About me
Ruth McKee
I'm an author, editor of Books Ireland and the host of the Burning Books podcast. I'm also the editor of The Irish Writers Handbook.My short fiction has been selected for New Irish Writing, and I've been twice-shortlisted for the Hennessy Literary Awards. I was a winner of the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair.I have a PhD in Italian and Irish Literature from Trinity College Dublin.My debut novel, Wild Iris, will be published in May 2026 by Dedalus Books.
Publishing 29 May 2026
Wild Iris (Dedalus)
A taut, enthralling narrative from an original new voice in Irish literary fiction which asks questions about language and being, death and the divine. It will appeal to readers of Claire Keegan, Sebastian Barry and John McGahern.Set over an Easter weekend, Wild Iris follows Eve as she enters a psychological crisis: will she reconnect with an old lover, or end her life? We stay with Eve over the course of a day—her 42nd birthday—and into the night, as the past seeps into the present.As a child Eve is anxious and lonely, but with a rich interior world, fascinated by language. Living with Gerty, the strict, taciturn Presbyterian who brings her up, only adds to her feeling of being out of place: everyone seems to have a template for living but her. Then she meets Louise and their intense friendship lasts into university, when Johnny arrives on the scene and splinters their trust. At Eve’s 21st birthday party, home from a night of drinking and drugs, a tragedy happens that will shape the rest of Eve’s life...
Get in touch
If you'd like to get in touch about Wild Iris, please email me using the address below.If your inquiry is about book distribution or otherwise industry related, please contact Dedalus Books: [email protected].
