Why read? A short piece about why I think we seek out reading material as children, and insist on choosing it ourselves as we get older.
An Introduction to… A view of the world of comics, aimed particularly at librarians (and anybody who has never ventured into that strange world), and a list of some of the best comics I think have ever been produced.
A Day in the Life of Oisín McGann A piece on my daily routine, originally written for the MS Readathon website.
A Monstrous Appetite An article for Inis magazine on the kinds of books I read as a child.
Children’s Publishing in Ireland A letter written on behalf of the O’Brien Press when it was discovered that they might lose their Arts Council Grant, an important element in their annual decision whether or not to publish non-commercial books.
Submission on the Artists’ Exemption A letter to the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism on the Artists’ Exemption is necessary and how things could change if it was done away with.
An introduction to the Internatonal Schools Project on Myths and Legends. Introduction for a book produced by this international network of primary schools.
Those Who Can’t…Read The ‘director’s cut’ version of my article in Inis magazine entitled The Importance of Being Violent, about boys’ reading choices.
The Elephant in the Reading Room. An appeal to publishers to recognize the changing nature of the children’s book market and tackle it head on.
That Was Then. An article for the Irish Independent about a childhood road-trip across Europe.
A Note to Young Adult Readers. An introduction to the young adult section of the Book Fest reviews catalogue 2007.
Speech to the Librarian Association of Ireland conference, 2008. A speech about boys’ reading, based on the article The Importance of Being Violent, in Inis magazine.
Letter to O’Brien Press in response to the introduction of age-banding on books. A letter to O’Brien Press in response to their suggestion that they introduce more prescriptive age-banding on their books.
Back in the Olden Days An article about my school days, written for the 2004 edition of the school yearbook.
Working with Writers-in-Schools. A short piece about working with Poetry Ireland’s Writers-In-Schools Scheme, which organizes visits to schools for writers and illustrators.
A short piece for the World Book Day website. A short piece for the World Book Day website about finding the right story for the right person.
Bad Language and Burning Willies. A contribution to a book project run in St Peters College, Dunboyne, highlighting poverty across the world.
Google Ogles eBook Uploads An article for the Final Draft, the newsletter of the Irish Writers Union, about the first news of the Google Book Settlement.
A Twisting Tour of Scotland A short description of my week-long tour of Scotland with the Scottish Book Trust in January 2009.
A letter to the Ray Darcy Show A letter to the Ray Darcy Show, discussing why the recession in Ireland might do us some good. It was posted on Today FM website and released as a podcast.
Publishing in a Digital World
These are three different pieces on the same theme. The first is a short article for Poetry Ireland’s newsletter. The second is a talk for Poetry Ireland given at the Royal College of Surgeons. The third is an article for Inis magazine.
My Best and Worst Christmas Presents
Don’t Panic…A Hitch-Hikers Guide to the SF Scene
The Top Five Books to Read Before You’re Eleven
How to Make Ebooks and Influence People, an article for Irish Publishing News.
Blog post for Dublin Book Festival 2011
City of Literature, a piece for Inis magazine about Dublin achieving the title of UNESCO City of Literature.
Getting Into Character, a guest post on the CBI blog for Children’s Book Festival 2011.
See What I Mean? A guest post on the Meath Libraries blog for Children’s Book Festival 2011.
Leave Our Libraries Alone, an article for the Irish Writer’s Union newsletter, November 2011.