{"id":32251,"date":"2025-08-30T05:19:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T05:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/32251\/"},"modified":"2025-08-30T05:19:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T05:19:14","slug":"julia-roberts-to-narrate-leonard-and-hungry-paul-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/32251\/","title":{"rendered":"Julia Roberts to narrate Leonard and Hungry Paul \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

In The Irish Times tomorrow, Miriam Toews tells Niamh Donnelly about her new memoir, A Truce That Is Not Peace. And there is a Q&A with Sophie White about her career and latest novel, Such a Good Couple.<\/p>\n

Reviews are Tom Clonan on War and Power: Who Wins Wars, and Why by Phillips Payson O\u2019Brien; <\/b>Adam Wyeth on The Quiet Ear: An Investigation of Missing Sound by Raymond Antrobus; Orla Tinsley on Intensive Care: An Irish doctor\u2019s story of healing, heartbreak and hope in children\u2019s ICU by Suzanne Crowe; Claire Hennessy on the best new YA fiction; Michael Cronin on A Long Winter and Ship in Full Sail by Colm T\u00f3ib\u00edn; Lucy Sweeney-Byrne on Katabasis by RF Kuang; \u00c9il\u00eds N\u00ed Dhuibhne on Mint & Other Stories by Adrian Kenny; Mei Chin on The Girls that Grew Big by Leila Mottley; Emily Formstone on Helm by Sarah Hall; Charleen Hurtubise on The Sisters by Jonas Hassen Khemiri; Ruby Eastwood on Conversation with the Sea by Hugo Hamilton; Paige Reynolds on Paper Heart by Cecelia Ahern; and Mia Levitin on We Used to Dance Here by Dave Tynan.<\/p>\n

This weekend\u2019s Irish Times Eason offer is The Seventh Body by Catherine Kirwan, just \u20ac5.99, a \u20ac6 saving.<\/p>\n

\"EasonEason offer <\/p>\n

Julia Roberts has joined the cast of the upcoming six-part comedy drama series Leonard and Hungry Paul as the narrator. The series, produced for BBC Northern Ireland by Irish production company Subotica, with support from Screen Ireland, also stars Alex Lawther, Laurie Kynaston and Jamie-Lee O\u2019Donnell, and is coming soon to BBC One Northern Ireland, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.<\/p>\n

Leonard and Hungry Paul is based on the award-winning, best-selling novel of the same name by R\u00f3n\u00e1n Hession and has been adapted for television by writers Richie Conroy and Mark Hodkinson. The series is directed by Andrew Chaplin and co-produced with Avalon.<\/p>\n

Tristan Orpen Lynch, executive producer said: \u201cIt is truly wonderful to have the amazingly talented Julia Roberts join the production. We had heard she was a big fan of R\u00f3n\u00e1n\u2019s beautiful book and she brings a real warmth and genuine compassionate understanding to this important role which guides us through the unique world and special characters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eddie Doyle, Senior Head of Content Commissioning, BBC Northern Ireland, said: \u201cTo have Julia Roberts lend her extraordinary voice and storytelling talent to this series is another ringing endorsement for how special this project is. Her narration will add to the magic of this story and we are excited to bring it to audiences very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Set to air this autumn, the feel-good series follows two board-gaming friends in their thirties; Leonard, a ghost writer of children\u2019s encyclopaedias, and Hungry Paul, a part-time postal worker who still lives at home, who meander through leafy suburban life finding solace in their quiet routines. The unexpected death of Leonard\u2019s mother, the approaching wedding of Hungry Paul\u2019s sister and a tentative new romance for Leonard, prompts both men to meet a world that is suddenly wider and full of unfamiliar possibilities.<\/p>\n

Alongside Julia Roberts as the narrator it is set to star Alex Lawther (The End Of The F***ing World, ALIEN: EARTH) as Leonard, Laurie Kynaston (Fool Me Once, Sandman) as Hungry Paul and Jamie-Lee O\u2019Donnell (Derry Girls, Screw) as Shelley.<\/p>\n

Also joining the cast are Helen Behan (The Virtues), Lorcan Cranitch (Bloodlands), Niamh Branigan (Harry Wild), Paul Reid (Sherlock & Daughter), Charlotte McCurry (Say Nothing) and David O\u2019Reilly (Doctors).<\/p>\n

\"ChrisChris Whitaker. Photograph: David Calvert <\/p>\n

Featuring internationally renowned crime writers, Murder One, Ireland\u2019s International Crime Writing Festival, returns to Dublin from October 17th to 19th for its eighth year with a host of events, readings and masterclasses taking place in D\u00fan Laoghaire\u2019s DLR Lexicon Library & Cultural Centre. <\/p>\n

Supported by the Arts Council and DLR Libraries, the festival features Chris Whitaker on his first public visit to Ireland, as well as Ruth Ware, Steve Cavanagh, Gillian McAllister, Jane Casey, Andrea Mara, AJ West, Amanda Cassidy, Conor McAnally and Catherine Ryan Howard to name but a few. <\/p>\n

Whether you are an avid crime reader, a budding writer with an exciting idea for a thriller of your own, or a book club looking for a new read, Murder One has something for everyone to enjoy this October.<\/p>\n

Tickets are on sale now at murderone.ie<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AtAt the launch of Clifden Arts Festival 2025, from left are Lainey Ash, Emily Snow, and Mary Foyle. Photograph: Andrew Downes, XPOSURE <\/p>\n

The literary strand of Clifden Arts Festival 2025 offers a powerful programme of talks, readings and conversations from September 17th\u201328th in the heart of Connemara.<\/p>\n

Renowned historian Diarmaid Ferriter reflects on Ireland\u2019s transformation since the 1990s in his lecture The Revelation of Ireland 1995\u20132025. Branding expert John Fanning, former MD of McConnells and UCD lecturer, explores advertising, identity and storytelling in The Making of an Irish Icon: Barry\u2019s Tea.<\/p>\n

Broadcaster John Creedon shares stories from his bestselling memoir This Boy\u2019s Heart, while Irish Times GAA columnist Ciar\u00e1n Murphy presents Old Parish, his witty account of learning hurling later in life.<\/p>\n

Poetry features strongly with Luke Morgan, winner of the 2025 Lawrence O\u2019Shaughnessy Award, S\u00e9amus Ruttledge, and guests from Gallery Press.<\/p>\n

Together, these voices offer insight, humour and reflection\u2014celebrating the richness of Irish experience through the written and spoken word.<\/p>\n

Full programme and tickets: clifdenartsfestival.ie<\/a><\/p>\n

Afric McGlinchey\u2019s collections include The Lucky Star of Hidden Things and Ghost of the Fisher Cat (both Salmon). She was a winner of a Hennessy Award <\/p>\n

Poet and memoirist Afric McGlinchey will lead an immersive creative writing workshop at the 2025 Allingham Festival on Setting and Weather as Metaphor. The two-hour workshop for 15 participants will be held in Kilbarron House, Ballyshannon on Saturday, November 8th. <\/p>\n

An Irish-born poet, freelance book editor and mentor for the Munster Literature Centre, McGlinchey spent her early childhood in Zambia and Zimbabwe. She has published poetry collections including The Lucky Star of Hidden Things and Ghost of the Fisher Cat, and a memoir titled Tied to the Wind. <\/p>\n

McGlinchey will launch her new collection \u00c0 la Belle \u00c9toile at the Literary Lunch, also on November 8th. Tickets for the workshop on are available at allinghamfestival.com<\/a><\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

B O Y is a unique presentation. Commissioned by Sligo\u2019s Hawk\u2019s Well Theatre, it is a collaboration between acclaimed poet Damian Gorman and master uileann piper Leonard Barry. In 16 poems and musical responses to them it tells the story of Damian\u2019s brother Gerard, who was abused as a child and spent many years of his adult life struggling for justice from the Catholic Church. <\/p>\n

B O Y has been described as \u2018an unforgettable story, unforgettably told\u2019.<\/p>\n

Gorman says that he and Barry were concerned to make that telling bearable. \u2018Though it has devastating experience at its core, we wanted people to be able to walk out of the theatre intact \u2013 enhanced even\u2019, he says.<\/p>\n

B O Y has its world premiere in the Hawk\u2019s Well, Sligo on September 10th, before moving to Belfast\u2019s Linenhall Library the following day. The show travels to London, to the Irish Cultural Centre Hammersmith, on September 19th, and finishes its mini tour in the Newgate Arts and Cultural Centre, Derry, on the 25th. Tickets from the venues.<\/p>\n

B O Y will have a full national tour in 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In The Irish Times tomorrow, Miriam Toews tells Niamh Donnelly about her new memoir, A Truce That Is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":32252,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[1580,18,117,19,17],"class_list":{"0":"post-32251","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-book-club","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32251\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}