Writer Séamas O’Reilly has a trusted collaborator behind the scenes- his sister Caoimhe, who keeps everything in check as his unofficial fact checker.
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"We asked Mary McAleese to say her one line of dialogue, and she gave a polite ‘no’" 😅
Author and sibling to 10, Seamas O’Reilly on his hilarious yet poignant new novel, Prestige Drama and how an awkward encounter with then-President Mary McAleese somehow ended up becoming an animated short selected by Whoopi Goldberg, for the Tribeca Film Festival 🎬
#irelandam
The degree to which adults fetishise animals for children is odd, when you think about it for any length of time at all, writes Séamas O'Reilly. In the first few years of life, it’s considered not just useful, but fully mandatory, that every single child must know their letters, their numbers, and then 6,000 facts about animals; the sounds they make, the food they eat, the habitats in which they live. If an alien were to visit an educational setting filled with 3-6-year-old earthlings, they would likely conclude that Earth’s three most prized professions were writer, mathematician, and zoologist.
Click the link in bio to read more.
My name is Séamas O’Reilly, or at least I thought it was until recently. The confusion started some years ago, when my father cast a wry glance at the cover of my memoir.
“Why’d you add the fada?” he asked.
We are thrilled the be publishing the new novel from Séamas O'Reilly, Sunday Times bestselling author of Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?
'A comedy about tragedy. Séamas O'Reilly has written a brutal, profound, and very funny novel' NINA STIBBE
Derry is already abuzz with news that famous American actor, Monica Logue, has flown to the city and will be starring in a new series set during the Troubles. And then she goes missing . . .
All eyes are on Diarmuid, the flaky scriptwriter who was the last to see Monica alive. From budding young actors hoping for a role to grieving parent whose story forms the backbone of the narrative; newspaper editors covering the mystery to taxi drivers hearing all the news from their clients, Prestige Drama follows the city's cast as they all try to locate themselves in Monica's disappearance.
Séamas O'Reilly's debut novel is a comedy about dramatising tragedy, and the responsibilities of a teller to a tale. It brings to life the voices of a city, the people, families and communities who find themselves obsessed with, and terrified of, interrogating their past.
Coming in May, Prestige Drama is available now to pre-order from all good bookshops at the link in our bio.
“@assassination_custard is so gloriously, Irishly, casual that it makes me want to sing the national anthem.”
“The first thing you’ll note when entering Assassination Custard is that it is tiny. There are three tables, one large (boasting four seats) and two small (two persons apiece). I’ve been told they’ve had as many as 40 in for special events and I can only imagine that this involved judicious application of baby oil and/or some light amputation.”
“The seasonal menu changes depending on what produce is available, with a preponderance of light, Italian and Mediterranean flavours. This menu is also handwritten on brown paper pastry bags, in a scrawl that suggests, were the thrill of fine dining ever to depart its chefs, they could make a creditable living as GPs. We promptly signal our intent to have the entire menu, mostly because we want to, but also because we’re not entirely sure what some of the scribbles describe.”
Read the full review at our link in bio as @seamasoreilly1 headed to “the most precisely chaotic and singularly wonderful restaurant in Dublin.”
Photography by Liam Murphy
Last week, my son lost his first tooth. Unfortunately he also swallowed it, leaving me with one just option: to get to work forging some government documents.
/lifeandstyle/2025/mar/16/will-the-tooth-fairy-pay-up-if-the-tooth-has-been-swallowed
Together with my old Remembering Ireland pal, Michael I put together Form TF-230 from the Department of Teeth.
I'm now delighted to announce that this got such a good reaction that a nice man named Matt Eason has made it into a fully navigible online form, for those of you who may wish to use it yourself in the event you're seeking reimbursement for a lost, stolen, or obliterated tooth. Happy filing!
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Just signed loads of books in Dublin Airport - my book, I should be clear. So, if you're looking for a very signed and excellent book before a jaunt, pop into WH Smith's and ask for "the best ya got" and they'll take you straight to my book which is (apparently?!?) the best they have in stock.
Aaaaaaargh! Positively fizzing to hear that Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? has been shortlisted for the Biography Of The Year at the Irish Book Awards!!!
It's a packed field of amazing writers, so it's a genuine honour and thrill to be included, but I also hope I win because it would be nice for me.
