Offaly Libraries are delighted to present this video recording of an evening in conversation with award-winning Irish writer, Mark O’Connell on his latest book, A Thread of Violence, recorded as part of our Ireland Reads Day 2024 celebrations.
Concerning the horrific murders committed by Malcom Macarthur in the 1980’s, O’Connell tracks down Macarthur himself, now an elderly man living out his days in Dublin and reluctant to talk. As the two men circle one another, O’Connell is pushed into a confrontation with his own narrative: what does it mean to write about a murderer?
Watch the captivating discussion with Mark O’Connell here.
Mark’s first book, To Be a Machine, won the 2018 Wellcome Book Prize and was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize.
In 2019, he became the first non- fiction writer to win the Rooney prize for Irish Literature. His second book, Notes From an Apocalypse, was longlisted for the Wainwright Prize.
These titles are available to borrow from Offaly Libraries. Browse the local and national catalogues here.