In less than two months, Gabriel Byrne will introduce us to his new book, a memoir that touches on his childhood in Ireland and examines his life as an actor and creative artist: Walking With Ghosts.

Excited? You are darned right we are excited!

And so are the people at the Dingle Literary Festival, who are bringing us this unique event.

From the Irish Times

Our dream when launching Dingle Lit last year was one where we envisaged authors, readers and writers mingling happily in west Kerry. That first festival last winter was epic. It superseded all our expectations and we thought: this is it, the only way is up!

We planned and we plotted, and sometimes we wavered, but today we bring Dingle Lit 2020, but never as we envisaged. This pandemic has certainly greyed our early dreams, but our vision for Dingle Lit remains firm for the future. This year all author events will be online and free to view.

We have an opportunity now to bring Dingle and west Kerry to book lovers all over the world from November 20th-22nd.

The immediate challenge was how do we make this happen. I must confess I did have a few sleepless nights when the talk turned to Zoom, Crowdcast, broadband capabilities and the best way to sit in front of a camera for an online event. We approached the Dingle Hub for tech help and they immediately came on board. Normally festival offices are a hive of activity, full of bustle and people. Our 2020 “control room” in the Dingle Hub allows two people on current social distancing guidelines and will be a room brimming with PC screens.

The screams of delight of the committee could be heard from afar when one of the first authors agreeing to be part of the festival was Gabriel Byrne. Gabriel has written a memoir, Walking With Ghosts, which Colum McCann has called “a masterpiece . . . poetic, moving and very funny”. If only I could buy him a pint of Guinness in Dick Mack’s after his event… another year hopefully.

“Screams of delight.” Sounds like us, no?

Here is his new book cover again. I really like *this* portrait, in case you have not noticed . . .

From the festival website

Gabriel Byrne interviewed by Mia Colleran

A life-long relationship with words: Gabriel Byrne reflects on Irish identity, language and the literature that influences him.

What will the interview be about?
How does Gabriel Byrne personally define ‘being Irish’ and how does the Irish language and literature influence his answer? Gabriel will discuss all of this with Mia, delving into his relationship with America—where he lives now—and Ireland, while also sharing some of the defining works of literature of his life and their influence on his own writing.

Mia Colleran is an Irish book critic and an award-winning writer and bookseller.

Multi-award-winning actor, writer and director Gabriel Byrne interviewed by Mia Colleran on Friday 20 November 2020 at 7.15pm IST/GMT

star star PRE-REGISTER for this event if you have not already done so! star star

Back in 2013, Gabriel was off gallivanting in Ireland, sporting a beard and long hair, filming Vikings. He did a truckload of interviews to help support that new History Channel series (which has proven quite successful in the intervening years), and he said the following during one of them:

We are about to be the beneficiaries of Gabriel’s love of writing and his discipline. He is probably too humble to admit how hard this work really is, especially when juggling film and television projects and trying to live one’s life. But, no matter. We know. And we’re so happy that he has realized his goal.

The new book. At last!

Can’t wait for November! heart

4 Comments

  1. This is so exciting. I registered for a couple of events. It is utterly fascinating to listen to authors talk about their work. Gabriel Byrne is always inspiring, and I expect Walking with Ghosts will be a revelation.

  2. DORA BARALIA

    OUR DEAR GABRIEL IS EVER INSPIRING THROUGH HIS FILMS, IN ALL HIS ROLES AND NOW, WITH THIS NEW EXPERIENCE, HE MAKES US WAIT ANXIOUSLY FOR THIS EVENT. AND ALL US KNOW THAT IT WILL BE A GREAT EXPERIENCE. I WROTE POEMS IN THE PAST. NOW I WRITE MEDITATION EXERCISES FOR MY PUPILS AND IT IS A GREAT PLEASURE TO DO IT. THESE HELP SO MUCH WITH MAKING PERSONAL DECISIONS IN LIFE. I CAN’T WAIT, LIKE YOU… FOR HIS BOOK AND TO HAVE THE POSSIBILITY TO BUY IT. THE BEST TO HIM FROM ARGENTINA … ALL MY FEELINGS …

  3. So excited. Just pre-ordered Walking with Ghosts from my local independent bookstore!!!! (Support your local independent bookstores) Ships in January 2021 in Canada and U.S. Gabriel Byrne’s interview about the book will be a lovely introduction while I wait for it to be available in Canada. Thank you Dingle Literary Festival !! Good luck on your second year of operation – amid the pandemic – even so, you now have a global audience!!

  4. It was a great interview. The chemistry between Mia Colleran and Gabriel Byrne was natural, warm and respectful. Good questions and great answers too.
    I saw the interview when it was on air, and one more time after. And I used my pencil to write down sentences from Gabriel that I will think about in the future.

    Tonight I will reflect more about: “We must accept the reality”

    Nora from Norway

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