Martin Doyle is the Books Editor of The Irish Times. A former Editor of the Irish Post, he has worked in journalism for over three decades and is a regular contributor to the media and arts programming. Martin grew up in Laurencetown, in the parish of Tullylish, County Down, at the centre of what had once been the linen industry. A Catholic from a working-class family, he saw at first-hand how the constant stress and anguish of the Troubles tore a hole in his community. In the space of just a few short years, more than 20 people were to die in his area, a tragic litany of lives cut short, families left without loved ones and often the only wage earner in the house. In 2022 Martin’s memoir Dirty Linen was acquired in four-way auction by the Merrion Press.

Anne O Neill has been a practicing pharmacist for thirty years. After completing a MA in English, she became a freelance writer for print media and radio productions. Anne is a regular contributor to the books section of the Irish Times and the Irish Independent , she talks about books on her podcast Point of View. Anne believes that cures from the apothecary of literature can dispense Balzac as balm and apply Tolstoyan tourniquets and guide a reader through life's stormy waters.