Colm Tóibín Event  : 1.31.07

Click any photo to send as an ecard!

Members of the Philadelphia AIF attended a lecture and book signing by renowned Irish author, Colm Tóibín, at the regal library of the Union League. Mr. Tóibín treated guests to a reading from his new book, Mothers and Sons, followed by a discussion with the invited guests. We were delighted and honored to have had the privilege of dining with Mr. Tóibín following the festivities. The evening marked the first in an anticipated series of events sponsored by the Philadelphia AIF which will celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the Irish, both past and present.

Journalist and novelist, Colm Tóibín was born in Enniscorthy, County Wexford and educated at University College Dublin. His first novel, The South, (1990) about an Irish artist in Spain, won The Irish Times Literature Prize in 1991. The Heather Blazing, won the Encore Award for the best second novel in 1992. His third novel, The Story of the Night (1997) was hailed as an extraordinary work of fiction by critics.

Before the publication of his first novel Tóibín published a travelogue: Homage to Barcelona (1989) and a selection of his journalism: The Trial of the Generals (1990). Two further non-fiction works followed in the 1990s: Walking Along the Border (1987) and The Sign of the Cross - Travels in Catholic Europe (1994). Tóibín is a former editor of In Dublin and Magill magazines and currently lives in Dublin.