10:30 - 11:30 AM

  • The Orangery: Sunday Assembly – Lindsey Hilsum leads a commemoration for those in conflict, with contributions from Denise Gough, Fiona Shaw, and William Sieghart.
  • The Rookery: Kinship – Manchán Magan and William Dalrymple discuss cultural ties between Ireland and India.
  • The Owlery: Many Lives and Afterlives – Bridget Hourican explores the life of James Clarence Mangan, Ireland’s ‘forgotten national poet.’

11:30 AM

  • Bookshop: Book signings – Manchán Magan, William Dalrymple, Bridget Hourican.

11:45 AM - 12:45 PM

  • The Orangery: My Mother, Edna O’Brien – Carlo Gébler and Margaret Drabble reflect on Edna O’Brien’s literary legacy.
  • The Rookery: Earth Shakers and Makers – Merlin Sheldrake and Helen Macdonald explore the world of fungi.
  • The Owlery: Those Long Uneven Lines – Max Hastings and Geoff Dyer discuss the Great War.
  • The Ballroom: What to Do With a Boy’s Rage? – Alan Bradley and Catherine Prasifka examine young men’s involvement in extremist spaces.
  • The Chapel: Becoming an Unbeliever – Rebecca Goldstein revisits her journey from religion to atheism.

12:45 PM

  • Bookshop: Book signings – Carlo Gébler, Margaret Drabble, Merlin Sheldrake, Helen Macdonald, Rebecca Goldstein, Max Hastings, Geoff Dyer, Jane Ohlmeyer.

1:40 - 2:35 PM

  • The Orangery: Our Lives in Exile – Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan discuss Russian investigations and exile.
  • The Rookery: Music, Once and Again – Glen Hansard and Joe Boyd share musical stories.
  • The Owlery: As True as the Sun Will Rise – Donal Ryan revisits themes from A Spinning Heart.
  • The Ballroom: Cracking Mysteries – John Banville and Una Mannion discuss literary crime.
  • The Chapel: Comics Journalism – Joe Sacco and Ben Anderson explore visual storytelling in journalism.

2:35 PM

  • Bookshop: Book signings – Rupert Everett, Joe Boyd, John Banville, Una Mannion, Joe Sacco, Donal Ryan.

3:15 - 4:15 PM

  • The Orangery: Of Children, Animals, and Hunger Artists – Kristin Scott Thomas performs Kafka’s short stories.
  • The Rookery: Peripheral Thinking – William Kentridge reflects on transformation and artistic self-deception.
  • The Owlery: Greek to Me – Ferdia Lennon and Rebecca Goldstein discuss ancient Greece and its modern relevance.
  • The Ballroom: The Trauma of the Troubles – Eoin McNamee and Carlo Gébler discuss Northern Ireland’s troubled history.
  • The Chapel: When the Past is Haunted by the Present – Adania Shibli explores the aftermath of a 1949 Palestinian massacre.

4:15 PM

  • Bookshop: Book signings – William Kentridge, Ferdia Lennon, Rebecca Goldstein, Carlo Gébler, Adania Shibli.

5:00 - 6:00 PM

  • The Orangery: Ideas Change History – Steven Pinker and John Micklethwait discuss cognitive psychology.
  • The Rookery: Dreaming of Daniel – Jerry Fish performs a tribute to Daniel Johnston.
  • The Owlery: These Daydreams Persisted Like an Alternate Life – Paul Murray and Clair Wills explore storytelling and cultural history.

6:00 PM

  • Bookshop: Book signings – Steven Pinker, Paul Murray, Clair Wills.

12:45 - 1:30 PM (Special Event)

  • Front of the House: Tooting and Parping – A brass band performance by Code of Behaviour.

Borris 2025 - Sunday