Robert O’Byrne an author and TV presenter. At Immrama, he will speak about his book “The Irish Aesthete: Buildings of Ireland, Lost and Found”. It examines Ireland’s architectural heritage using photographs, illuminating descriptions and anecdotes. He will take his audience on a thrilling journey across the country to show the enormous range of buildings he has recorded, both ruined and restored, from cottages to castles and from quirky to classic.
Website: theirishaesthete.com
Instagram: @theirishaesthete
Facebook: @TheIrishAesthete
X / Twitter: @IrishAesthete
Details of this year’s festival programme can be found elsewhere on this website.
Éanna Ní Lamhna is a highly respected biologist, environmental consultant, radio and television presenter, author and educator. At Immrama, she will speak about biodiversity not only in Ireland but in parts of the world such as the Rainforest of Costa Rica to the giant redwoods of California and also about her travels to New Zealand and Tanzania.
Hector, is an Irish television and radio presenter. He is best known for travel shows on TG4. He has won multiple Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs) for his shows and has presented a radio show on 102-104FM and RTÉ 2FM. In November 2024, his non-fiction book, “The Irish Words You Should Know”, won at the 2024 Irish Book Awards.
Dermod and Denis Dwyer, a father and son duo, will discuss at Immrama their visit in 2023 to the five countries that make up The Levant – Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and Palestine They will explain why they went there, and what they saw and learned. Their book is “Desert Bonds: A Father and Son’s Middle East Odyssey”. Dermod is a business man and Denis is a film producer and documentary maker.
Julian Evans a journalist, has lived in and written about Ukraine. At Immrama he will talk about his new book “
Elaine Farrell and Leanne McCormick are both History Professors and authors. Their best-selling book in 2023 “
Bill Power is an historian and international award-winning photographer who spent two decades exploring the Munster Blackwater, often referred to in the 19th century as ‘The Irish Rhine’. His book “The Blackwater – History and Images from the Irish Rhine” captures the history, spirit and beauty of the River Blackwater. Bill said that as his voyages of discovery on foot, by air and by road increased “so did my appreciation of this river, which has a beauty and fascination that exceeded all my expectations.” He is an author of 17 books, among his best known works is ‘White Knights, Dark Earls and the Rise and Fall of an Anglo-Irish Dynasty’.
Bridget Ashton is an explorer, mother, writer and photographer. Her writing has been described as “Travel writing which is utterly authentic and restlessly curious”. Cold War, Warm Hearts published in 2023 is an account of a year’s solo travelling, on foot, behind the Iron Curtain in 1966. Hit the Road, Gals published 2024, talks about travelling in the sixties.
Tommie Gorman was a journalist with the Irish Times and was a former Northern Ireland editor for RTÉ and is one of Ireland’s most respected journalists. He has reported on many major national and international news stories. At Immrama, Tommie will talk about his warm and fascinating memoir: Never Better: My Life in Our Times.