The Borris Broadcasts

Adam Clayton & John Kelly: U2 & Beyond

Adam Clayton is U2’s bass player. Acknowledged as one of the best live acts in the world, U2 have toured the globe countless times and released 14 studio albums with sales in excess of 157 million. Adam has written about contemporary art for British GQ and the role of art critic has seen him interview artists including Wolfgang Tillmans, Jeff Koons and William Eggleston. In 2022 he presented a documentary titled Francis Bacon: The Outsider which follows the story of the painter’s early life...

S03E01 CLAYTON KELLY

Adam Clayton is U2’s bass player. Acknowledged as one of the best live acts in the world, U2 have toured the globe countless times and released 14 studio albums with sales in excess of 157 million. Adam has written about contemporary art for British GQ and the role of art critic has seen him interview artists including Wolfgang Tillmans, Jeff Koons and William Eggleston. In 2022 he presented a documentary titled Francis Bacon: The Outsider which follows the story of the painter’s early life...

Anne Applebaum & Fintan O'Toole: The Lure of Authoritarianism.

Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Applebaum and irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole take on the rise of populism, it's morphing with the religious right and it's subjugation of "Old School Conservatism" in a journey that takes us through Poland, Russia, Ukraine and the Western Liberal Democracies.

Mary Robinson and Lord David Puttnam: Climate Justice (with Gabrielle Walker)

Discussing the critical issue of climate justice are two distinguished guests: Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Lord David Puttnam, renowned filmmaker and advocate for sustainable development. Our moderator for this discussion is Gabrielle Walker, a leading voice on climate change and energy transition. 

Jeremy Irons & Sinéad Cusack: The Waste Land (introduced by James Lever)

Welcome to this performance of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land, featuring Jeremy Irons and Sinéad Cusack. In this event, we witness a stunning interpretation of Eliot's groundbreaking poem, which explores the themes of post-World War I disillusionment, despair and the quest for rebirth. But before we begin, author and biographer James Lever, introduces us to the historical context and literary significance of The Waste Land.   https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/

Roddy Doyle & Pat Nevin. A Secret Language: Music, Books & Football.

Booker Prize winning novelist (and lifelong Chelsea fan) Roddy Doyle sits down with former Chelsea footballer, analyst, music aficionado and now author of "The Accidental Footballer" Pat Nevin for a dive into writing, creativity, Roy Keane, John Peel, football punditry and lots more besides. Asking the questions is journalist, broadcaster and novelist Edel Coffey.

John Illsley with Fiachna Ó'Braoioáin: My Life in Dire Straits

Join John Ilsley and Fiachna O'Bráonain as they delve into the legendary bassist's life in music. From his days in Dire Straits to his solo projects, John shares stories and insights about his musical journey and the impact it has had on his life as laid out in his recent(ish) autobiography from which this episode takes it's title. There's also a few tunes thrown in for good measure. This is a must-listen for any music fan and a rare opportunity to hear from one of the industry's most revere...

DBC Pierre & Ed Vulliamy: The Allure of Risk.

Dan Saladino & Isabel Hilton: Eating for the Planet

EATING FOR THE PLANET: Dan Saladino (Eating to Extinction) talks to Isabel Hilton about the world’s most endangered foods - from a red coloured rice in China and a mucus- dripping maize plant in Mexico. Can food diversity help us save the planet? https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/

Sharon Horgan & Lenny Abrahamson: Unusual People (with Patrick Freyne).

The multi-talented Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters) & director Lenny Abrahamson (Ordinary People) talk to author Patrick Freyne about the ins and outs of television production in the age of streaming.   https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/

Patrick Radden Keefe & Oliver Bullough: The Sackler Saga.

Ruth Wilson & Lenny Abrahamson. My Grandmother: Mrs Wilson.

Actor Ruth Wilson talks to director Lenny Abrahamson about her quasi-autobiographical BBC drama Mrs Wilson about her Grandparents. Bizarre, emotional and weirdly meta, her tale reads more like a John le Carré novel than a standard family drama. For fans of the TV drama it also brings a fresh postscript to the story in the form of a visit to MI6 HQ.

John Boorman & Geoff Dyer: Point Blank

Jon Ronson & Patrick Freyne: Gonzo!

Jon Ronson: author, journalist, filmmaker and podcaster; talks to author (and self confessed Ronson superfan) Patrick Freyne about his various works and how his attitude to his subjects has changed over time. Insightful and often hilarious, this is Ronson in full flow. As he says himself, this is "The Full Ronson". Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RbMaqqfZt2M https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/

Dolly Alderton & Róisín Ingle: Love & Ghosts

Agony Aunt, journalist, author and now TV writer Dolly Alderton talks to Róisín Ingle about her book (and now TV series) Everything I Know About Love and does her best to solve the audience's relationship problems.   On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmZ3vK8UHO4   Tickets available for this year's festival at: https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/

Jeremy Irons and David Puttnam: The Men from The Mission

These two Oscar winning titans of the movie industry discuss their collaboration on The Mission and their lives in cinema and beyond. https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/ On Earth as it is in Heaven clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMB0e... On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fOlcW... On Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ie/album/the-...

Ben Anderson + Ed Vulliamy with Shane O'Mara

"HORROR UPON HORROR'S HEAD ACCUMULATES": War correspondents and sufferers from PTSD Ben Anderson and Ed Vulliamy talk about the enduring nightmare of shell shock and post-traumatic stress disorder with neuroscientist Shane O'Mara.

Sinead Gleeson and Anne Enright

"IMMOBILITY IS GASOLINE FOR THE IMAGINATION": Sinead Gleeson talks about her remarkable memoir of resilience, Constellations, with Anne Enright.

Hisham Matar and Christina Lamb with Kirsty Lang

FIDELITY AND REPRESENTATION IN STORY-TELLING: Hisham Matar (Anatomy of a Disappearance, The Return) and Christina Lamb (I am Malala, The Girl from Aleppo) talk with BBC journalist Kirsty Lang about constructing narratives from real-life events.

Philippa Perry

SEX, LIES AND THE GENERATION GAP: Agony-aunt Philippa Perry considers how searching for love, and staying sane, have changed with the advent of social media and shifting values.

Simon Schama and William Dalrymple

Historian and passionate cultural commentator Simon Schama luxuriates in what he calls 'the performing tumble of language' with fellow writer William Dalrymple.

Mark O'Connell and Misha Glenny

Welcome Prize winner Mark O'Connell talks about his extraordinary book Notes from an Apocalypse where he documents the strange word of 'preppers' and Doomsdayers, with journalist and curiosity-shop Misha Glenny

Sonali Deraniyagala and Mary Cregan talk to Shane O'Mara

Sonali Deraniyagala - whose book Wave tells of experiencing her family being carried away to their deaths by the 2004 Tsunami which she survived - and Mary Cregan, whose graceful memoir The Scar chronicles a descent into depression - talk to neuroscientist Shane O'Mara about finding the resolve to live with personal trauma.

James Shapiro and Fintan O’Toole

US scholar and author James Shapiro and Irish Times journalist Fintan O'Toole discuss the subversion of laughter - and everything else - in Shakespeare.

Lynn Enright and Naomi Wolf talk to Kirsty Lang

THE VULVA REVOLUTION: Lynn Enright (Vagina: A Re-education) and Naomi Wolf (Outrages: Sex, Cesnorship and the Criminalisation of Love) discusses sexual taboos, repression and the power of knowledge with BBC broadcaster Kirsty Lang. 

Michael Morpurgo + Clare Morpurgo

Michael Morpurgo (War Horse) and Clare Morpurgo (founder of the charity Farms for City Children) talk about their initiative to bring the skills of farming and the outdoor life to inner-city kids.

Lindsey Hilsum and Ben Anderson on Marie Colvin

Award-winning journalists Lindsey Hilsum (In Extremis) and Ben Anderson (Holidays in the Axis of Evil) give an illustrated talk about the life and death of the war correspondent Marie Colvin. Including film footage.

Tim Smit and Lucy Siegle

ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT: Tim Smit (Eden Project) and Lucy Siegle (Turning the Tide on Plastic) suggest 11th hour actions to save our planet.

Anthony Horowitz

Prolific writer Anthony Horowitz (author of the Alex Rider series, and the most recent James Bond novels) talks about the inspirations and experiences that drove him to such immense success. Questions come from a live audience of children.

Kevin Barry and David Kitt

MAKING IT NEW: Storyteller Kevin Barry (Night Boat to Tangier) discusses creativity, freshness, energy, influence and collaboration, with musician David Kitt. Includes readings and music.

Martin Amis and Julian Barnes

WHAT WOULD HITCHENS SAY NOW?: Martin Amis remembers Christopher Hitchens with Julian Barnes.

Shane O'Mara and Jerry White

ONE STEP AT A TIME: Neuroscientist Shane O'Mara (In Praise of Walking) talks with Jerry White (Nobel prize winner and landmine survivor) about walking to clarity. Moderated by pioneer weaver of ideas and keen walker Andy Middleton.

Giles Duley talks to Ben Anderson

RWANDA, 25 YEARS LATER: Giles Duley, founder of the Legacy of War Foundation, gives an illustrated talk about his continuing work with genocide survivors in Kigali with war correspondent Ben Anderson.

Philippa Perry meets Roisin Ingle

PARENTS, YOU WILL WANT TO KNOW THIS: Psychotherapist Philippa Perry (The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did)) discusses encouraging game-changing strategies with journalist Roisin Ingle.

Carl Bernstein, Ed Vulliamy and Misha Glenny

UP AGAINST THE WALL: Investigative journalists Carl Bernstein and Ed Vulliamy discuss real-life 'Narcos', Trump's wall, migrants and law and crime along the US-Mexico border. Moderated by Misha Glenny (McMafia)

Fiona Shaw meets James Shapiro

THE MIRACLE OF SHAKESPEARE: Fiona Shaw (actor, theatre and film director) and James Shapiro (scholar and author) explore the inventiveness and transformative nature of Shakespeare's language and its changing resonance for each generation. Readings by Fiona Shaw.

Christina Lamb, Lara Marlowe, Lindsey Hilsum, Ben Anderson

This week, four award-winning war correspondents - Christina Lamb (I Am Malala and chief foreign correspondent for The Sunday Times), Lara Marlowe (The Things I Have Seen and correspondent with The Irish Times) and Lindsey Hilsum (In Extremis: The Life and Death of the War Correspondent Marie Colvin and International Editor for Channel 4) and Ben Anderson (No Worse Enemy and conflict reporter for Vice) - discuss the challenges, ethics, insights and consequences of covering conflict zones. Th...

Sinead Burke and Sinead Gleeson

Writer and activist Sinead Burke discuss the importance of how our individual rights should inform fashion design, and how plenty of other life choices also need a rethink, with Sinead Gleeson Listen to the free podcast here: https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/podcasts/

Julian Barnes and Paul Muldoon

Booker Prize winner Julian Barnes and Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Muldoon chew the cud on the 'the good things in life'. It was Sunday Morning, June 2019, and it felt like the right time to discuss how to avoid poisoning one's friends in the kitchen, the reverential love of music by writers, rare herbs that grow in people's hedges, and so on. Listen to the free podcast here: https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/podcasts/

William Dalrymple

DALRYMPLE'S INDIA: William Dalrymple has been for some years the most eloquent chronicler of Indian history. This talk draws from his recent book The Anarchy: The Fall of the Mughal Empire and the Rise of the East India Company, a gripping parable of gore and deceit, of unimaginable opulence and intolerable starvation, a cautionary tale of the rise of the East India Company and a supreme act of corporate violence in history. Listen to the free podcast here https://festivalofwritingandideas...

Ed Vulliamy and Fiachna Ó Braonáin

In one of the most exceptional meetings of the 2019, conflict reporter Ed Vulliamy meets Hothouse Flower guitarist and broadcaster Fiachna Ó Braonáin. Vulliamy's book When Words Fail explores the music that he turns to - Hendrix, Shostakovich, Patti Smith, BB King, Dylan, Planxty, among others - when the war zones or places away from home that he has set up camp become hard to bear. Listen to the free podcast here: https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/podcasts/

Ed Vuilliamy and Fiachna Ó Braonáin

In one of the most exceptional meetings of the 2019, conflict reporter Ed Vuilliamy meets Hothouse Flower guitarist and broadcaster Fiachna Ó Braonáin. Vuilliamy's book When Words Fail explores the music that he turns to - Hendrix, Shostakovich, Patti Smith, BB King, Dylan, Planxty, among others - when the war zones or places away from home that he has set up camp become hard to bear. Listen to the free podcast here: https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/podcasts/

Rosita Boland

Journalist Roisin Ingle discusses Rosita Boland's travel writing, fresh perspectives and her continuing need to be elsewhere.   Podcast available here  https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/podcasts/

Simon Schama, Misha Glenny and Fintan O'Toole

Historian and prolific commentator Simon Schama and cybersecurity investigative journalist Misha Glenny (also author of McMafia) discuss whether democracy can survive in a world run by algorithms, with Fintan O'Toole. Podcast available here  https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/podcasts/

Simon Farnaby

Actor, writer and comedian Simon Farnaby faces a grilling from a (largely) young audience of Horrible Histories and Paddington fans. Podcast available here: https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/podcasts/

Donna Tartt and Rick Stroud

A rare interview with novelist Donna Tartt, author The Secret History and The Goldfinch, with writer, producer and friend Rick Stroud, in which they talk about writing, art and adventure.

Ibrahim Halawa and Ivana Bacik

In October 2017, Ibrahim Halawa was released from an Egyptian prison after four years of being incarcerated without any proper trial. He and his sisters had been caught up in a protest in Cairo. Shortly after his release, Senator Ivana Bacik talks to the young Irishman about the turn his life had taken.   Podcast available here  https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/podcasts/

Philippe Sands and Fintan O'Toole

International Human Rights lawyer Philippe Sands, author of East West Street, talks to commentator Fintan O'Toole about crimes against humanity. Recorded June 2019.   Podcast available here: https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/podcasts/

Viv Albertine

Viv Albertine - guitarist for British post-punk band The Slits, and author of two extraordinary memoirs Clothes Clothes Clothes Boys Boys Boys Music Music Music and To Throw Away Unopened - talks about a lifetime of challenging authority. Recorded June 2018.

Luke Harding and Misha Glenny

The Guardian's investigative journalist Luke Harding quizzes McMafia author Misha Glenny about the current endemic of organised crime emerging from Russia. Recorded at 2018 Borris House Festival. Podcast available here:  https://festivalofwritingandideas.com/podcasts/