About this Event
Join us for a special evening of conversation and performance in the Royal Irish Academy of Music as we celebrate the One Dublin One Book choice for 2026, Christine Falls.
Acclaimed author John Banville will be in conversation with author Belinda McKeon, delving into his first crime novel twenty years after its publication. Introducing us to maverick pathologist Quirke, and the forces of authority prevalent in 1950s Dublin and beyond, Christine Falls is a gripping novel of power, corruption, shame, buried secrets, and one man’s search for the truth.
The evening will feature a live jazz performance from the Michael Buckley Jazz Quintet with Michael (saxophone), Margot Daly (vocals), Diarmuid Lally (Bass) Scott Flanagan (piano) and Brendan Doherty (drums), along with dramatic readings from Christine Falls by actors Shannon Haly and Billy Lyons.
Belinda McKeon is the author of the novels Solace (2011) and Tender (2015). She directs the MA in Creative Writing at Maynooth University.
Regarded as one of the most important and influential musicians on the Irish and international jazz scene, saxophonist/flautist and composer Michael Buckley has been playing professionally since a very young age where critics hailed him as a child prodigy. Born in Dublin city in 1971, Michael has performed and toured regularly with giants of the international jazz scene including the legendary Charles Mingus Dynasty big band and septet, Kurt Rosenwinkel, John Abercrombie, Joey Baron, Jason Moran, Jason Rebello, Lewis Nash, Lee Konitz, George Colman, to name a few. Michael regularly works on film and television scores, collaborated on recordings with more main stream artists such as Glen Hansard, Paul Brady, The Corrs, Donovan and The Cranberry’s. In recent years, he has been credited as one of Ireland’s great music producers and has recorded, mixed and mastered numerous best selling records.
Shannon Haly is a Writer, Actor, and Director from Cork. After studying at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City, she has worked across theatre and film on bold new work both in Ireland and internationally.
She was recently awarded Breakthrough Artist of the Year at Origin Theatre’s First Irish Festival in NYC. Shannon wrote, produced, and starred in the short film Dollar Baby’s, which premiered at Cork International Film Festival, and her short film Breakfast Roll, which she directed and produced, won Best Cork Short at Cork International Film Festival and Best of the Fest at Beara Film Festival.
In theatre, Shannon co-wrote and performed the play Cortisol with her sister Megan Haly that premiered at Dublin Fringe Festival last year which sold out for all 15 performances and was nominated for a Solas Nua New Voices Award. Shannon and Megan are currently being commissioned by The Everyman Theatre, Cork, to develop their next play. Her screen credits also include We Were the Lucky Ones for Hulu and Disney+.
Billy Lyons has acted in many movies including opposite Pierse Brosnan in Four letters of love and with Barry Ward in Prospect house, he recently finished working on The Lost Children of Tuam. He has also worked on tv shows such as Video Nasties and Modern Love. He trained in Bow St acting Academy under Shimmy Marcus and he has attended courses with American acting coach Niki Flaz amongst others.
This event is part of this year's One Dublin One Book initiative, which aims to encourage everyone in Dublin to read a designated book connected with the capital city during the month of April every year. This year's selection is Christine Falls by John Banville. This annual project is a Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature and supported by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.
See the full 2026 programme here.
Copies of Christine Falls (Faber) are available to borrow from all Irish public libraries in physical format and in digital format as eBooks and eAudiobooks via the Borrowbox app.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Royal Irish Academy of Music, 36-38 Westland Row, Dublin 2, Ireland
EUR 0.00
