Irish Authors Book Group Series With Deborah McDermott

THE BOOK FOR JANUARY IS:

SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE by Claire Keegan

“This book was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and received the George Orwell Prize. It’s very short, almost a novella; most people could read it in a couple of days easily. But it packs a wallop. Among the places that a coal merchant makes deliveries to is a Magdalene laundry, where he makes an appalling discovery.”  Deborah McDermott

From January 2024 through May 2024, Deborah McDermott (formerly a York Weekly/Portsmouth Herald reporter) will be offering a 5-month series of Irish Author Book Group gatherings. These will be on zoom, with Deborah facilitating each session all the way from Ireland. You may sign up for as many as you prefer, no commitment to attend them all. Each session will begin at 2:00PM EST. The dates and chosen books include:  

January 18 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

February 15 The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

March 21 TransAtlantic by Colum McCann

April 18 Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

May 16 We Don’t Know Ourselves by Fintan O’Toole

Registration is limited to 15 for each individual session. You may sign up for one, or for all five. Or whatever number you want to commit to. Because we can only include 15 individuals, it’s essential that you only sign up for the dates you are sure you can attend. You will need to sign up individually for your choice of session(s). In the registration form for each session, you can indicate whether you will try and borrow the book from the library or do you plan to purchase your own copy. 

Deborah McDermott is probably best known to York residents as the York Weekly/Portsmouth Herald reporter from 2014-2019. She has also held posts as Maine Bureau Chief of the Herald and editor of the Weekly. A dual citizen of the US and Ireland, after retiring she moved to Ireland where she has resided ever since. Currently she is enrolled in a two-year diploma program in Irish archaeology at the University of Galway, which keeps her aging mind quite busy. She volunteers at a cat shelter, is a local member of Tidy Towns (a nationwide town beautification program), and is among those leading an effort to establish a climate master plan in her town. She also has a blog about life in Ireland and her travels. It can be found at www.wanderofwanders.com.