Tag Archives: NoraNovel

ULYSSES 100 EVENTS

Ulysses 100 image by At It Again

I’m busy, naturally, as we get closer to the Ulysses 100 anniversary on 2.2.22, so here are a few of the events & things you can catch me at:

22nd January 2022 – I have a piece about the background to writing Ulysses – how life was for Nora and Joyce – in the Irish Independent. Read it here.

Saint Brigid’s Day / Lá ‘le Bríde – 1st Feb. – I’m talking live to Ambassador Eamon Hickey at the Embassy of Ireland, Bern, in Switzerland. 5pm Irish time. More here.

Saint Brigid’s Day / Lá ‘le Bríde – 1st Feb. – I’m taking part in the celebration of Ulysses at Embassy of Ireland Paris, with Ambassador Niall Burgess. Time tbc. Watch back here.

2nd Feb – Ulysses 100 day – the exhibition I’ve curated at MOLI – ‘Love, says Bloom’ – opens today. So exciting! Sadly, Covid restrictions mean we won’t be having a shindig, but please visit the museum to see this immersive audiovisual presentation, where I took the love between the four Joyces – and their love of music – as inspiration. It includes some magnificent performances from artists including Julia Spanu of Moxie, Ian Lynch of Lankum, and Lisa O’Neill. More here.

2nd Feb – Ulysses 100 day – I’ll be on RTÉ’s Arena talking Ulysses with Sean Rocks and a panel of Joyce fans. 7pm. RTÉ Radio 1. You can hear this here.

2nd Feb – Ulysses 100 day – I am giving away a signed copy of the One Dublin One Book edition of NORA (out Feb. 24th from New Island Books). Enter until midday 2nd Feb! See my insta for details.

4th Feb, 6.30pm – I’m launching the new edition of Ray Burke’s wonderful book, Joyce County – Galway and James Joyce, in Galway city at Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop. Illustrated by Joe Boske. Published by Artisan House in Connemara.

4th Feb, 10.45pm – I’m on BBC Radio 3, on The Essay, concluding a week of Reading Ulysses, with my thoughts on the Penelope episode. Other essayists include Mary Costello, John Patrick McHugh, Colm Tóibín and Anne Enright. Listen here.

NORA IN NYT TOP 10

I’m very pleased the New York Times names my novel NORA among the 10 best historical novels of 2021. ‘A lively fictional rendition of Nora Barnacle, the minimally educated, blue-collar woman who propped up one of literature’s most challenging highbrow writers.’ Huge thanks to Alida Becker. Lovely to be in there with personal faves Alison MacLeod and Colm Tóibín.

More here.

TERTULIA BOOKS, WESTPORT

I had a fab time at Westival in Westport, this weekend gone by. My event was hosted by the magical Tertulia Books, run by Bríd and Neil, and they gave me such a warm welcome to their beautiful shop and town. They are up for a book award at the APIBAS (as is NORA!), and you can vote for them here. Big thanks to the Tertulia crew, to the yoga boys for the gorgeous venue, and to Caroline Healy for the interview on the night.

NORA SHORTLISTED IRISH BOOK AWARDS

I’m delighted that Seán Rocks and the Arena crew have nominated NORA in the RTÉ Audience Choice Award at the An Post Irish Book Awards. As a big Arena fan, this is such an honour. I’m also honoured that NORA is the only novel on the shortlist.

You can vote here.

SAN FRAN BOOK REVIEW

The San Francisco Book Review has given NORA a lovely tiny review. A snip: ‘a truly impressive work of biographical fiction, Nuala O’Connor pens a powerful and incisive account of the life of Nora Joyce, who despite being remembered as “Irish literature’s greatest muse” was really a far more complex, commanding, and intriguing individual than her lasting reputation suggests.’ More here: https://sanfranciscobookreview.com/biographies-memoirs/

NORA & Bloomsday 2021

NORA at Bowling Green

NORA and I will be doing several events for Bloomsday 2021.

Ahead of Bloomsday I was interviewed by Chiara Liberio for Radio Dublino on 90.3FM. The piece is here at 16 minutes in.

For Bloomsday, Elisabetta D’Erme interviews me for Il Piccolo, the newspaper in Trieste, Italy, that Joyce wrote for, about Joyce, Nora, and my trip to Trieste. Link here.

13th June, 6pm IST: I will be reading for the Cercle littéraire irlandais and Irish Embassy in Paris. More here.

14th June, 10pm IST: I will in conversation with Kerri Maher on Instagram at 5pm EST/10pm IST. Kerri’s book about Sylvia Beach appears in 2022.

15th June, 5pm IST/6pm ECT: I will be discussing NORA with the Irish Embassy of Belgium Book Club.

* 16th June, Bloomsday *

3.15pm IST: I’ll be talking about Bloomsday on the Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Scotland.

6pm IST: I am taking part in the James Joyce Centre in Dublin’s annual Bloomsday flagship event for Ulysses: Readings and Songs which runs on Facebook Live from 6pm.

7pm IST/2pm ET: I will be discussing life writing and NORA with the University of Notre Dame & the Kylemore Book Club. More here.

7pm IST, RTÉ 1 television: I feature on Nationwide with Anne Cassin. We go to Galway city and explore Nora and James Joyce’s haunts there. We also go to Kennys book shop. You can watch the piece on the RTE Player.

7.30pm IST: I speak about NORA with the Consulate General of Ireland in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of their Bloomsday ‘In Praise of Women’ celebration. Watch the video here. My bit starts at 25 mins.

I am interviewed by founding editor & publisher of the The Stinging Fly literary magazine, Declan Meade, for The Stinging Fly podcast. It is available now here.

*

17th June: I’ll be on the Wexford-based Red Books podcast talking with Álanna Hammel about NORA, James Joyce, and writing bio-fiction. Link to follow!

17th June, 7pm Berlin/6pm Ireland: I will be reading from and discussing NORA with Melanie Neumann of the Embassy of Ireland in Berlin. Sign up here.