Martin Doyle

It's a fascinating history lesson.

It's also a fascinating exploration of the complex identities.

It's not black and white.

It sort of makes you sympathise and understand history

characters that have maybe been written out of Irish history.

So what we've just listened to was Stanley Townsend and the dramatic adaptation of Solar Bones.

And he won Best Actor for that, also won Best Production.

I saw that twice, once during lockdown when it was, you know, free to listen to or maybe you had to subscribe.

You know, it was one of the highlights of lockdown when you couldn't go anywhere.

And then I saw it post-lockdown, I think, in the Abbey Theatre.

Just one man on stage, absolutely amazing.

holding the audience enthralled.

I guess, like, you know, you asked me why I only picked one book or whatever, you know, I don't want to bore you, Matt, and we only have so much time.

But genuinely, I think it's a book...

You know, like say Anna Burns' Milkman is brilliant, but you could say it's a book inspired by the conflict in the North.

Solar Bones is kind of something that was kind of created, you know, almost from nothing, if you like.

It's a story of a man.

It's not a spoiler because it says it on the back of the book, though I read it in proof and didn't actually know this at the time.

It slowly dawned on me.

So, yeah.