by Rosemary Hennigan
Contemporary, Thriller, Ireland | Release date: March 17, 2022 | Goodreads
'Maybe I've told that version of the story so often,
that I can't remember the truth of it anymore.'
Dara Gaffney is fresh out of drama school when she lands the leading role in the revival of Eabha de Lacey's hugely successful yet controversial play.
Based on the true story of the death of Cillian Butler, many claim that Eabha had an ulterior motive when she penned it. Cillian's death remains a mystery to this day, and Eabha and her brother, Austin, the only witnesses.
As the media storm builds and the opening night draws closer, the cast find it harder and harder to separate themselves from the characters.
As the truth of Cillian's fate becomes clear, Dara's loyalty to her role will be irrevocably questioned as the terrible history starts to repeat itself..
by Kathleen Murray
Literary, Ireland | Release date: April 28, 2022 | Goodreads
Frank Whelan is the seventh son of a seventh son, so by now should have inherited his father's legendary healing power, but still hasn't managed to graduate beyond small-time skin afflictions.
He already feels adrift when his twin, Bernie, reveals a life-changing decision that calls into question everything Frank thought he knew about his place in the family. And then he discovers his father had been keeping secrets of his own.
And so Frank turns to an unlikely source for guidance and finds himself on a quest for answers... from this world, and the next.
by Aingeala Flannery
Contemporary, Ireland | Release date: June 23, 2022 | Goodreads
In the resort town of Tramore, County Waterford, visitors arrive in waves with the tourist season, reliving the best days of their childhoods at the seaside amusements. Local teenager Helen Grant is indifferent to the charm of her surroundings; infatuated with her glamorous classmate Stella Swaine, she yearns to escape with her to art college, and from there, the world. But leaving Tramore is easier said than done. With an alcoholic father and an unsympathetic mother, Helen's family life may shatter her dream, just when it seems to be within reach...
Following the Grant and Swaine families and their neighbours over three decades, The Amusements is an unforgettable story about roads taken and not taken. It is a brilliantly observed portrait of life in a small town.
AND watched: Mostly British Film Festival (details)
Director/Writer: Rachel Carey
Stars: Angeline Ball, Ericka Roe, Lauren Larkin, Shauna Higgins
Comedy, Ireland | imdb | my rating: 5
hilarious, with an 80's vibe
A black comedy set in a working-class Dublin hair salon where the stylists become accidental vigilantes and community heroes as they take on the gang members and gentrifiers threatening their community.
Director: Elfar Adalsteins
Writer: Michael Armbruster
Stars: John Hawkes, Logan Lerman
Drama, Ireland | imdb | my rating: 5
road trip reveals
After being widowed, Frank Fogle reluctantly embarks on a journey to honor his wife's last wish of spreading her ashes in a remote lake in her native Ireland and a promise of taking his estranged son, Sean, along for the trip. As Sean steps out of prison the last thing on his mind is a foreign road trip with his alienated father. What he needs is a fresh start in California. But when his travel plans collapse he reluctantly accepts his father's proposal in return for a ticket to the West Coast and a promise that they never have to see each other again. Between a disconcerting Irish wake, the surfacing of an old flame, the pick up of a pretty hitchhiker and plenty of unresolved issues, the journey becomes a little more than father and son had bargained for.
* header image: irish vintage card
* found these authors amongst The Irish Times The debut authors to look out for in 2022 article (here)
