The Debut Novel
LITERARY
The Debut Novel
Conversations with Elaine Garvey and Seán Farrell
Mon 07 July | 6pm
Event Details
Times & Dates:
Mon 07 July | 6pm
Duration:
70 minutes
Event Categories:
Literary
Admission:
€12
Age Suitability:
16+
Access Note:
ISL interpretation will be provided at this event
Venue:
Yeats Building, Hyde Bridge.
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Join us for a double bill of In Conversation Events with debut novelists Elaine Garvey and Seán Farrell.
The Wardrobe Department by Elaine Garvey (2025) follows Mairéad in a busy West End theatre as she navigates backstage tensions and memories of home in Ireland.
Frogs for Watchdogs by Seán Farrell (2025) tells the story of a boy in rural Ireland confronting a menacing farmer, a threat to his mother, and unexpected love in a blended family.
6pm - Elaine Garvey in conversation with Elske Rahill
Short intermission
7pm - Seán Farrell in conversation with Alice Lyons
Elaine Garvey is from Strandhill, County Sligo. The Wardrobe Department (2025) is her first novel and was selected by The Sunday Independent, The Irish Times, The Financial Times and the BBC in their choices of the best new debut fiction. Elaine's short stories have been published in The Dublin Review and Winter Papers.
Seán Farrell was born and brought up in the Irish midlands. He spent fifteen years in France, and now lives in Sligo with his wife, the novelist Elske Rahill, and their four children. Frogs for Watchdogs, his debut novel, was published by New Island in February 2025.
“Seán Farrell’s tremendous debut… operates on a powerfully symbolic plane… Powering this novel’s engine is Farrell’s exceptional sense of pacing… so that we are caught between a feeling of beauty and abundance while simultaneously fearing where this intense family drama will lead us.”
- The Irish Times