Unlocking books on Tertulia TV
Heres our lovely Spot-lit.eu colleagues Brid Conroy and Neil Paul from ‘Tertulia a bookshop like no other‘ being interviewed by Aine Ryan from The Mayo News about their innovative Tertulia TV YouTube show being beamed into book lover’s homes throughout Mayo, the west and beyond.
‘Tertulia a bookshop like no other’ based in Westport is one of five businesses developing new literary products and services through the Spot-lit.eu Programme led by The Western Development Commission in Ireland and funded under The Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme.
AR: Tell me a little more about the genesis of Louisburgh Community TV and the various programmes it is hosting?
BC: Local man Des Grealis is the brainchild and was developing the idea of community television showcasing all things Louisburgh before the pandemic struck. Then Covid happened and it was the perfect stage. Des very quickly gathered enthusiastic responses from many people within the community, and it was a lovely distraction from the madness of the first few weeks of lockdown. There have been Tia’s cooking lessons; ‘Informed Information’ from John Staunton, our local chemist; as well as craft and gardening videos.
AR: How many episodes have there been of Tertulia TV and what is the format?
BC: We have just posted our ninth programme. We usually introduce at least two authors to our viewers for each programme. We have hosted children’s authors, biographers as well as poetry and fiction writers.
They usually talk for circa seven minutes about their inspiration and their latest books. Some read from their books and others, for example, novelist Eithne Shortall gave us a tour of her writing space at home and told us about her favourite books. We also review books we have read.
With our big Harry Potter interest we dedicated a show and a competition on International Harry Potter Day. We’ve interviewed a couple of philosophers too, asking them to explain why philosophy matters, among other things.
AR: Expand on who you have you interviewed and why you chose these writers
BC :Well, Eithne Shortall has local connections and is a big fan of our bookshop. She is The Sunday Times Culture Editor and author of three novels, ‘Love In Row 27’, ‘Grace After Henry’ and ‘Three Little Truths’. Then there is Jane Suiter, who is Associate Professor in the School of Communications, DCU. Jane talked about her work helping to set up the Citizen’s Assembly and her book ‘Reimagining Democracy’. Of course, we have lots of local talent, and Marian Kilcoyne is a poet who is from the area and still lives here. She was shortlisted for the 2017 Dermot Healy International Prize and longlisted for the Fish Poetry 2019. Marian read from her collection just being published ‘The Heart Uncut’.
Read Full Interview HERE
Credit: Áine Ryan and The Mayo News
Useful Links:‘Tertulia a bookshop like no other‘, Tertulia TV
