Martin Doyle
@martindoyle.bsky.social
Books Editor of The Irish Times; author of Dirty Linen: The Troubles in My Home Place (Merrion Press)
I found these souvenirs of an Ireland v England under-21s match in 1991 yesterday by coincidence as there is an Ireland v England under-21s match tonight too. Brentford was like a home match for me as The Irish in Britain News, where I worked at the time, was based there too, beside the Brewery Tap
November 14, 2025 at 8:36 AM
I found these souvenirs of an Ireland v England under-21s match in 1991 yesterday by coincidence as there is an Ireland v England under-21s match tonight too. Brentford was like a home match for me as The Irish in Britain News, where I worked at the time, was based there too, beside the Brewery Tap
Hot off the press release. My second book is a collection of interviews with Irish writers from Alice Taylor in 1991 to Sebastian Barry, Wendy Erskine, Colum McCann, Anne Enright, Colm Tóibín, John Banville, Emma Donoghue and Anna Burns in 2025. Out April from the Lilliput Press
November 10, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Hot off the press release. My second book is a collection of interviews with Irish writers from Alice Taylor in 1991 to Sebastian Barry, Wendy Erskine, Colum McCann, Anne Enright, Colm Tóibín, John Banville, Emma Donoghue and Anna Burns in 2025. Out April from the Lilliput Press
Tomorrow’s Ticket today, including my interview with Anne Enright
October 24, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Tomorrow’s Ticket today, including my interview with Anne Enright
It’s the little things. A small landmark in my Wordle pastime
October 20, 2025 at 7:34 AM
It’s the little things. A small landmark in my Wordle pastime
Irish boxer Rinty Monaghan, the then world flyweight champion, had to postpone a fight in the King’s Hall, Belfast after spraining his ankle while giving a tap-dancing display at a ceili in Laurencetown, Co Down, my home village.
October 19, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Irish boxer Rinty Monaghan, the then world flyweight champion, had to postpone a fight in the King’s Hall, Belfast after spraining his ankle while giving a tap-dancing display at a ceili in Laurencetown, Co Down, my home village.
My follow-up to Dirty Linen is a collection of interviews with Irish writers spanning 35 years - 1991-2025 - out next year from Lilliput. It includes interviews with Sally Rooney, Colum McCann and PJ Kavanagh, the writer and poet who also played a Nazi priest in Father Ted. Everything connects.
October 15, 2025 at 7:21 AM
My follow-up to Dirty Linen is a collection of interviews with Irish writers spanning 35 years - 1991-2025 - out next year from Lilliput. It includes interviews with Sally Rooney, Colum McCann and PJ Kavanagh, the writer and poet who also played a Nazi priest in Father Ted. Everything connects.
Almost a clean sweep for The Irish Times in the arts criticism category. It’s an honour to be shortlisted. I knew my Father Ted obsession would one day pay off. Congratulations and best of luck to my bitter riv… ahem, colleagues. www.irishjournalismawards.ie/slist25
October 14, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Almost a clean sweep for The Irish Times in the arts criticism category. It’s an honour to be shortlisted. I knew my Father Ted obsession would one day pay off. Congratulations and best of luck to my bitter riv… ahem, colleagues. www.irishjournalismawards.ie/slist25
I enjoyed interviewing Katriona O’Sullivan at the Centre Culturel Irlandais. She confirmed my theory that Poor grew out of her Trinity Tales essay which went viral on publication in The Irish Times. A Trinity Tales edition that checked its privilege after Diarmaid Ferriter reviewed its predecessor
October 8, 2025 at 5:54 AM
I enjoyed interviewing Katriona O’Sullivan at the Centre Culturel Irlandais. She confirmed my theory that Poor grew out of her Trinity Tales essay which went viral on publication in The Irish Times. A Trinity Tales edition that checked its privilege after Diarmaid Ferriter reviewed its predecessor
Boy, fetch me my chisel!
October 5, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Boy, fetch me my chisel!
I met Stelios Haji-Ioannou in Monaco and discussed the divided islands of Ireland and Cyprus with him before giving him a signed copy of Dirty Linen. The EasyJet founder created the North-South Business Co-operation Awards to encourage cross-Border entrepreneurship. His partner Orla is from Kerry.
October 4, 2025 at 6:26 AM
I met Stelios Haji-Ioannou in Monaco and discussed the divided islands of Ireland and Cyprus with him before giving him a signed copy of Dirty Linen. The EasyJet founder created the North-South Business Co-operation Awards to encourage cross-Border entrepreneurship. His partner Orla is from Kerry.
In a strong year for Irish debut novels, Sugar Town by Caragh Maxwell is right up there with the best of them. Out September 16th from Oneworld. In 2019, her essay for Ticket about having Hodgkin’s lymphoma went viral and she also wrote a great short story for us, Spelunking.
June 23, 2025 at 12:08 PM
In a strong year for Irish debut novels, Sugar Town by Caragh Maxwell is right up there with the best of them. Out September 16th from Oneworld. In 2019, her essay for Ticket about having Hodgkin’s lymphoma went viral and she also wrote a great short story for us, Spelunking.
As part of the Ulster Fleadh in Warrenpoint next month, I’ll be talking about Dirty Linen alongside Eoin McNamee, who’ll be talking about his
great new autobiographical novel, The Bureau. It’s free in!
ulsterfleadh.ie/events/local...
great new autobiographical novel, The Bureau. It’s free in!
ulsterfleadh.ie/events/local...
June 13, 2025 at 3:30 PM
As part of the Ulster Fleadh in Warrenpoint next month, I’ll be talking about Dirty Linen alongside Eoin McNamee, who’ll be talking about his
great new autobiographical novel, The Bureau. It’s free in!
ulsterfleadh.ie/events/local...
great new autobiographical novel, The Bureau. It’s free in!
ulsterfleadh.ie/events/local...
Very sad news tonight about Paul Durcan RIP. A great loss to Irish poetry. Here’s an old interview I did with him from the 90s.
May 17, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Very sad news tonight about Paul Durcan RIP. A great loss to Irish poetry. Here’s an old interview I did with him from the 90s.
A glorious weekend at Ballyscullion Park Book Festival in Bellaghy, Co Derry with Louis de Bernières and Owen O’Neill
May 11, 2025 at 9:26 AM
A glorious weekend at Ballyscullion Park Book Festival in Bellaghy, Co Derry with Louis de Bernières and Owen O’Neill
5,000 words in tomorrow’s Irish Times on 30 years of Father Ted. 3,500 words of apocrypha on the cutting-room floor
April 18, 2025 at 8:14 AM
5,000 words in tomorrow’s Irish Times on 30 years of Father Ted. 3,500 words of apocrypha on the cutting-room floor
Father Ted 30th anniversary feature research continues apace
April 7, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Father Ted 30th anniversary feature research continues apace
I’m thrilled to be a recipient of a Centre Culturel Irlandais Artist Residency for the CCI Paris 2025-2026 programme. Looking forward to spending a month in this wonderful place working on a project which I hope to announce soon. www.centreculturelirlandais.com/content/file...
April 5, 2025 at 8:34 AM
I’m thrilled to be a recipient of a Centre Culturel Irlandais Artist Residency for the CCI Paris 2025-2026 programme. Looking forward to spending a month in this wonderful place working on a project which I hope to announce soon. www.centreculturelirlandais.com/content/file...
The original Father Ted, played by co-creator Arthur Mathews, interviewed in In Dublin in 1991, four years before Dermot Morgan took on the role for the hit Channel 4 sitcom. I’m prepping a 30th anniversary feature for The Irish Times. Expect more trivia.
April 2, 2025 at 9:14 AM
The original Father Ted, played by co-creator Arthur Mathews, interviewed in In Dublin in 1991, four years before Dermot Morgan took on the role for the hit Channel 4 sitcom. I’m prepping a 30th anniversary feature for The Irish Times. Expect more trivia.
Dearbhail McDonald and Elaine Egain launch Eoin McNamee’s brilliant new novel The Bureau in Hodges Figges last night. Eoin looks like an election candidate who has just heard the returning officer declare that he has lost his deposit
April 2, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Dearbhail McDonald and Elaine Egain launch Eoin McNamee’s brilliant new novel The Bureau in Hodges Figges last night. Eoin looks like an election candidate who has just heard the returning officer declare that he has lost his deposit
Has your chicken lost its zing and no longer feeds your soul? Why not try our new peri-peri pilchards?
March 28, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Has your chicken lost its zing and no longer feeds your soul? Why not try our new peri-peri pilchards?
Kevin McAleer nails the true spirit of St Patrick’s Day.
March 17, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Kevin McAleer nails the true spirit of St Patrick’s Day.
I am childishly amused at this description of you as a Twitter icon. Almost actionable, these days
March 17, 2025 at 8:05 AM
I am childishly amused at this description of you as a Twitter icon. Almost actionable, these days
Philomena Begley serenades President Michael D Higgins as I look on approvingly. “Remember back when love first found us
We'd go slipping out of town
And we'd love beneath the moonlight
On a blanket on the ground
I'll get the blanket from the bedroom
And we'll go walking once again” Pic: Maxwells
We'd go slipping out of town
And we'd love beneath the moonlight
On a blanket on the ground
I'll get the blanket from the bedroom
And we'll go walking once again” Pic: Maxwells
March 13, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Philomena Begley serenades President Michael D Higgins as I look on approvingly. “Remember back when love first found us
We'd go slipping out of town
And we'd love beneath the moonlight
On a blanket on the ground
I'll get the blanket from the bedroom
And we'll go walking once again” Pic: Maxwells
We'd go slipping out of town
And we'd love beneath the moonlight
On a blanket on the ground
I'll get the blanket from the bedroom
And we'll go walking once again” Pic: Maxwells
It’s not every day you get to meet both the President and the Queen (of Irish country), Philomena Begley
March 12, 2025 at 9:21 PM
It’s not every day you get to meet both the President and the Queen (of Irish country), Philomena Begley