Oscar-nominated film director Lenny Abrahamson is part of a line-up in a summer nights’ festival of talks hosted online by The Irish Times this week. Abrahamson will be interviewed by the newspaper’s arts editor Hugh Linehan about the making of his hit TV drama Normal People, based on Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel of the same name.
The talks’ series is billed by the organisers as a “festival of conversation, culture and ideas”.
Other names from Irish sport and the arts taking part in the virtual festival – comprising up to three live events every night from Monday to Thursday – are authors Anne Enright and Marian Keyes, former rugby player Paul O’Connell (above), singer Imelda May, TV architect Dermot Bannon, economist David McWilliams and make-up artist Nadine Reid.
Overseas guests include former US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power who will speak with Fintan O’Toole in a talk entitled ‘The Education of an Idealist’. Power will discuss her journey from Irish immigrant to war correspondent, to the US government, and why we need “a clearer eye, a kinder heart and a more open and civil hand in our politics and daily lives”.
O’Toole will also interview lawyer and former White House insider Melody Barnes.
A single price of €40 admits ticket holders to all the festival talks.
Other links
To read some adlanders’ thoughts on Normal People, go to https://marketing.ie/articles/normal-people-seduces-soap-lovers-globally/; to read John Fanning’s review, click on https://marketing.ie/articles/sally-rooney-and-ways-you-might-look-at-her/
