I love giving readings, but there’s something about Dublin that makes it even more special. The city oozes literature. There are statues of James Joyce and Oscar Wilde to stumble upon on both sides of the river. The Abbey and the Gate theatres sit on their streets very matter-factly, not needing to call attention to the fact that in the world of the theatre, they are giants. Hell, there’s even a department store named after me (only kidding). But it is true that literature and the love of language still holds primacy in the Irish culture, and that made a wonderful weekend even better.

 We four Ward Wood’ers — Mike Horwood, Shauna Gilligan, Noel Duffy and me — started off with a reading at The Irish Writer’s Centre in Parnell Square. This was a rather formal affair, with a podium facing rows of chairs, a microphone and an adjoining room for pouring wine and signing books. Each of us spoke about our work and read for about fifteen minutes to an audience of about thirty people — friends, family, fellow writers, and even a couple of people who came in off the street. It felt like an event; it was an event, and we were each thrilled and excited by it and so, of course, retired to the pub afterwards — aptly called The Shakespeare, not so aptly serving Korean food. Loved those pancakes!

Then Saturday afternoon we met at our second venue, The Twisted Pepper, for our reading which was sponsored by Seven Towers Agency. The Twisted Pepper is a great place, part coffee shop, part arts centre, and Seven Towers runs a sort of pop up bookshop and reading series in the cavernous basement twice a week. This was a more informal affair, with people sitting around on benches with cushions and us perched on our stools, reading by lamplight. Lots of interesting literary chatting afterwards, and I thank the proprietors for inviting us, and for their passionate support of all things indie. The evening was spent over a terrific meal and a couple of bottles of wine, with the four of us talking shop, telling stories, and making plans to take our “Ward Wood Show” on the road. Next stop Helsinki? Frankfurt for the book fair? We’ll see.

Noel Duffy,Mike Horwood, Shauna Gilligan

For me, this was a very special weekend. It was a weekend that reminded me of what my dream of being a writer was always all about. It’s not just about how many books I sell and how successful my marketing is. Sure, that is important, but I do sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that that is really all that is important. But a weekend like this one reminded me that being a writer is about expressing yourself, finding like- minded friends, sharing your passion for words and your belief in the importance of the imagination. Thank you Noel and Shauna for organising it all. Thank you Ward Wood for bringing us all together. Thank you Mike, Shauna and Noel for joining me in the land of Joyce and for so generously sharing your work and your dreams. Ever onward!