It’s that time again! March is coming, my favourite month in my blogging calendar, because it’s Reading Ireland Month – will you be joining me?

Ah, gwan, ya will!

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time you’ll know that I never stop banging on about Ireland and its hefty cultural punch. Four Nobel Prize winners; six Booker Prize winners, including Anna Burns wonderful win for Milkman; some world dominating musicians and a host of Oscar winners (can Saoirse Ronan bag another Oscar for Ireland this year?)

We have the best pint in the world and the most stunning coastline – and Peter Dinklage loves us, so what more could you want?

Last year we hosted over 100 posts on all things relating to Irish culture. Books, food, travel, movies, theatre and favourite bookshops – your enthusiasm was boundless and so was your reading.

To celebrate the wealth and breadth and general awesomeness of Irish cultural life, I will be hosting the fourth annual celebration of all things Irish.

This year is a first though, as I have been abandoned by co-host and partner in crime Raging Fluff who has, rather disgracefully, decided to go working and travelling in South America this year. Fair enough, I don’t blame him, I’d go too if I could, but I’m sure he will be with us in spirit!

Reading Ireland Month (or The Begorrathon as it is affectionately known) will feature book and film reviews, poems, music, interviews, giveaways and much, much more.

I’d love for you to join me!

Grab my new badge and get planning your Ireland themed reading or viewing. Like the Facebook page here and then between 2 and 29 March, post as much as you like about any aspect of Irish literature and culture – anything at all!

Read this year’s One City One Book choice Tatty by Christine Dwyer-Hickey. Post your wheaten bread recipe. Make a list of your favourite Irish books or movies. Eat a packet of Tayto crisps. Haven’t had enough of Normal People by Sally Rooney yet? Then watch the new BBC3 adaptation!

Normal People tracks the tender but complicated relationship of Marianne and Connell from the end of their school days in small-town west of Ireland to their undergraduate years at Trinity College. At school, heÕs well-liked and popular, while sheÕs lonely, proud and intimidating. But when Connell comes to pick up his mother from her cleaning job at MarianneÕs house, a strange and indelible connection grows between the two teenagers Ð one they are determined to conceal. A year later, theyÕre both studying in Dublin and Marianne has found her feet in a new social world but Connell hangs at the side lines, shy and uncertain. Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal), shown. (Photo: Enda Bowe/Hulu)

From Derry Girls to Sebastian Barry, Game of Thrones to Anne Enright, there is no shortage of marvellous culture to choose from.

This year, once again, I am theming my posts – you can join in with this schedule if you like, but if you don’t, don’t worry! My reading and reviews will be grouped as follows:

2^nd – 8^th March – Contemporary Irish Novels

9^th – 15^th March – Classic Irish Novels

16th – 22nd March – Irish Short Story Collections

23^rd – 29^th March – Irish Non-Fiction

I’ll be hosting a giveaway each week and rounding up the posts of everyone taking part.

If you need some inspiration, check out my list of 100 Irish Novels and 100 Novels by Irish Women Writers and don’t forget to link up your post to the Linky that will be available on my pinned Master Post.

This year I’ll be tweeting using the hashtags #readingirelandmonth20 or #begorrathon20

I do hope some of you will be able to take part, if not, I might have to send Sister Michael round…

Ireland Month Irish Literature The 746 #readingirelandmonth20 begorrathon20 reading ireland month