We look forward to welcoming the following authors. Click on the images below for a short biography.
Amy Dunne
Andrew Sneddon
Anthony Summers
Audrey Dowling
Catherine Carton
Catherine Carton is the lady behind the award-winning interiors and lifestyle blog daintydressdiaries.com. She is a lover of upcycling, recycling and making the old new again. Dainty Dress Diaries was created in 2014. While brain-dumping potential names with a workmate, Catherine and her pal decided to go with ‘Dainty’ because Catherine is 4’11”, ‘Dress’ because all she wore was cute dresses, and ‘Diaries’ so that the blog could cover a wide range of topics. In the beginning, Catherine mostly blogged about vintage style, fashion and homeware, but over the years she has become known for her warm personality and the unique creative projects she shares with her online community.
Catherine Prasifka
Catherine Prasifka was born in Dublin in 1996. She studied English Literature at Trinity College Dublin and has an MLitt in Fantasy from the University of Glasgow. She has competed in both the European Debating Championships and the World Championships. She is obsessed with learning about how stories work and has ruined nearly all of her favourite books and movies by overanalysing them. She works as a creative writing teacher in Dublin. None of This Is Serious is her first novel. @prasifcat
Damien Shiels
David McCullagh
Broadcaster and historian Dr David McCullagh is probably best known as the anchor the 6.1 News on RTÉ1 TV, as a past presenter of Prime Time and as former RTÉ Political Correspondent. David is also an accomplished historian and is biographer of former Taoiseach John A. Costello ( The Reluctant Taoiseach, 2010 ) and Eamon de Valera in De Valera: Rise (2017) and De Valera: Rule (2019).
Declan O’Rourke
Deirdre Doyle
Deirdre Doyle is a health coach and a mum of three. She has educated thousands of children about food and cooking through her award-winning business, The Cool Food School, since 2018. Her focus is on making food fun for kids.
Deirdre Kinahan
Deirdre Kinahan is a theatre actor, writer and a member of Aosdána, whose prolific output (Bogboy, These Halcyon Days, Spinning, Rise et al) has been produced by the Abbey Theatre, the Royal Court, the Old Vic and the Bush Theatre. She is the founder member of Tall Tales Theatre Company, which she ran for fifteen years. She now writes, in the main, for the Abbey, Landmark Productions and Fishamble Theatre Company. Born in Dublin she had the good sense to move to Meath in 1998, before it was too late. Her last three plays, based on events of the Irish revolutionary era have been collected in a single volume entitled Raging.
Diarmaid Ferriter
Professor Diarmaid Ferriter is Professor of Modern Irish History at University College, Dublin. He is a regular broadcaster on TV and Radio and a weekly columnist with the Irish Times. His books include The Transformation of Ireland 1900-2000 (2004), Judging Dev (2007) A Nation Not a Rabble: The Irish Revolution 1913-23 (2015) and Between Two Hells: the Irish Civil War (2021).
Eileen Dunne
RTE Newscaster, Eileen Dunne, is the eldest of the late RTÉ GAA correspondent Mick Dunne’s three daughters. Born and raised in Clontarf, Dublin she studied Irish and French at UCD and after a year in France, came back to do a H.Dip (Masters in Education) and begin work as a radio continuity announcer in RTÉ. Eileen joined the RTÉ Newsroom in 1984 and has been involved in coverage of all the main news stories since. She has also presented programmes on RTÉ Lyric FM and on RTÉ Radio 1. A member of the Association of European Journalists, she served as International President from 2010 to 2014 (the first woman to hold the position). She is also a director of the Kennedy Summer school in New Ross. Eileen is married to the actor Macdara Ó Fátharta and they have one son, Cormac.
Emma Jane Leeson
Evanna Lynch
Fintan O’Toole
There is nothing quite like the coolly cerebral, rigorously analytical and abrasively engaged journalism of Fintan O’Toole. Whether writing for the Irish Times, the Guardian or engaged in one of his many non-fiction tours de force the range and scope of his scholarship is startling. He is critic, historian, controversialist and intellectual. He is as capable of writing a monograph on Edmund Burke or George Bernard Shaw, as he is of eviscerating the corrupt cowboys of the Celtic Tiger. His latest work, We Don’t Know Ourselves was winner of the An Post Irish Book Awards for 2021 and was an Irish Times #1 Bestseller.
Guth Gafa
An inspiring documentary from the filmmakers of School Life, YOUNG PLATO charts the dream of Elvis-loving school headmaster Kevin McArevey – a maverick who is determined to change the fortunes of an inner-city community plagued by urban decay, sectarian aggression, poverty and drugs. The all-boys primary school in post-conflict Belfast, Northern Ireland, becomes a hot house for questioning violence, as the headmaster sends his young wards home each day armed with the wisdom of the ancient Greek philosophers. The boys challenge their parents and neighbors to forsake the prejudice that has kept this low-level civil war on the boil for decades. YOUNG PLATO hums with the confidence of youth, a tribute to the power of the possible.
Hugh O’Connell
Jack Horgan-Jones
Jan Carson
Jan Carson is the Belfast-based author of two short story collections, three novels and two micro-fiction collections. Her novel, The Fire Starters won the EU Prize for Literature for Ireland in 2019 and the Kitschies Prize for Speculative Fiction 2020 and was shortlisted for the Dalkey Book Prize 2020. Her third and most recent novel, The Raptures was published in January 2022.
Jane Mitchell
Jo Spain
John Altman
John Altman is a film composer, music arranger, orchestrator, conductor and saxophonist. He has four Lifetime Achievement Awards and an honorary doctorate in music from the University of Sussex. He has composed the music for over 50 movies
‘I admit it, I like John Altman. Apart from being very good company, he is one of the few musicians, composers and arrangers prepared to work with people on crosses. I’ve rung all the police stations in London, but no-one has a bad word for him.’ Michael Palin
John Borgonovo
Dr John Borgonovo is a Lecturer in the School of History at University College Cork. He is best known for his work on Revolutionary Ireland, which includes numerous books, peer-reviewed articles, and book chapters. He was associate editor of the award-winning Atlas of the Irish Revolution.
John Farrelly
John Farrelly was born and raised in a village just outside Newry, Co. Down. After dropping out of art college because all he wanted to do was write stories and draw pictures, he became a freelance caricature artist. He always did a full day's work - he just spread it over the whole week. Finally, after a three-day siege, where no one was injured and all hostages were dreleased, The O'Brien Press let him write stories and draw pictures.
Kíla
Formed at school in Dublin's late 1980's, Kíla are heralded as one of Ireland’s most innovative and exciting bands. Their unique sound has been ever evolving, rooted in tradition, yet inspired by a myriad of influences and ideas from all around the world. Often defined as contemporary Irish World music, Kíla fuse their own melodies, Irish (Gaeilge) lyrics, Irish folk instruments such as whistles, fiddles, Uilleann pipes and bodhrán with djembe, congas, drums, mandolins, brass and acoustic/electric/ bass guitars. Kíla's eight members come from the differing musical backgrounds of traditional, classical and rock.
“One of the most beautifully euphoric live experiences” BBC World Review “Softly spoken off stage and complete lunatics on it, Kíla have torn up the rulebook with their wantonly eclectic mix of styles, Brilliant!” HOTPRESS
Leanne McCormick
Liam McNiffe
Dr Liam McNiffe is an historian, author, teacher and retired Principal of St. Patrick’s College Cavan. He also lectures in Art History. In conjunction with Meath County Library Service and Meath Travellers Workshop, and assisted by Frances Tallon, Tom French, Michael and Nell Mc Donagh, he published Traveller Genealogy (2020).
Liz Gillis
Liz Gillis is from the Liberties and is the author of six books about the Irish Revolution. She is Historian in Residence for Dublin South County Council for the Decade of Centenaries and also works as a Researcher for the History Show on RTÉ Radio and lectures at Champlain College Dublin. She was a Curatorial Assistant in RTÉ, specialising in researching the Easter Rising and a tour guide for many years in Kilmainham Gaol. In 2018 Liz was a recipient of the Lord Mayor’s Award for her contribution to history.
Liz Nugent
Liz Nugent is a bestselling writer of award-winning psychological suspense novels. Her books have been optioned for screen adaptations and have also been translated into 16 languages. She has also written extensively for radio and television in drama and animation.
Luke Harding
Luke Harding is a Guardian journalist and foreign correspondent. From 2007-2011 he was based in Moscow until he was, in effect, expelled by the Putin government, as notable a badge of honour as a Pulitzer Prize or a knighthood. He has written numerous books, including volumes on Wikileaks and Julian Assange, the murder of Alexander Litvinenko and the revelations of Edward Snowden. His two most recent works are Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win (2017) and Shadow State: Murder, Mayhem and Russia’s Remaking of the West (2020). In 2022 Luke has been based in Ukraine reporting on the outcome of the facilitation of the Putin regime that he highlighted in both those books.
Martina Devlin
Author and journalist Martina Devlin has written eight novels, two non-fiction books, two short plays and a short story collection. Her latest work is Edith: A Novel about the writer Edith Somerville. Prizes include the Royal Society of Literature’s V.S. Pritchett Prize and a Hennessy Literary Award. She writes a weekly current affairs column for the Irish Independent and has been named National Newspapers of Ireland commentator of the year. Martina hosts the City of Books podcast for Dublin UNESCO City of Literature. She is the first holder of a PhD in literary practice from Trinity College Dublin, where she is an adjunct lecturer in literature.
Marty Morrissey
Mary McAuliffe
Matthew Spangler
Matthew Spangler’s highly successful stage adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner has now toured the known world, with stops on London's West End, the Dubai Opera House, and Gaiety Theatre in Dublin along the way. It will shortly open on Broadway. Matthew has hosted numerous ‘adaptation sessions’ at Hinterland over the years, with authors like Zlata Filipovic (Zlata's Diary), Kevin Barry (Beatlebone), Mary Manning/Sinead O'Brien (Striking Back), and Christy Lefteri (The Beekeeper of Aleppo). The latter two are currently being adapted for stage by Matthew in collaboration with their authors.
Michael Brunnock
Michael Brunnock is an Irish award winning singer/songwriter. Winner of an Italian Oscar, the David Di Donatello Award (2012), for his work with David Byrne, on the Sean Penn movie This Must Be the Place, Michael possesses an extraordinary voice, his powerful melodies and harmonies are driven by a strong personal vision drawing the listener in with an authentic vision and Irish soul.
Brunnock has since contributed to multiple soundtracks in Italian film, and his solo releases include So I Do
(2007); The Orchard (2012); Live in New York (2015), The Landing (2016); The Ghost of Roger Casement (2016) and the album Live To Love (2018) with singer songwriter Niamh Hyland.
Brunnock has toured extensively in Ireland, Europe and the States.
Michael Harding
Myles Dungan
Dr. Myles Dungan is a proud Kells resident. He is a writer and broadcaster, presents The History Show on RTÉ Radio 1 and is the author of a number of Irish and American history books. The most recent of these is Four Killings, which looks at the bloody legacy of his extended family in the Irish War of Independence. He holds a PhD in history from Trinity College, Dublin, is Dean of Humanities at City Colleges, Dublin and is an adjunct lecturer in history at University College, Dublin.
Neil Belton
Previously an Editor at Faber, Jonathan Cape and Granta, Neil is now Editorial Director at Head of Zeus. He is the author of The Good Listener: Helen Bamber, a Life Against Cruelty, which was awarded the 1999 Irish Times Literature Prize for Irish Non-fiction (Weidenfeld & Nicolson). His novel A Game With Sharpened Knives, based on the life of Erwin Schrodinger, was published to critical acclaim by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 2005. Born in Ireland and educated at University College Dublin, he now lives in London.
Niall Kinsella
Nick Sheridan
Noah Griffin Jr.
Noah Griffin Jr. has had many careers. He has been a historian, writer, newspaper columnist, radio and television talk show host, law editor, press secretary, campaign manager, lyricist, and vocalist. Griffin was born in San Francisco, California, on January 31, 1946. By the time he was twelve, Griffin had shared the stage with Paul Robeson, Leontyne Price, Johnny Ray, Nat “King” Cole, and performed in Carmen, Turandot, and Boris Godunov. Since those heady days he has changed gear and worked with San Francisco mayor Dianne Feinstein before becoming the first full-time black talk show host on KGO Radio in San Francisco and the first black op-ed columnist for the San Francisco Examiner.
Orla O’Donnell
Owen Gilhooly-Miles
Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc
Dr. Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc is a native of Meelick, Co. Clare but now lives in North Cork. He has a PhD from the University of Limerick and has published half a dozen books on the Irish Revolution of 1913 - 1923. His last book Truce - Murder, Myth and the Last Days of the Irish War of Independence published in 2016 was based on his PHD thesis. He is a regular contributor to History Ireland Magazine and RTÉ Radio.
Richie Sadlier
Richie Sadlier is a psychotherapist and former professional footballer who also works as a TV soccer pundit for RTÉ. He is also a regular contributor to RTÉ radio and the Second Captain’s podcast, presenting The Players Chair. His memoir Recovering, which dealt with his own struggles with alcohol and mental health issues was a non-fiction bestseller in 2019.
Rosita Boland
Stephen Morris
Tom Dunne
Tom Dunne has been front man with the Irish rock band, Something Happens (‘the band that forgot to break up’) for the better part of three decades now. He has also been a radio presenter for the last two decades - probably still best known for his seminal ‘Pet Sounds’ programme on Today FM. He’s only been coming to Hinterland to enthuse audiences about classic rock albums since 2017, but in 2027 we have no doubt that he’ll have been doing that for a decade as well.
Tony Bucher
Tony Bucher grew up in one of the few places that mattered in the 1970s, Berkeley, California. He regularly attends the Hinterland Festival and organises a few talks each year as President of the San Francisco Irish Literary and Historical Society. He is also the founder of our sister festival in San Francisco, Hinterland:West (which will take place this year from 30 September to 2 October)
Turtle Bunbury
Turtle Bunbury is a historian, podcaster and bestselling author. His podcast series include Turtle Bunbury’s Global Irish, Waterways Through Time and Vanishing Ireland. He has published over twenty books, including the best-selling Vanishing Ireland series, Ireland’s Forgotten Past and The Irish Diaspora, described as ‘fascinating’ and ‘impeccably researched’ by BBC History Magazine. Turtle has also installed 50 history panels in railway stations across Ireland, bringing intriguing historical tales to commuters as they await their trains. www.turtlebunbury.com
Ultan Courtney
Ultan Courtney is a local Meath historian who has written extensively on the War of Independence in Meath. He lives in Lusk Co. Dublin. Both of his parents were from Meath and his father was involved in the War of Independence. He is a management consultant and Chairman of the Low Pay Commission and former Chairman of Dublin Bus. He is a Graduate of Trinity College, UCD, DIT and the Law Society School of Education.
Val McDermid