It’s hard to believe it, but March is nearly here and that can only mean one thing, it’s time for some craic!

As of next Sunday, it will be Reading Ireland Month (or The Begorrathon, if you are so inclined!) and we will kick off a month long celebration of Irish books and culture.

I’ve teamed up with Niall at The Fluff is Raging and we will be reviewing books and movies, talking about Irish things we love, looking at Irish people you didn’t know were Irish and generally avoiding any mention of Jedward…… 🙂

I found quite the stack of books by Irish authors in the 746, so I’ll be reviewing books by well know Irish authors like William Trevor, Edna O’Brien and Tana French and books by some not so well known, like Arlene Hunt and Leland Bardwell. I’ll be looking in depth at the rise of Irish Crime Fiction, and the work of women writers in Ireland.

Anne Enright may have won the Irish Fiction Laureate last month, but she didn’t win Reading Roulette! There was only one vote in it, but this month’s poll was won by Maggie O’Farrell’s The Hand that Once Held Mine, so I’ll be squeezing that one in to the reading schedule too.

Keep your eyes peeled for giveaways galore – featuring books by Roddy Doyle, signed crime novels and bookish prints and tote bags.

Niall will be casting his critical cinematic eye over the best Irish movies out there, like In Bruges and Calvary and I can hazard a guess that Father Ted will make an appearance at some point.

Throw in some theatre reviews, interviews with leading Irish authors and Top Ten Lists and it promises to be a busy, entertaining month!

To join us, all you need to do is grab the pin and post it on your page, ‘like’ our Facebook page, use our hashtags #readireland2015 or #begorrathon2015, dig out a book or movie from Ireland and link up to our Master Posts from 1 March. Link to my page for book reviews, and to Niall’s for movie or television reviews and all other cultural posts.

So pour yourself a pint of Guinness, a tumbler of Jameson, or just a cup of Barry’s Tea and enter the magical, lyrical cultural landscape of Ireland.

Have you made any Ireland Month plans yet? Have you picked out some books or compiled your Top Ten Liam Neeson Screen Moments List? I really hope you’ll join us, sure it’d be no craic without you!

Ireland Month The 746 arlene hunt begorrathon2015 father ted irish crime irish literature leland bardwell Maggie o'farrell readireland2015 roddy doyle tana french the hadn that first held mine william trevor