WITH THE DÁIL and European Parliament in recess from mid-July until mid-September, TDs and MEPs have a bit of extra time in their weeks to fill as they see fit. 

For many of them, this time is used to catch up on emails, constituency work and policy briefs that have been put on the long finger, but it also offers the opportunity to enjoy a bit of downtime ahead of the new term. 

The Journal, nosey as we are, caught up with TDs and MEPs to see what books they are turning to keep them entertained over the break. 

The responses varied widely, and, as expected, for many of the politicians, were extremely on brand (Yes, Paul Murphy is reading a book about Marxism). 

As it turns out, TDs and MEPs are really eager to talk about books, and we got too many responses to fit in one article. So we will be back next week with the rest of the summer reading lists.

With thanks to everyone who came back to us.

Here’s what people had to say: 

A handful of TDs, including Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins, told us they were too busy to be reading for pleasure.

Likewise, when asked what he has been reading, Fine Gael’s newest TD Seán Kyne said: “E-mails and racing card thus far”.

We appreciate the honesty, Seán. 

Others, like Kerry TD Michael Healy Rae, told us he has been filling his spare time by writing his own book.

This will be book number three for Healy-Rae, who said it will be a collection of short stories like his first two.

Meanwhile, Minister for Nature Christopher O’Sullivan, a well-known lover of birds, said he is reading ‘The Sibley Field Guide to the Birds of North America‘.

His party colleague, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, told us his approach to reading is to “dip in and out of books”.

At the moment, he is working through 1929: Inside the Crash by Andrew Sorkin; Can Europe Survive? by David Marshall; JFK: Public, Private, Secret by J. Randy Taraborrelli and Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting.

The Taoiseach said he also likes to have different poetry books on the go, and currently is turning to work by Cork poet Greg Delanty as well as Scáthán Véarsai by fellow Corkman Seán Ó Ríordáin.

Keeping with the Cork theme, the Taoiseach also gave a mention to Cónal Creedon’s short fiction Pancho And Lefty Ride Again.

Popular choices

After initially stressing to us that she is “not on my laethanta saoire just yet”, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald told us she is working her way through John Steinbeck’s Moon is Down; Katriona O’Sullivan’s award-winning memoir Poor; and Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. 

O’Sullivan’s Poor is a popular choice among politicians this summer, and is also being read by Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee. 

Another popular book among the political class this summer is Jen Bray’s The Lies Between Us.

The best-selling crime fiction from the political editor of the Sunday Times has made the summer reading list of a number of politicians, including Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Labour leader Ivana Bacik, Sinn Féin MEP Kathleen Funchion, Fine Gael TD Grace Boland and Independent TD Barry Heneghan. 

Bacik told us she had saved the book up for the holidays and is enjoying it so far. 

“I’ve recently re-read the great new book ‘The Woman in the Water’ by Henrietta McKervey – a gripping read,” Bacik added.

“I’m now reading the new book by Sally Hayden ‘This is not a love story’ and looking forward to reading Doireann Ni Ghriofa’s new book ‘Said the Dead’ – both writers whose previous books I’ve read and really enjoyed.”

Heneghan tells us he struggles to turn the phone off at night, but is “loving” Bray’s book at the moment as well as Manchán Magan’s Listen to the Land Speak.

Likewise, Jen Bray’s book was a hit with Boland, who described it as a “real page turner”. Next up on her list is Careless People by Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn Williams. 

Irish Times journalist Sally Hayden’s latest book, ‘This is Also a Love Story’, is also a popular choice among politicians this summer.

Fine Gael TD James Geoghegan has it in his reading pile, as does Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews, who is also reading historian Roy Jenkins’ biography of Churchill.

MEP Barry Andrews' reading pile for the summer

There were a handful of other books that kept coming up in the lists this summer and they were very much split along party lines: Many in Sinn Féin have been reading former Sinn Féin MEP Martina Anderson’s soon-to-be-released memoir ‘Choosing the Struggle’.

While many in Fianna Fáil have been reading Seán Lemass: The Lost Memoir by Irish Times journalist Ronan McGreevy.

Another popular choice with both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael this summer is Eoin O’Malley’s Charlie vs Garret. 

Higher Education Minister James Lawless had both on his list, alongside Molly Nic Céile’s Gaeilge in Mo Chroí and The Lost Gaeltacht by Martin O’Halloran.

Lawless told The Journal he is just back from a long weekend in the Wicklow Gaeltacht on a Fuiseog course to improve his Irish, something he has been keen to do since becoming a minister. 

Minister James Lawless is using the Dáil recess to brush up on his Irish

Escape mode 

A lot of politicians have chosen to stay away from the political books this summer, opting for pure escapism instead. 

Labour’s Ciarán Ahern told us he has been “terrible” at reading the past few years but has been in a good flow recently. 

“I obviously read a lot of policy for my job, and I feel I need to disconnect from politics and the news, so I’m reading things that are as far away from that as I can manage.

“I’m on a bit of a space/sci-fi buzz at the moment. I went to see Project Hail Mary recently, loved it and then read the book by Andy Weir – Ryan Gosling goes on a space mission to save the Earth and befriends an alien on the way – what’s not to love.

“I then read another book by Andy Weir called Artemis – about a smuggler on a human colony on the moon who gets into all sorts of trouble!

“And now I’m in the middle of Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid – a nice love story about astronauts in the 80s – I saw it recommended in my local library in Ballyroan and I’m really enjoying that too,” the Dublin South West TD said. 

Like Ahern, Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin has gone with a theme for his summer reading this year.

“We holiday the last two weeks with friends, usually in the South of Spain and read a lot over the fortnight. I usually pick a subject or writer and buy 6 or so books and binge on that. This year it’s Orwell,” he told The Journal. 

If you guessed Eoin Ó Broin at the outset, you were right! Eoin Ó Broin Eoin Ó Broin