Jul 9, 2026 · 51 min · 9 segments
In this episode, Éilís talks to novelists Oisín Fagan and Roisín O’Donnell about their respective novels Eden’s Shore and Nesting. Described as ‘a striking new talent’ (The Times) and ‘a true…
Oisín FaganGuestRóisín O'DonnellGuest
Éilís Ní DhuibhneHostWhy should we be encouraging people to read at all, to read fiction these days, when they can, you know, sit at home in front of their screen watching Netflix and all the rest of it? What's, what's, what's so great about fiction? [laughs]
Um, they had a big study last year and came out with these statistics that reading rates are really plummeting, and p- less people are actually reading for pleasure.
So, you know, they, they really do seem to be sort of tackling this head-on and saying, "Right, you know, we, we need to encourage people to read." So there's been all sorts of different surveys coming out.
And, you know, there's been so many of them saying, you know, the benefits for your mental health, you know, are just so, so clear.
You know, you really can kind of tune out from your everyday reality, I think, you know.
And even if that is a story that might not be the, the lightest story in the world, it, it's still, I think it's just still that benefit of being in a, in a different, in a different mind with different sets of characters.
I can't imagine my life really without, without reading, you know? I don't see it as a thing of trying to make time for reading.
It's more, like, trying to limit my reading because [laughs] you know? Like, I would always read last thing at night.
And it'd be that thing of, you know, "You have to go to sleep now," you know? And it's just the best feeling in the world, I think, when you find a book where you're just thinking, "Okay, just, just, just one more chapter."
Why should we be encouraging people to read at all, to read fiction these days, when they can, you know, sit at home in front of their screen watching Netflix and all the rest of it? What's, what's, what's so great about fiction? [laughs]
Um, they had a big study last year and came out with these statistics that reading rates are really plummeting, and p- less people are actually reading for pleasure.
So, you know, they, they really do seem to be sort of tackling this head-on and saying, "Right, you know, we, we need to encourage people to read." So there's been all sorts of different surveys coming out.
And, you know, there's been so many of them saying, you know, the benefits for your mental health, you know, are just so, so clear.
You know, you really can kind of tune out from your everyday reality, I think, you know.
And even if that is a story that might not be the, the lightest story in the world, it, it's still, I think it's just still that benefit of being in a, in a different, in a different mind with different sets of characters.
I can't imagine my life really without, without reading, you know? I don't see it as a thing of trying to make time for reading.
It's more, like, trying to limit my reading because [laughs] you know? Like, I would always read last thing at night.
And it'd be that thing of, you know, "You have to go to sleep now," you know? And it's just the best feeling in the world, I think, when you find a book where you're just thinking, "Okay, just, just, just one more chapter."
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