It was a pleasure to participate at the 2025 Librarians Association of Ireland conference in the Dromoland Inn.
Former RTE news anchor Bryan Dobson chaired a panel discussion entitled How Reading Anchors us as AI reshapes the Creative Landscape. My fellow panellists were authors Kathleen Mc Mahon and Ashwin Chacko, and with plenty of audience participation, there was a lively and wide-ranging discussion.
It was a privilege to be invited as the opening speaker at the Aras Inis Gluaire Literary Festival in Belmullet in County Mayo. A great few day of wonderful talks and events.
I was delighted that St Brigid’s School in Castleknock choose The Case of The Vanishing Painting as their One Book, One School project. Almost five hundred pupils and teachers were involved, with sixteen classes reading the book simultaneously.
On the final day of the project there was a wonderful atmosphere when I visited the school and read the last two chapters of the book!
It was good to be back in County Clare, during which I visited Ennis CBS, Ennis Gaelscoil, Barefield National School, and Lahinch National School, all organised by Feargal O’Dulaing of the wonderful Ennis Bookshop.
I had an action-packed week around World Book Day, with visits and readings in Clonmel, Blackrock, Dundalk, Cork City, Finglas, Dublin City, and Ballingeary.
It was great to meet the enthusiastic students from St. Stephen’s School during my visit to Waterford library during the Waterford Writers weekend.
It was good to be back in County Clare for Literacy Week in Ennis, during which I visited Ennis CBS, Ennis National, and Barefield National School. Here I am with Feargal O’Dulaing of the wonderful Ennis Bookshop, after I heard the good news that my latest book The Case of the Vanishing Painting, was Number Two in the top ten of Irish bestsellers.
It’s been great to see such a positive response to my new novel, The Case of the Vanishing Painting, the first book in a new mystery series that I’m writing for O’Brien Press.
I was delighted to sign the visitors book, and copies of my novels, in Galway’s iconic Kenny’s Bookshop, which was visited in the past by acclaimed writers like Roald Dahl, Edna O’Brien, Graham Greene, Mary Lavin, and Brendan Behan.
Brian Gallagher 