Reading Ireland Month is coming…
Reading Ireland Month (or The Begorrathon as it is affectionately known) will return for the seventh year between Wednesday 1 and Friday 31 March 2023 and I’d love for you to join me.
If you have been reading my blog for any length of time you will 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, the best pint in the world and a raft of Oscar winners. I mean, this year, can you even really call yourself Irish if you haven’t been nominated for an Oscar?
Last year I 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!
This year I am, once again, theming my weeks just to make my planning easier. Feel free to join in with this, or just read what you want, when you want!
Intro Week: 1 – 5 March
Irish Classics Week: 6 -12 March
Contemporary Irish Week: 13 – 19 March
Short Story Week: 20 – 26 March
Non- Fiction Week: 27 – 31 March
Grab my new badge and get planning your Ireland themed reading or viewing. Like the Facebook page here and then between 1 and 31 March, post as much as you like about any aspect of Irish literature and culture – anything at all!
If you need some inspiration, check out my list of 100 Irish Novels and 100 Novels by Irish Women Writers. Why not join in with A Year with William Trevor and treat yourself to one of his short story collections or novels?
Don’t forget to either tag me in a post, or link up your post in the comments section of my pinned Master Post from 1st March and I’ll round up the contributions every Sunday throughout the month.
This year I’ll be tweeting using the hashtags #readingirelandmonth23 or #begorrathon23
Here’s to a great month of reading, I hope some of you can join me!
a year with william trevor Ireland Month #begorrathon23 #readingirelandmonth23 irish literature reading ireland month
Cathy746books View All →
I am a 40 something book buying addict trying to reduce the backlog one book at a time!
746books.com 
OMG..is it that time of the year already? Better get busy and make my Irish reading list! 🙂
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OMG..is it that time of the year already? Better get my Irish reading list ready!
🙂
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I know Nancy! It comes round so quick. I do hope you can join in, you are always such a great supporter of Irish Literature!
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I’ll be joining in some way or form but, as you know, March is a busy literary month what with this, Dewithon, March Magics and much else! Your structured programme will be helpful for any planning I do, thanks.
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Thanks Chris, I do know there is a lot of pressure on bloggers during the month 🙂
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Having trouble grasping that it’s that time of the year again! Thanks for organising it, Cathy.
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It comes around so quickly Susan! I need to get my reading on…
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Will do my best, as there’s Dewithon to fit in. But if nothing else, I have plenty of Elizabeth Bowen on the TBR!!
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I have The Death of the Heart on my pile too!
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Yes! I have Kate O’Brien’s “The Land of Spices” which I bought in Stratford last year and knew I could use. This year, astoundingly, I’m managing to do both this one and Dewithon – usually I can only manage one or the other! Hope it goes really well!
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Looking forward to it Cathy! I’ve already pulled some potential reads out of the TBR 🙂
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Excellent news!
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I will definitely try to join in again. Have read some brilliant things in previous years.
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Great Ali, look forward to see your choices!
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Hmm you’ve got me thinking, I see that Felicia’s Journey is both on the 1,001 Books list and adapted into a movie with a Canadian director…
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I loved both the book and the movie – was it Egoyan? It’s really very good and Hoskins is fantastic.
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Messed up my response!
I’ll be doing this. There are a few of Brian Moore’s novels on sale for Kindle in the U.S. for $2.99 which will help me participate if I can find enough from the library. Thanks for hosting!!
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Well you know how much I love Brian Moore! Do hope you can join in Lisa x
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I’m going to take advantage of the event to revisit William Trevor’s short stories. I read a big collection of them years ago and loved them, so am looking forward to returning to the stories!
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Brilliant! He’s a real master of the short story.
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Oh, I added a comment but it’s disappeared. I have Kate O’Brien’s “The Land of Spices” to read, and can do Dewithon, too, this year, amazingly: I have always seemed to be able to do one or the other the last few years. Hope it goes really well!
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Excellent Liz! I’ve only read one Kate O’Brien but I really liked it.
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Yay! My TBR arrived from London and about one-third of it is Irish novels!!! Also, there are new ones on my radar by Joe O’Connor, Claire Keegan and Sebastian Barry that I’d like to read… but I’m impatient so might read them BEFORE March 🤷🏻♀️
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Yes, the Joseph O’Connor is really tempting me! I’m currently reading a proof of the new Claire Kilroy and it is also excellent.
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I have the new Kilroy as well, but funnily enough I thought it was Claire Keegan! D’oh
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Oh yes, I’m in. Will be reading Irish theme books and authors. Also new poems found written by my grandfather–have to go through them and post–at least one!
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Oh that sounds wonderful! Look forward to seeing some of the poems.
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Great to see that you’ll be hosting this again, Cathy. I’m sure I’ll be joining in!
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Excellent Jacqui. Thank you.
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I got an error message the first time I commented so this might end up being a duplicate comment. I think I said that I had never heard of either the Begorrathon or the Dewithon and that they both sound fun to me.
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Hope you can join in Jinjer!
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Oh so excited about this! I haven’t had a chance to participate before but will try this year! I think I already have several potential reads on my shelf.
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Oh I do hope you can Iliana, would love to have you on board!
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So ready for this, can’t wait to immerse in Irish lit again, I kind of jumped the gun because I couldn’t hold back from reading Sara Baume’s Seven Steeples this month, the anticipation too great and too many on the TBR! 🤣
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Yay! I have it as a potential read for this year too, so look forward to hearing what you think of it.
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I am eager to read Trespasses but I am still about #100 on the reserve list at the library. I may need to pick something else! However, looking forward to joining you.
Constance
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Trespasses is such a great book. I hope you get the chance to read it.
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Yes, I’m joining in reading and watching!
I’ll be reading Claire Keegan and reviewing The Banshees of Inisherin before the Oscars March 12. That’s just to start. Will check out your suggested reading list! It’s been a while since I’ve participated in an Irish Reading blogging event and this is such an opportune time, with films like Banshees and The Quiet Girl on the forefront of the Oscars race.
Thanks for hosting, Cathy!
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Yes, the Irish contingent at the Oscars is pretty strong this year, to say the least! Thanks for taking part.
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Just combed the TBR stack for my selections.
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I’m more into read what you want whenever you want. I’ll post about Small Things Like These and will try to read The Fire Starters that is sitting on my shelf.
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Excellent Emma, two great books!
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I’m hoping that my library reservation of These Days by Lucy Caldwell comes through in time! It sounds extremely good.
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Oh it is. I do hope you get a chance to read it.
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