Ennis Bookclub Festival presents: That Old Country Music by Kevin Barry

Since his landmark debut collection, There Are Little Kingdoms, and its award-winning sequel in 2012, Dark Lies the Island, Kevin Barry has been acclaimed as one of the world’s most accomplished and gifted short story writers.
Kevin Barry is the author of three novels and three short story collections. His awards include the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Goldsmiths Prize, the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award and the Lannan Foundation Literary Award. His latest novel, Night Boat to Tangier, was an Irish number one bestseller, was longlisted for the Booker Prize and shortlisted for Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards.
Kevin appears at Ennis Bookclub Festival with his new short story collection That Old Country Music (2020, Canongate). In this rapturous third collection, we encounter a ragbag of west of Ireland characters, many on the cusp between love and catastrophe, heartbreak and epiphany, resignation and hope. These stories show an Ireland in a condition of great flux but also as a place where older rhythms, and an older magic, somehow persist.
Artistic Director Dani Gill talks to Kevin about his newest collection, followed by a short film of the title story, made by artist and filmmaker, Laura Sheeran.
"One of the best collections you’ll read this year" -Sunday Times
"Wild, witty stories...Exhilarating" -The Observer
This event is kindly supported by St Francis Credit Union.

[@coragun3793]

Great reading from Kevin combined with an atmospheric film. Eerie...

[@gks_889]

Fellow Limerick living being here also, not raised near the city but 'mullock'/'mullocking' is defintely something you'd hear on a daily basis here. Think the use of the verb is like someone codding you? (if this is Limerick slang too, like someone messing with you, kind of making a fool out of you.) Hope this helps!! I also think 'mullocking' is like taking the piss .. more or less, sitting down, doing nothing! Might just be us out here in rural East Limerick, having ways of speaking that make no formal sense at ALL! Enjoyed the chat a great deal. What a way with creating music with words he has.

[@persona_ie]

❤️

[@audreymaccready5778]

Absolutely! I lived in Belgium for 16 years, and found it bizarre how closed people there are. I'd be here for a visit and in 24 hours, I'd be raving about how fabulous Irish people are when it comes to the chat. TG I live here now.

[@coragun3793]

There is a village in Clare called Mullagh

[@audreymaccready5778]

That's a great notion, of tuning in to the music of the writing. As a novelist, I'll take that on board!

[@coragun3793]

Can’t confirm if people from Mullagh are Mullaghers!

[@ennisbookclubfestival7785]

Does anyone know a real life Mullucker?!

[@bridgetginnity1658]

@@ennisbookclubfestival7785 No, but we did plenty of mullucking around when we were young, didn't realise we might be called mulluckers