Author: Arek

Categories
Literary Festival

Spike Island Literary Festival 2026 Sunday

Sunday, 6 September

Price per ticket: € 27.95
Boat in: 12:30 p.m. | Return: 5 p.m.

Tainted Love

Gill Perdue, Mary Watson & Sam Blake with Amy Jordan

 

Listen in as three international bestsellers and masters of misdirection, Sam Blake, Mary Watson & Gill Perdue chat to Amy Jordan about what drives the kind of stories that live with their readers long after they’ve turned the last page.

Reading

Cormac Quinn

 

Join new debut crime writer Cormac Quinn in the punishment block for an intimate reading from his new book, Murder on Lough Derg.

From Fact to Fiction

Edel Coffey & Claire Coughlan with Michelle Dunne

 

Join journalists Edel Coffey and Claire Coughlan as they tell Michelle Dunne all about their transition from real life, to crime fiction and whether or not they ever bleed into one.

Gill Perdue

Gill Perdue is the author of bestselling novels If I Tell (nominated for Crime Novel of the Year in the Irish Book Awards 2022), When They See Me (2023) and in 2025 The Night I Killed Him, her third in the Shaw & Darmody series.

Her first standalone crime thriller All Of Them Lied publishes in June 2026 and has already been described by Liz Nugent as ‘the most compulsive reading experience I’ve had this year,’ and ‘unrelentingly tense,’ by Jane Casey.

Gill lives in Dublin with her hiking husband and rescue cat (aka last remaining pet), Dusty.

Mary Watson

Mary Watson is from South Africa and now lives on the west coast of Ireland. She has a PhD from the University of Cape Town, where she taught for many years.

She won the Caine Prize for African Writing for her adult publishing in South Africa, and in 2014 was named on the Africa39 list of writers under 40 with the potential to define trends in African literature.

Her YA novels have been nominated for the Irish Book Awards and the Carnegie medal. Her adult debut, The Cleaner, was a bestseller in Ireland, the UK and Canada.

Sam Blake

Sam Blake is a pseudonym for Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin, the founder of Europe’s biggest writing resources website, the award winning writing.ie, the Writers Ink online writing group and Murder One, Ireland’s International Crime Writing Festival.

She is a multiple No 1 bestselling Irish crime writer and has been shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year four times, and twice for Irish Teen and YA Novel of the Year. Her second YA novel, Something’s About to Blow Up was Winner of the International Education Services Teen & YA Novel of the Year 2024. Her latest adult thriller is Your Every Move (January 2026). 15 Kill Lane is released January 2027.

Follow Sam on social @samblakebooks or find out more at www.samblakebooks.com, where you can join her Reader’s Club and receive her adult thriller High Pressure for free.

Amy Jordan

Amy Jordan is a crime writer from Cork. Writing as Amy Cronin, she published three books with Poolbeg Press, before moving to HQ, HarperCollins.

The Dark Hours, her international debut, was published in multiple territories, was reviewed by the New York Times, and was an instant Irish Times bestseller.

Amy’s next thriller, Lie Steal Kill, a follow-up to The Dark Hours, will be released in January 2027.

Keep up to date with Amy’s books at @amyjordanbooks on Instagram.

Cormac Quinn

Based in Dublin, Cormac Quinn is a debut author with a passion for the murder mystery genre.

At much too young an age, he started reading detective novels and has yet to stop.

In a previous life, he was a journalist and news editor in Asia.

 

Edel Coffey


Edel Coffey is an Irish author and journalist.

She has published three number-one bestselling novels.

Her debut novel, Breaking Point, won the An Post Irish Book Award for Crime Novel of the Year.

She is a regular contributor to The Irish Times and RTE Radio One.

 

Claire Coughlan

Claire Coughlan worked as a journalist before starting to write fiction.

She has an MFA in Creative Writing from UCD and is the author of two crime novels, Where They Lie and Among the Ruins, both published by Simon & Schuster UK.

Where They Lie was nominated for the Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year at the 2024 An Post Irish Book Awards. In the same year, Claire was selected by the An Post Irish Book Awards as part of its New Voices: Best New Irish Writers list.

She can be found on Instagram @claireelizabethco

 

Michelle Dunne
Michelle Dunne is the best selling author of 8 psychological thrillers, including international bestseller The Good Girl, voted one of the top ten books to be published in the Czech Republic in 2025, and her new release, Burning Secrets.

Michelle is the organiser and programmer of the Spike Island Literary Festival – a crime-themed festival set in Ireland’s very own Alcatraz. She is also festival manager at Dublin’s international crime writing festival, Murder One.

 

Categories
Literary Festival

Spike Island Literary Festival 2026 Saturday

Saturday, 5 September

Price per ticket: € 27.95
Boat in: 12:30 p.m. | Return: 5 p.m.

Luca Veste & Stuart Neville in Conversation

Luca Veste with Stuart Neville

 

Join us for some unique insight into the worlds of two of the darkest minds in crime fiction, knowing that this conversation will leave you well and truly entertained.

Reading

R.O. Thorpe

 

Head to the abandoned cells to see if Australian born author R.O. Thorp can hook you with her new mystery, Marked for Death.

From Page to Screen

Andrea Mara & Catherine Ryan Howard with PJ Coogan

 

Meet the Irish murderesses behind some of the most binge-worthy TV shows of the decade, as they tell us what it was like to see their ideas journey from their mind, onto the page and all the way to Hollywood.

PJ Coogan is live from the red carpet!

Luca Veste

Luca Veste is the internationally bestselling author of Italian and Liverpudlian heritage.

His books includes The Bone Keeper and the Murphy & Rossi series. He is the bass player in the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers band, co-host of the hit podcast Two Crime Writers and a Microphone, and the co-founder of the Locked Up Festival, which raised over £25,000 for the Trussell Trust charity.

He studied psychology and criminology at the University of Liverpool, and lives on Merseyside with his wife and two daughters. His new book Liar Liar came out in June to enormous praise.

 

Stuart Neville

Stuart Neville’s debut novel, THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST (published in the UK as THE TWELVE), won the Mystery/Thriller category of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was picked as one of the top crime novels of 2009 by both the New York Times and the LA Times.

He has been shortlisted for various awards, including the MWA Edgar, CWA Dagger, Theakstons Old Peculier Novel of the Year, Barry, Macavity, Dilys awards, as well as the Irish Book Awards Crime Novel of the Year.

He has since published eleven more critically acclaimed novels, two of which were under the pen name Haylen Beck, and a short story collection.

R.O. Thorpe

R.O. Thorpe is an Australian living in Cork, Ireland, where she writes lyrics and herds cats.

She was one of the Observer’s top 10 debut novelists of 2021, and her writing has won the London Short Story Award and been shortlisted for the BBC Opening Lines Prize.

Death on Ice (2025) was her first foray into murder mysteries.

Andrea Mara

Andrea Mara is a number one Sunday Times, Irish Times and Kindle bestselling author, whose books have sold more than one million copies across all formats.

The TV adaptation of her 2021 book, All Her Fault, aired in November 2025 to huge critical and audience acclaim, with Sarah Snook (Succession) playing the lead.

Her latest book, Such A Nice Girl, was an Irish Times number one bestseller and a UK Sunday Times top ten bestseller.

Her 2025 novel, It Should Have Been You, won Irish Crime Novel of the Year at the 2025 An Post Book Awards. Her book No One Saw a Thing was a Sunday Times number one bestseller and has sold over half million copies.

Andrea lives in Dublin with her husband and three children.

You can find Andrea on Instagram @andreamaraauthor

Catherine Ryan Howard

Catherine Ryan Howard is the award-winning, no.1 bestselling author of The Trap, The Nothing Man and Burn After Reading. 

A limited series based on her ‘lockdown’ thriller, 56 Days, is now streaming worldwide on Prime Video.

Her latest novel is Buyer Beware. She lives in Dublin.

 

PJ Coogan

After over 30 years on radio in Cork as a journalist, presenter and analyst, PJ’s voice is instantly familiar across the City & County.

He is the award-winning presenter of the Opinion Line on Cork’s 96FM.

 

 

Categories
Literary Festival

Spike Island Literary Festival 2026 Friday

Friday, 4 September

Price per ticket: € 50
Boat in: 12 p.m. | Return: 4:30 p.m.

Commit Yourself to Crime

Gill Perdue

 

Are you keen to write a crime novel?
Or perhaps you’ve already started your gripping thriller and are wondering how to bring it home in a suitably twisty manner.

Come along to a crime writing workshop with bestselling Penguin author Gill Perdue.
Gill will be exploring the various aspects of writing a successful crime novel, from plot and pacing to character development and voice.

A fun and lively session is planned after which you’ll definitely commit to crime!

From Manuscript to Market: Meet the publishers

with Mercier Press

 

Ireland’s oldest independent publishers, Mercier Press will be on-hand with their unique insight into exactly what the publishing industry is looking for, and what it’s not.

This masterclass gives invaluable insight into how to perfect your pitch as well as a thorough understanding of how the industry works.

In a relaxed and informal environment, there’ll be lots of opportunities to ask those tricky questions!

Gill Perdue

Gill Perdue is the author of bestselling novels If I Tell (nominated for Crime Novel of the Year in the Irish Book Awards 2022), When They See Me (2023) and in 2025 The Night I Killed Him, her third in the Shaw & Darmody series.

Her first standalone crime thriller All Of Them Lied publishes in June 2026 and has already been described by Liz Nugent as ‘the most compulsive reading experience I’ve had this year,’ and ‘unrelentingly tense,’ by Jane Casey.

Gill lives in Dublin with her hiking husband and rescue cat (aka last remaining pet), Dusty.

 

Categories
Literary Festival Uncategorized

Spike Island Literary Festival 2026 Buried Truths

Friday, 4th September

Price per ticket: € 27.95
Boat in: 5 p.m. | Return: 8 p.m.

Buried Truths

Michelle McDonagh & Fiona Gartland with Kitty Murphy

 

Join bestselling authors Michelle McDonagh and Fiona Gartland as they let us in on some of their plotting secrets.

With fellow crime-writer Kitty Murphy at the helm, no stone will be left unturned.

Michelle McDonagh

Michelle McDonagh is the author of four bestselling rural noir novels.

Her debut There’s Something I Have To Tell You was published in 2023, and her second bestseller Somebody Knows was shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards in 2024. Her latest book If These Walls Could Talk was published in July 2025.

A journalist by trade, Michelle co-hosts books podcast Natter with Kate and Michelle with her friend and fellow writer Kate Durrant.

 

Fiona Gartland

Fiona Gartland is a crime writer and journalist from Dublin.

Her latest psychological suspense novel, Under Her Care, was published in April by Bloodhound Books. The first part of her Angie and Violet cosy crime trilogy is due for release in January 2027. Her short stories have featured on RTÉ radio and in magazines, including The Stinging Fly.

With The Irish Times for seventeen years, she focused on courts coverage, going on to work as assistant news editor and features section editor. She is married with four adult children and enjoys long walks, great reads, interviewing writers, and singing for fun. Find her at fionagartland.com and @gartlandbooks.

Kitty Murphy

Kitty Murphy lives on the very westerly edge of the Burren, surrounded by cows.

As Kitty, she writes murder mysteries set in a fictional Dublin drag scene – Death in Heels and Death in the Dark published by Thomas & Mercer, followed by Death in the Holidays and Death in Love. She’s Catherine Murphy for reviews, lifestyle pieces, interviews and journalism, and C Murphy for short stories and poems, published in Ireland, the USA and the UK. As C L Murphy she leans into the dark side…

Find her @kitty_Murphy_Writes on Instagram.

 

Categories
Literary Festival

Spike Island Literary Festival 2026

Now in its fifth year, the Spike Island Literary Festival returns this September with a gripping programme dedicated to the art of crime writing.
Set against the unique backdrop of Spike Island’s infamous former prison, this one-of-a-kind festival brings together world-renowned authors and literary experts for a series of thrilling conversations, live readings and thought-provoking panels.

With a dark history of four prisons over 400 years, Spike Island is the perfect setting for literary enthusiasts from book lovers to budding writers.
Engage with your favourite authors and discover what inspires them through author-led panel discussions, experience readings from world-class writers as they recite their most famous works in unique locations or take the first steps to getting your own work published by meeting with a renowned literary agent.

Step inside the walls that once held some of Ireland’s most notorious criminals and immerse yourself in stories that intrigue, unnerve and captivate.
Whether you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, gritty detective fiction, or chilling true crime, Spike Island is the ultimate setting for your next plot twist.

This year’s programme features a stellar line-up of renowned authors such as Mark Billingham, Andrea Mara, Stuart Neville, Catherine Ryan Howard and more.

Join us at the Spike Island Literary Festival this September — where mystery, suspense, and storytelling collide.

 

Categories
Exhibition

The Aud

“special, secret and dangerous mission”

The Aud: “special, secret and dangerous mission” and The Aud: Submerged History is a new two-room exhibition presented at Spike Island, Cork Harbour, marking 110 years since the 1916 Aud mission.

Developed by the Spike Island Curatorial Team, the exhibition examines the covert German arms operation carried out aboard the SS Libau, disguised as the Aud, and its connection to the Easter Rising. Drawing on new research, archival material, personal recollections, and contributions from descendants of the crew, the project explores both the historical significance of the mission and its more personal dimensions.

The exhibition also shows the vessel through underwater photography, situating the wreck within the maritime history of Cork Harbour.

Presented across two gallery spaces, the exhibition combines narrative panels, artefacts, photography, film, archival material, underwater survey documentation, and sound to create a reflective, research-led visitor experience.

 

Exhibition photography by Jed Niezgoda
THE AUD
“special, secret and dangerous mission”

This gallery focuses on the planning, execution, interception, and consequences of the Libau/Aud operation in 1916.

The exhibition includes newly displayed artefacts, historical photographs, archival material, and personal accounts connected to the crew and their imprisonment on Spike Island and later internment in Britain.

 

 

 

Exhibition photography by Jed Niezgoda
THE AUD
SUBMERGED HISTORY

(Unavailable until November)

This gallery explores the story of the Aud following its sinking in Cork Harbour and examines the vessel as part of Ireland’s underwater cultural heritage.

Underwater photography of the wreck presents the sea as an archival space, where the material traces of 1916 remain suspended between preservation, loss, and memory.

Additional photographs of artefacts from the Aud reflect contemporary artistic responses to the vessel and its historical legacy.

 

Project coordination, research and curation by Dorota Gubbins
Exhibition installation: Michael Jones, Arkadiusz Maciak, Ben Cuddihy
Production & print: Flanagan Prints, Youghal / Ewa Rybka

Special thanks are extended to Anthony O’Mahony for sharing research material and archaeological survey work relating to the wreck, and to Derek Bolton for his underwater photography and film contributions.

Huge thanks are also extended to Fred and John Schmitz, grandsons of Friedrich Schmitz, one of the crew members, for generously sharing family recollections, photographs, and privately recorded footage documenting the recovery of the Aud anchors in 2012, accompanied by original music composed by John Schmitz.

Thanks are also due to Jennifer Meyer Husson, granddaughter of Christian Meyer, for sharing family recollections and photographs.

We were delighted to present photographs by Barbara Diener, recipient of the 2025 Sample-Studios Spike Island Residency Award.

Appreciation is also extended to the Spike Island Volunteers for sharing an archival photograph connected to the crew’s imprisonment on Spike Island, and for supporting the development of narrative material relating to Roger Casement and his involvement in the mission.

We are very thankful to Flanagan Prints for once again working successfully with us on producing and printing the exhibition materials.

Grateful thanks to Conor Nelligan, Cork County Council Heritage Officer, for his continued support throughout this project.

This project is supported by Cork County Council and the Heritage Council under the County Heritage Plan Funding 2026

 

Categories
Event

Haunted Spike

For one night only

[11-07-2026 — 6-9 pm]

Come join the staff of Spike Island to hear personal tales.

Local folklore of the hauntings of Spike Island.

Explore

The Dark Tunnels,

The Punishment Block,

and

The Abandoned Cells,

where we will see if we can make contact with the other side.

Whether you believe or not, Spike Island could leave you questioning the other side.

   

Categories
Uncategorized

2026 Spike Island Fireworks Spectacular

The hugely popular Spike Island Fireworks Spectacular is set to return with a bang on Saturday, 18 July, lighting up the sky over Cork Harbour for an unforgettable night of celebration. This annual event celebrates our Independence Day – the anniversary of the historic handover of Spike Island from Britain to Ireland in 1938.

Visitors will enjoy an evening of captivating entertainment, live music, pop-up circus performances and family-friendly activities, all leading up to the spectacular fireworks display that has become a highlight of the Cork events calendar.

Whether you’re a returning visitor or experiencing the magic of Spike Island for the first time, this is an event not to be missed. Join us for what promises to be an unforgettable experience at Ireland’s infamous prison island – secure your tickets now!
To facilitate the smooth flow of the event, boats will begin to depart from Cobh at 5pm. Early arrivals will have ample time to enjoy all that the island has to offer and will also be among the first to depart the island after the event concludes. The fireworks display will take place after sunset and return boats will commence thereafter.

 

 

Tickets are on sale now and advance booking is essential for this event.

Categories
Exhibition Uncategorized

Liberated Paradox
by Thomas Hendy

In Liberated Paradox, Thomas Hendy explores freedom as a contradiction rather than a certainty. The work is shaped by personal experience — growing up in a chaotic but creative household, resisting imposed systems and later living on the margins through addiction, homelessness and imprisonment.

These experiences challenged the idea of freedom as something society promises but rarely delivers. In contrast, moments of isolation and survival often revealed a different kind of freedom, one rooted in thought rather than circumstance.

Through graphite drawing and symbolic imagery, Hendy reflects these tensions and questions where freedom truly exists.

 

Thomas Hendy

Thomas is an award-winning, self-taught artist based in Kells, County Meath.

Working primarily in rich, matt graphite, his practice centres on highly detailed drawing informed by lived experience. Through a meticulous and intuitive process, Hendy gives visual voice to emotional and psychological states that language often fails to convey.

His work explores themes of addiction, control and survival. It traces a journey from a past shaped by dependency, homelessness and incarceration to a present defined by resilience and renewal. Motivated by the narratives embedded within each piece, Hendy amplifies voices from the margins of society, inviting viewers to reconsider perceptions of addiction, mental health and economic struggle.

www.thomashendy.com

Curated by Dorota Gubbins
Location: Punishment Block

Categories
5K RUN Event

5K RUN

For official results visit: https://www.elitetiming.ie/results/spike-island-5k-2026/

Lace up your running shoes!
The annual Spike Island 5km Race is back for 2026 – and it’s ready to take over Ireland’s infamous prison island once again!

 

Mark your calendars for Saturday, 18th April, as this much-loved event returns for another unforgettable day of energy, community spirit and that iconic Spike Island backdrop. Whether you’re chasing a PB, jogging with friends, or soaking up the atmosphere, this is one date you won’t want to miss.

This unique event promises an adventure like no other – where else can you begin your race within the walls of a 200-year-old fortress before making your way around an iconic island surrounded by spectacular views of Cork Harbour.

Tickets are on sale now – secure your spot at one of the most popular races of the year! We can’t wait to see you at the starting line.

 

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