For centuries, romance fiction by Irish writers from Lady Morgan to Marian Keyes has told the story of characters in love. Yet romance remains a target for public condemnation and critical contempt, in part because these popular novels have been written largely by and for women. In summer 2025, the Museum of Literature Ireland launched the exhibition Happy Ever After: Falling in Love with Irish Romance Fiction to showcase the unique character of Irish romance fiction.
In this series of interviews, Prof. Paige Reynolds (College of the Holy Cross) speaks with Irish writers who focus on romance in their fiction. The conversations reveal that the term “romance fiction” remains a vexed one. They also confirm that this genre, which promises the familiar satisfaction of a happy ending, valuably introduces – and sometimes forecasts – revolutionary personal and social changes. By featuring characters who overcome internal and external barriers to happiness, Irish romance fiction voices aspirations for personal fulfillment and a better society.
In the first episode of the series, we feature Irish writer Marian Keyes, an award-winning novelist and essayist, whose books have sold over 40 million copies worldwide and been translated into 36 languages. Her novels centered on the Walsh family, and its five sisters, recently has been adapted into a television series The Walsh Sisters. In this in-depth interview, Keyes and Reynolds discuss a range of topics from Keyes’ canny use of the flashback to her strategies for writing novels linked in a series.
Produced with the support of the Edward Callahan Support Fund for Irish Studies and the J. D. Power Center for the Liberal Arts at the College of the Holy Cross; and the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon. MoLI’s digital programme is supported by Ebow Digital.
Producer Benedict Schlepper-Connolly
Sound Engineer Caterina Schembri
