Writers Across Borders

In a Dingle Literary Festival exclusive, three writers committed to amplifying the voices and stories of marginalised and forgotten communities come together to discuss writing across borders.

They wll talk openly about their individual writing experiences derived from genuine life encounters and where, how and why they unearthed an appetite for literature.

Liverpudlian writer Jack Byrne is as interested in Irish history as that of Liverpool, thanks in no small part to his Irish father and grandparents. Byrne launched his trilogy of murder mysteries in 2021 with Under The Bridge, the first book of The Liverpool Mysteries, which follows Irish emigrants as they become involved in a story of unions, crime and police corruption. His second book, Across The Water, follows a gang member on the run from Liverpool to Ireland in 1974 and once again touches on the immigration story and its generational impact.

Jane Buckley was born in Derry/Londonderry in the late 60s and, like many of her generation, she had to leave to find work elsewhere. At the naïve age of 17 she moved to London, where she lived and worked for over 25 years. She is the author of the Stones Corner Volume1, Turmoil and Volume 2, Darkness with Volume 3 on the way. Which brings the history and realities of The Troubles to a global audience through a historical fiction series based on her own childhood experiences of this period in Irish history.

Dubliner Patrick Osborne is a keen film screenwriter and was a member of Filmbase for a number of years before relocating to Kerry. He is hoping to secure funding for a feature length screenplay he recently co-wrote called No Time For Cowboys and has also written and produced a number of plays. As part of his writing journey he was one of nine writers chosen by The Irish Writers’ Centre for their coveted 2022/23 Duo Membership/Mentorship Programme.