DECEMBER, 2020
Everything selected as one of the sports books of the year for 2020
I was delighted that Everything, the Autobiography of Denis Coughlan was chosen as one of the Irish sports books of the year in three newspapers.
The Irish Times: Malachy Clerkin said that the book was ‘gorgeous, lyrical and redolent of a different time in some places but also strident and insightful about modern GAA tensions in others’. Click on the link here
The Sunday Times said: ‘The equivalent of a fireside chat, warm and genial and full of Leeside lore.’ Click here to see the link.
The Irish Examiner picked it as one of the 10 sports books to read for Christmas, Enda McEvoy saying: ‘A warm, chatty and immensely enjoyable book, with the presence as ghostwriter of the novelist Tadhg Coakley adding a sheen of class.’ Click here to see the link.
The 2020 Cork One City One Book Virtual Tour
Because of Covid-19 we couldn’t have any live events around the award.
Instead, I was filmed on a ‘virtual tour’ of locations that feature prominently in the book.
These include The English Market, Coalmarket Street, Lavitt’s Quay and Pope’s Quay.
I read a short passage from the book and said a little about the location at each stop.
You can watch the video on YouTube at this link: https://youtu.be/86tmA8Ut4I8
NOVEMBER, 2020
Excerpts from Everything, the Autobiography of Denis Coughlan
There has been a wonderful response to the book with several newspapers publishing extracts. Click on the links to read them.
Irish Examiner September 28. The Bitter Cork GAA Row that even The Taoiseach Couldn’t Defuse
Irish Examiner October 30. Denis Coughlan on Christy Ring: ‘He was very upset. He went pale when the hurley broke’
The Irish News, November 11. Cork legend Denis Coughlan almost paid penalty before 1967 All-Ireland semi against Cavan
OurGame.ie. October 21. There I was kicking a ball around with the Man United players in preparation for an All-Ireland Final.
The42.ie, October 3. ‘He had this aura, a huge presence in all our lives’ – Christy Ring, the Glen and a Cork final tradition
The Kilkenny Observer, October 16. A Sporting Friendship is Forever.
The Wexford People, November 11. Dual Star Coughlan had our measure on All-Ireland Final day.
West Cork Literary Festival Online Event
I was delighted to be part of an online literary event as part of the West Cork Literary Festival, 2020, with the brilliant writers Louise O’Neill and Catherine Ryan Howard. Louise’s gripping thriller After The Silence and Catherine’s latest brilliant crime novel The Nothing Man were both published this summer along with my book Whatever It Takes. The event took place on Zoom and was really well attended.
The event was moderated by Catherine Kirwan, another crime novelist based in Cork and was great fun. More details here.
OCTOBER, 2020
Cork Person of the Month for October, 2020
I was very honoured to be chosen as Cork Person of the Month for October, 2020, along with the great writer William Wall.
While there was no official ceremony, due to Covid-19, my name and Bill’s go forward to the selection of the Cork Person of the Year for 2020.
Click here to learn more about the award.
Interview on The Arts House with Elmarie Mawe
I was delighted to be interviewed by the wonderful champion of the arts in Cork, Elmarie Mawe for her show The Arts House on Cork’s 96fm and C103. We had a great chat without giving too much away about the plot of Whatever It Takes!
You can listen back to the interview here.
Everything on the Bestseller List!
I was thrilled to see the book at number 4 on the list of top selling Irish sports books
This from The Sunday Independent on October 18th.
SEPTEMBER, 2020
Everything, the Autobiography of Denis Coughlan Published!
I’m thrilled to announce the publication of Everything, the Autobiography of Denis Coughlan by Hero Books.
I was honoured to work on the book with Denis and it’s something I’m really proud of. More information about the book here.
The book is on sale in all good bookshops or you can buy it online here.
Leeside Lives Podcast
I featured as Episode 17 of the Leeside Lives Podcast with Jordan McCarthy.
We talked everything to do with writing and sport.
Click here to listen to the podcast.
Bray Literary Festival
I featured as part of the 2020 Bray Literary Festival with Madeleine D’Arcy and Mary Morrissy. Our event (on Zoom) revolved around books of linked shorts stories and we all read from our books.
I read from The First Sunday in September.
AUGUST, 2020
Podcast with The42.ie
I was delighted by be Number 40 in the brilliant Behind The Lines Podcast with Gavin Coooney of The42.ie.
We had a wide ranging conversation involving donkey jackets, Nicky English, and sports fiction. My 4 picks for the episode were: “Sport”, a poem by Paul Durcan; “Prosinecki”, a short story by Adrian Duncan in a 2018 edition of Stinging Fly; A Natural, a novel by Ross Raisin; The Throwback Special, a novel by Chris Bachelder.
Click here to listen to the podcast or sign up to become a Member of the 42.ie with access to all sorts of goodies!
Interview with The Echo
I was interviewed by Chris Dunne of The Echo about Whatever It Takes. “Growing up, I would have loved an Irish sports fiction book. In the same way I would have loved a crime novel set in Cork city.”
Click here to read the interview.
One City One Book Launch
The Launch of Whatever It Takes as the One City One Book by Cork Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Kieran McCarthy took place in Cork City Library on 14 August. I discussed the book with poet and author Tom McCarthy.
Click here to see the discussion.
Whatever It Takes Selected as Irish Independent Book Pick of the Week.
The book was reviewed by Myles McWeeney who referred to it as an ‘explosively exciting thriller’.
Whatever It Takes selected as Cork, One City One Book choice.
I’m thrilled to announce that my second book, Whatever It Takes has been chosen as the Cork, One City One Book choice for 2020. The One City One Book project transforms Cork into a citywide book club, with individuals, groups, and organisations reading one selected book, in turn building a sense of community, promoting reading and literacy.
Whatever It Takes published
My second novel, Whatever It Takes was published by the Mercier Press on August 7th, 2020.
This is a contemporary crime novel set in Cork city, featuring a Garda detective, Collins, who goes to war against a professional criminal.
JUNE, 2020
Sports article in the Irish Examiner
Getting the Right Result from Covid Dreaming
In these surreal times, I dream things turned out differently in some of my key sporting moments. Then reality bites…
Piece in The Irish Times
In this piece I have more questions than answers about bringing out a book in a time of crisis. My Covid-19 anxieties come to the fore. Written in the style of Donald Barthelme’s Concerning the Bodyguard.
MAY, 2020
My Essay Hurt is Published in The42.ie
Delighted to have my sports essay published in The42.ie as part of their Bylines Series. I am number 2 of 12 Irish writers (following no less than Donal Ryan) to be part of this series, which will be published as a book in 2021.
Sign up to The42.ie now to get access to these and so much more.
APRIL, 2020
I’m now working on the Autobiography of Denis Coughlan
I’m delighted to announce I’m working with the legendary Cork dual-star Denis Coughlan on his biography, to be published by Hero Books later in 2020 as part of the Legends Series. Denis contested no less than 81 county, provincial and All-Ireland finals at all grades during his fantastic career.
JANUARY, 2020
Irish Times: Whatever It Takes Listed in Books to Watch Out For in 2020
59 books to watch out for in 2020 – all from independent publishers
In some heady company here, lovely to have the book mentioned at the beginning of 2020.
Sports Article in Irish Examiner
A Blend of Then and Now in the New Páirc Uí Chaoimh
A piece on the opening of the new pitch at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and the first time the great Cork women’s football team played there, in a double header with the men.
NOVEMBER, 2019
Cork’s Holly Bough, 2019
My essay ‘Five Moments in Sport’ was published in the 2019 issue of The Holly Bough.
The Holly Bough is Cork’s foremost Christmas publication, since 1897, with over 250,000 readers worldwide.
OCTOBER, 2019
I had a column in The Irish Examiner Sports Section on:
A dance craze of the 1960s, cheating in Sport, the new Cork bainisteoirí and Amateur by Thomas Page McBee
SEPTEMBER, 2019
Cork International Short Story Festival September 29th.
Cónal Creedon & Lisa McInerney in conversation with Tadhg Coakley
9.30pm, Cork Arts Theatre
€5.00 — Box Office
Cónal Creedon is a short story writer, novelist, playwright, and documentary filmmaker. His books include the short story collection Pancho and Lefty Ride Out (Collins Press, 1999) and the novel Begotten Not Made (Irishtown Press, 2018). His short stories have achieved recognition in the Francis MacManus Awards, Life Extra Awards, George A. Birmingham Awards and PJ O’Connor Awards.
“Creedon’s words are enough to create a world that is at once comic and dramatic, poetic and musical.” – Rachel Saltz, The New York Times
Lisa McInerney’s story Navigation was longlisted for the 2017 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award. Her debut novel, The Glorious Heresies, won the 2016 Women’s Prize for Fiction and the 2016 Desmond Elliott Prize. Her second, The Blood Miracles, won the 2018 RSL Encore Award.
“The Blood Miracles, which begins as a slow trickle, soon gushes forth as an unstaunched flow of manic energy and raw emotion. It is an exhilarating rush of blood to the head that slams quickly closed and leaves you spent but utterly hooked.” – Ceire Duggan, RTÉ Culture
Tadhg Coakley graduated with first-class honours from the MA in Creative Writing in University College Cork in 2017. The First Sunday in September is his debut novel.
Some photos here:
JULY, 2019
Reading in Bantry at the West Cork Literary Festival with Mary White
JUNE, 2019
Reading on the Crosstown Drift Walking Tour as part of The Cork Midsummer Festival
22 June, from 10.30am / Free but ticketed https://www.corkmidsummer.com/programme/event/crosstown-drift-magical-mystery-book-tour
10.30am: Wendy Erskine & Nicole Flattery at Bobos Cafe at the Glucksman Gallery, Western Road
11.30am: Danielle McLaughlin & Sean Tanner at NeighbourFood, the Apple Market, 13 Barrack street
12.30pm: Launch of The Stinging Fly, Summer 2019 issue at The Nano Nagle Centre, Douglas Street – introduced by editors Danny Denton and Cal Doyle – with readings by contributors Dean Browne, Tadhg Coakley, Ellen Dillon, Fergal Gaynor and Louise Hegarty.
I’m reading from my essay: “Five Moments in Sport” published by The Stinging Fly, Summer 2019 Issue. Available for purchase here: https://stingingfly.org/product/summer-2019/
MAY, 2019
My essay ‘Five Moments in Sport’ was published by The Stinging Fly magazine.
Writing in the issue by David Means, Anne Carson, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Ian Maleney, Martina Evans, John Kelly and many other wonderful writers.
Purchase options here: https://stingingfly.org/product/summer-2019/
Reading at Rosi’s Tinted Spectacles in Maureen’s Pub, John Redmond’s St.
MARCH, 2019
I was delighted to read at Waterstones, Cork, for World Book Day with Thomas McCarthy and Danielle McLaughlin. Some photos here.
My next planned reading is at the West Cork Literary Festival in Bantry in July 2019, I will give more details when they are available.
Older Past Events and News
November 2018: Reading of First Sunday in September, Ballincollig Library
October 2018: Reading at Bandon Books.
September 2018: Reading at Mallow Library for Cork Culture Night
September 2018: Reading in UCC with Carys Davis and Danielle McLaughlin for Cork Culture Night.
August 2018: Featured Writer at Fiction at the Friary.
August 2018: Interviewed by RTE Radio 1 Book on One. Link to show here.
August 2018: Launch of The First Sunday in September, at Triskel Arts Centre
August 2018: Interviews with various newspapers and radio stations. Some details here.
March 2018: Reading at launch of Quarryman 2018, in UCC.
Previous Events:
September 2017: reading at Cork International Short Story Festival
July 2016: reading of hows tommy boy was selected at the 2016 West Cork Literary Festival.
July 2016: reading at The Killorglin Arts Festival (K-Fest)
March 2016: reading at launch of Quarryman 2016 in UCC.