Leaves Festival 2025
Roisín O’Donnell and Lisa Harding
in conversation with Miriam O’Callaghan
Roisín O’Donnell and Lisa Harding both explore the highly relevant and critical topic of coercive control in their current novels, Nestings and The Wildelings. Both novels are psychologically rich narratives that centre on vulnerable women navigating oppressive relationships.
Through her broadcasting career Miriam O’Callaghan has often used her voice to raise awareness and foster public understanding of the insidious nature of coercive control. She will join Rosin O’Donnell and Lisa Harding for this evenings conversation bringing her insightful and empathetic skills into the mix.
Roisín O'Donnell is an award-winning Irish writer. Her short story collection Wild Quiet was shortlisted for the Kate O’Brien Award and longlisted for the Edge Hill Prize. She won the An Post Irish Book Award for Short Story of the Year in 2018, and was shortlisted for the same prize in 2022. Her short stories have been published in The Stinging Fly, The Irish Times and many other places, and have been broadcast on RTÉ Radio. Roisín’s first novel Nesting was published in January 2025; it became an instant Sunday Times Bestseller, and was long-listed for the Women's Prize for Fiction. Roisin was listed as one of the Observer’s Ten Best New Novelists of 2025. Donal Ryan described Nesting as ‘one of the best and most important novels of our time,’ while the Irish Independent declared it ‘A novel that truly matters.’
Lisa Harding is a former actress, playwright, short story writer and novelist. Her first novel Harvesting won the Kate O’Brien Award, was shortlisted for an Irish Book Award and the Kerry Group Prize. Her second novel Bright Burning Things was a Today Show Book Club Pick, a New York Times Editors’ Choice, a People Magazine Pick and an Observer, Grazia, Irish Times and Irish Independent highlight for 2021. It was shortlisted for the Kerry GroupIrish Novel of the Year and a Dalkey Literary Award. Her new novel The Wildelings is an Observer, Harper’s Bazaar, Economist and Irish Times choice for 2025.
Miriam O’Callaghan is one of Ireland’s most well-known and respected presenters in television and radio. A winner of many awards for her work including IFTAs, Celtic Media Torcs and Justice Media Awards, Miriam works today primarily as a Broadcast Journalist with RTÉ.Born and raised in Dublin, Miriam went to University College Dublin aged just 16 to study Law and qualified as a solicitor. She also holds a post graduate Diploma in European Law from UCD.After being interviewed by the BBC as a young lawyer in Dublin, Miriam got the urge to change career and to go into broadcasting. Her first job was in UK television working as a researcher on ITV's This is your Life. In 1987, she joined the BBC as a BBC producer working on shows such as Kilroy and Family Matters. In 1989 she was headhunted by BBC Newsnight and became a reporter on that programme for almost 10 years.In 1996, Miriam began to present RTÉ's current affairs flagship programme Prime Time, while continuing to cover the Northern Irish peace process for Newsnight.Miriam anchored RTE’s coverage of the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland and also former US President Biden’s visit to Mayo.Miriam is also particularly proud of one moment in her career when she helped to win the accolade ‘Ireland’s Greatest’ for the incredible peacemaker John Hume by making a documentary for RTÉ on John and championing him in a public vote.Miriam also presents her own radio show on RTÉ Radio 1, Sunday with Miriam, which is one of the Top Ten of Ireland’s most listened to radio shows. Sunday with Miriam has also won a PPI award for best Speech Driven Magazine Show. For fourteen years, Miriam also presented the RTÉ One television summer chat show Saturday Night with Miriam.