“Five episodes in, the Irish Books Podcast has quietly established itself as part of Irish literary culture.”
The Irish Times
Irish Books gives a single work of contemporary Irish writing sustained critical attention in every episode. It is an alternative to the jacket endorsements that make it hard to tell what is worth reading: host Dr Chris Murray and an expert guest explore each book’s themes, techniques and place in Irish literary culture, so you finish with a deeper understanding of a book you have read, or a clear sense of what to read next.
Season 1 explored literary fiction from authors including Sally Rooney, Colm Tóibín, Anna Burns, Paul Lynch and Eimear McBride. Season 2 broadens the shelf to include short stories, history and nonfiction.
How the books are chosen
Each title is chosen independently by Chris, his guests and his book group, mixing prize winners and major names with excellent books the big awards have overlooked. Every featured book is available in bookshops and libraries across the English-speaking world, so you can read along.
Inside each episode
Each conversation opens with the guest introducing the book, followed by a short dramatic reading from a voice actor. From there the discussion follows the book itself, whether that is Eimear McBride’s stylistic innovation or the psychological pull of migration in Colm Tóibín. Spoilers are always flagged in advance.
Why scholars, not authors
Authors often arrive well-rehearsed when talking about their own work, so Irish Books brings in scholars who know each book intimately and can speak about it freely. Guests have included Professor Christopher Morash, Seamus Heaney Professor of Irish Writing at Trinity College Dublin, on Paul Lynch’s Prophet Song; Frances Devlin-Glass, Director of Bloomsday Australia, on Eimear McBride; Dr Matthew Ryan on Colm Tóibín’s Long Island; and Professor James Chandler of the University of Chicago on Anna Burns’s Milkman.
“There’s nothing like listening to an erudite host, such as Dr Chris Murray on Irish Books, interrogating the anatomy of novels with fellow scholars.”
Irish Independent
Your host
Dr Chris Murray is Senior Lecturer in Literary Studies and Education Director in the School of Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics at Monash University in Melbourne, and editor of the Australasian Journal of Irish Studies. He was the 2025 Carr-Thomas-Ovenden Fellow in Romantic Literature at the University of Oxford, and recently co-edited Religion in Irish Literature and Culture (Cambridge University Press). He also leads a book group at the Celtic Club Melbourne. Episodes are recorded wherever the conversation takes him, from the State Library of Victoria and University College Dublin to pubs, living rooms and Oscar Wilde’s former home.
New episodes fortnightly
New episodes are released every second Wednesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts and all major podcast apps.
Irish Books is supported by the Irish Studies Programme of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with the Irish Embassy in Canberra, and by Monash University. Produced by East Coast Studio.
