1:15 - 2:15pm

  • Life on Planet Earth (The Orangery): Booker Prize-winner Samantha Harvey (Orbital) in conversation with Nobel Prize-winner Abdulrazak Gurnah (Theft), moderated by arts critic and novelist Sue Rainsford.
  • Secret Miracle Workers (The Rookery): Biologist and mycologist Merlin Sheldrake (Entangled Lives) discusses how fungi and their underground networks are transforming our understanding of life with Manchán Magan (Listen to the Land Speak).

2:15pm (Book Signings)

  • Samantha Harvey, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Merlin Sheldrake, Manchán Magan.

2:45 - 3:45pm

  • The Love of a Winged Creature (The Orangery): Seán Ronayne (Nature Boy: A Journey of Birdsong and Belonging) and Helen Macdonald (H is for Hawk) discuss their shared love of birds, nature, and how it has healed them.
  • The Great Yes; The Great No (The Rookery): Renowned artist William Kentridge presents an illustrated conversation with Fintan O’Toole, exploring his ever-evolving work in charcoal sketches, puppetry, opera, and multimedia projection.
  • Can Europe Survive? (The Owlery): MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú and Bruno Maçães (World Builders: Technology and the New Geopolitics) discuss the future of Europe in light of shifting US policies on NATO, joined by journalists Lara Marlowe and Carole Cadwalladr.

3:45pm (Book Signings)

  • Seán Ronayne, Helen Macdonald, Bruno Maçães, William Kentridge.

4:15 - 5:15pm

  • A Woman on the Outermost Edge (The Ballroom): James Rebanks (The Shepherd’s Life) explores his journey to a remote Norwegian island to learn from Anna Måsøy, one of the last women harvesting eiderdown by hand. With Sue Rainsford.
  • What It Is to Remember (The Owlery): Human rights lawyer Philippe Sands (38 Londres Street) and Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse (The Convoy) discuss displacement, memory, and the lasting effects of genocide.
  • Abduction, Adoption and Separated Twins (Other): Journalist Barbara Demick (Daughters of the Bamboo Grove) delves into the repercussions of China’s one-child policy and the unregulated foreign adoptions that followed. With Lindsey Hilsum.

5:15pm (Book Signings)

  • James Rebanks, Philippe Sands, Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse, Barbara Demick.

5:45 - 6:40pm

  • Fools Gold (The Orangery): Margaret Drabble (The Millstone, Jerusalem The Golden) explores the complexities beneath the surface of family life and reflects on a lifetime of writing with Alex Clark.
  • Realm of Ideas (The Rookery): William Dalrymple (The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World) discusses the overlooked influence of India’s mathematical, philosophical, scientific, and artistic contributions to the modern world.
  • World Domination: The USA vs China Tech War (The Owlery): Misha Glenny unpacks the intensifying technological rivalry between the US and China, including trade disruptions, tariffs, and restrictions shaping global electronics.
  • Swimming in the Oceans of Quackery (The Ballroom): Neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan (The Age of Diagnosis) and Jules Montague (The Imaginary Patient) examine the shortcomings of modern medicine alongside writer-physician Rivka Galchen (Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch).

6:40pm (Book Signings)

  • Margaret Drabble, William Dalrymple, Misha Glenny, Jules Montague, Suzanne O’Sullivan.

7:00 - 7:55pm

  • The Great Unsettler (The Orangery): Poet Alice Oswald discusses the role of poetry as a force of disruption and transformation, reading from her work in conversation with Clair Wills.
  • A Meditation on Photography (The Rookery): Bass player Colin Greenwood (How to Disappear: A Portrait of Radiohead) and Geoff Dyer (The Ongoing Moment) explore the meaning behind photographs and the stories they tell.
  • Love, Friendship and Betrayal (The Owlery): Nobel Prize-winner Abdulrazak Gurnah (Theft) discusses his novel—a tale of friendship, power, and identity in 1990s Tanzania—with journalist Kirsty Lang.

7:55pm (Book Signings)

  • Alice Oswald, Colin Greenwood, Geoff Dyer, Abdulrazak Gurnah.

8:15 - 9:15pm

  • To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before (The Orangery): Paul Howard steps into the shoes of Ross O’Carroll Kelly for this world-premiere performance detailing his eight worst dates.
  • Rhythms That Made History (The Rookery): Legendary record producer Joe Boyd and historian William Dalrymple discuss And the Rhythm of Roots Remain, tracing how music has shaped cultural movements from Havana to Calcutta.

9:30 - 11:00pm (Live Music)

  • Martin Hayes & Kate Ellis (The Rookery): A captivating performance blending Irish traditional music and classical cello.

11:05pm - 12:00am (Live Music)

  • DUG (Lorkin O’Reilly & Jonny Pickett) (The Rookery): An American-Irish folk collaboration weaving Old Time Appalachian sounds with traditional Irish melodies.

Borris 2025 - Friday