On my radar: Kevin Barry’s cultural highlights

The Irish writer on Limerick’s hip-hop scene, the ghostly magic of the hawthorn, and escaping to the Italian Alps on YouTube

Born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1969, writer Kevin Barry, who now lives in County Sligo, won the 2007 Rooney prize for Irish literature for his short story collection There Are Little Kingdoms. In 2011, he released his debut novel, City of Bohane, which won the International Dublin literary award; his 2019 novel, Night Boat to Tangier, was longlisted for the Booker prize. His writing has appeared in publications including the New Yorker and Granta, and he also works as a playwright and screenwriter. His fourth novel, The Heart in Winter, is published by Canongate.