and we go to the launch of two more Bloodaxe books in Hodge...
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31:33
57: Remembering Philip Casey
We're back with a show dedicated to a book commemorating the life and achievement of a fondly remembered writer: Distant Summers: Remembering Philip Casey, Writer, Fabulist, Friend...
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28:39
{Stanza}
Not Books for Breakfast this time but a link to our poetry programme Stanza on RTE Radio 1. In conversation with fellow poets, Paula Meehan and Annemarie Ní Chu...
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0:24
56: Summer is icumen in; TCD Writer Fellow James Harpur
We're not back in full podcast mode quite yet but we will be back in the autumn, all going well, and in the meantime we visited poet James Harpur during his stint as
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35:09
55: Injury Time; A New Basho
Enda has been recovering from a recent injury so podcast productivity has taken a hit, but we're back with our first episode for a while, which features a conversation about Basho with Andrew Fitzsimons, whose
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50:01
54: New Year's Eve 2022 Special
Some of the highlights of this year's Books for Breakfast, featuring contributions by Gabriel Byrne, Thomas McCarthy, Wendy Erskine, Colm Tóibín, Brian Leyden, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Leland Bardwell, Kevin Power, John McAuliffe, Kell...
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51:15
53: Interview with Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin
Welcome to a special Books for Breakfast edition this morning to celebrate Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin's 80th birthday. We wish her all the best on this very special day. This isan edited audio version of the interview we did i...
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34:46
52: IMRAM 2022; Mark Roper's Beyond Stillness
Today we talk to Liam Carson, Director of annual Irish language festival Imram, about this year's programme. And we interview Mark Roper about his latest collection of poe...
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42:11
