Mark O’Connell is the author of A Thread of Violence, Notes from an Apocalypse, and To Be a Machine, which was awarded the 2018 Wellcome Book Prize, the 2019 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, and was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. With A Thread of Violence, he has produced a probing portrait of one of the most notorious Irish murderers of the 20th century.

After the release from prison of Malcolm Macarthur, a man who killed two strangers in a bizarre set of circumstances and was later captured in a most curious way, O’Connell struck up an acquaintance with him and somehow won his trust. Over a period of time, O’Connell recorded their conversations and began to write the book, a rigorous and deft examination of motivation and doubt, his own as much as Macarthur’s. Immaculately paced, the book won Best Non-Fiction book of the year at the An Post Awards 2023.

Theo Dorgan is a poet, novelist, essayist and translator. This event promises to be a fascinating exploration of truth and lies, coincidence and doubt, as Theo and Mark unravel what lies at the heart of this remarkable book.

Tickets can be booked online via the link below or directly with glór box office on 065 6843103. glór box office is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 3pm. Booking fees apply.

* Please note that the main entrance to the building has several steps. Should you require alternative access, this is possible at the rear of the building.

Mark O’Connell photo © Rich Gilligan