Caroline O'Donoghue

Wow. Many and varied. In case it's not clear to your listeners, I am an Irish person. And there's this whole thing of like, I get to sit on all these amazing literature panels and have people ask me really thoughtful questions about like, what is it with the Irish and storytelling? And to that, and the whole like strong oral tradition thing.

Wow. Many and varied. In case it's not clear to your listeners, I am an Irish person. And there's this whole thing of like, I get to sit on all these amazing literature panels and have people ask me really thoughtful questions about like, what is it with the Irish and storytelling? And to that, and the whole like strong oral tradition thing.

And like, it really hits me that the phrase strong oral tradition is just a sort of a euphemism

And like, it really hits me that the phrase strong oral tradition is just a sort of a euphemism

Talking shit all day, every day.

Talking shit all day, every day.

I think about this an awful lot. Ireland never really had an industrial revolution.

I think about this an awful lot. Ireland never really had an industrial revolution.

So going back to the turn of the 19th century. Yeah.

So going back to the turn of the 19th century. Yeah.

Let me bring you back to the spinning, Jenny. Oh my God. You know, in England and America and Germany, all these different countries, there was like this moment where industrial action happened and where like all kind of populations just became into cities and all that kind of stuff. That never really happened in Ireland. Ireland was always just like, your workplace is your back garden. Yeah.

Let me bring you back to the spinning, Jenny. Oh my God. You know, in England and America and Germany, all these different countries, there was like this moment where industrial action happened and where like all kind of populations just became into cities and all that kind of stuff. That never really happened in Ireland. Ireland was always just like, your workplace is your back garden. Yeah.

And there's no entertainment of any kind except for you can walk six miles in the dark to your friend's house to talk shit. And I think that's where all the music stuff comes from. And that's where all this storytelling thing comes from. It really comes from a lack of anything else to do. Like the... The two penny strip show is not coming to Ireland. The Nickelodeon is not coming to Ireland.

And there's no entertainment of any kind except for you can walk six miles in the dark to your friend's house to talk shit. And I think that's where all the music stuff comes from. And that's where all this storytelling thing comes from. It really comes from a lack of anything else to do. Like the... The two penny strip show is not coming to Ireland. The Nickelodeon is not coming to Ireland.

What comes to Ireland is like going to your friend's house and telling them a story you heard off somebody else who heard it off a cow, you know? You kind of see that as well with Irish people where it's like they never let the truth get in the way of a good story either. So tales be getting told.

What comes to Ireland is like going to your friend's house and telling them a story you heard off somebody else who heard it off a cow, you know? You kind of see that as well with Irish people where it's like they never let the truth get in the way of a good story either. So tales be getting told.

Oh, that's such a good question. So The Rachel Incident is a book about gossip in many ways. So in the opening chapter, this character runs into somebody from her hometown years and years after she's left and is kind of reminded of this piece of gossip that existed about her in her hometown that wasn't true, but she had to live her life as though it were. But I definitely think that...

Oh, that's such a good question. So The Rachel Incident is a book about gossip in many ways. So in the opening chapter, this character runs into somebody from her hometown years and years after she's left and is kind of reminded of this piece of gossip that existed about her in her hometown that wasn't true, but she had to live her life as though it were. But I definitely think that...

That is a frequent thing of like when someone tells you a piece of gossip and then the first thing that you think about is like, how much of this can I change and then put into a novel? And I always do feel as well that like you're far more likely to put to...

That is a frequent thing of like when someone tells you a piece of gossip and then the first thing that you think about is like, how much of this can I change and then put into a novel? And I always do feel as well that like you're far more likely to put to...