A 2026 Irish Book Preview

Rather than focus on a single book this month, Chad and Vince discuss a range of Irish titles (and one British one) that they’d like to read this year. Some of these are new, some old, some will be featured on the podcast, some won’t. But if you’re looking for some Irish books to check out, they’ve got you covered. Here’s the complete list of titles mentioned:Dead As Doornails, Anthony CroninBorstal Boy, Brendan BehanThe Great Hunger, Patrick KavanaghThe Keeper, Tana FrenchLet Me Go Mad in My Own Way, Elaine FeeneyCarn, Patrick McCabeMouthing, Orla MackeyThe Key and The Dregs of the Day, Máirtín Ó CadhainAfter Party, Dean BrowneThe Steps, Juliano Zaffino (not Irish!)Topographia Hibernica, Blindboy BoatclubKilloyle, Roger BoylanLibrary of Brothel, Anakana SchofieldThe Benefactors, Wendy ErskineFirst Book of Frags, Dave LordanBogmail, Patrick McGinleyNext month Vince and Chad will be discussing The Collected Plays of Dermot Healy. (For real this time.)This episode’s music is “Angoon” by Portugal. The Man.You can subscribe to the Mining the Dalkey Archive podcast at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and watch us on YouTube.And be sure to follow our sister podcasts: Two Month Review (Apple, Spotify) and Three Percent (Apple, Spotify) for more book talk! Get full access to Mining the Dalkey Archive at dalkeyarchive.substack.com/subscribe