The Irish broadcaster and author shares what she’s reading …
Miriam O’Callaghan has been a leading figure in Irish broadcasting and current affairs for over 40 years. She has presented RTÉ’s Prime Time since 1996 and hosts the live radio show, Sunday with Miriam. Her book Miriam: Life, Work, Everything is out now.
“I love fiction but also love deep dives into memoirs, history and politics. I’m obsessed with knowing people’s back stories. It’s impossible to choose one writer over another, so these are just the recent books on my bedside locker right now and they all happen to have a personal resonance.
“Leo Varadkar’s Speaking My Mind is an excellent read. Leo came out as gay on my radio show – a moment of real historical importance – so I had an extra interest in reading it.
“David McCullagh and I co-presented Prime Time together for years and I love the guy – he’s clever, kind, funny and carries his fine intellect very lightly. From Crown to Harp: How the Anglo-Irish Treaty was Undone 1922 – 1949 takes complex issues and makes them highly readable.
“One of the highlights of my career was presenting the Marriage Equality Referendum results at Dublin Castle. Katherine Zappone proposed to her partner, Ann Louise Gilligan, live on air that day and I officiated at their wedding in City Hall, which was a career first. Katherine’s memoir Love in a Time of Politics is a great read.
“Eoin O’Malley’s Charlie v Garret: The Rivalry that Shaped Modern Ireland is incredibly well written. It reveals lots of new details about Charlie Haughey and Garret Fitzgerald. Finally, Frank Shouldice’s Beneath the Cedar Tree is a really touching book about loss, grief and the triumph of the human spirit. It’s beautifully written, funny and heart-warming.”
Miriam: Life, Work, Everything is published by Sandycove.
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