S11E5 The Bureau: Eoin McNamee’s deep connection to corruption and violence in Northern Ireland

“ If you write about real situations, real names and real people, there's always somebody else's blood on the floor at the end of it.  Well this is me and my family's blood on the floor in this book.” ~Eoin McNamee

Taking place in the shadow of The Troubles, The Bureau is a story of corruption, death, love and violence. Based on the real events of a murder-suicide between two lovers - the book also takes inspiration from its authors own life.

Eoin McNamee has been tackling The Troubles in various ways since the release of his 1994 book Resurrection Man. Many years and many books later, he’s still exploring its aftershocks. His back catalogue typically explores Ireland’s violent history - from murders, to hangings to miscarriages of justice. And this is no different.

During this conversation, Eoin explains why he’s still telling grisly stories about the past - and what draws him to them. And he explores his family connection to this story - and the horror of what really happened to his father and brother.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why you shouldn’t fear retelling stories more than once.
• Why you should focus on your characters above all else when writing about the past.
• How we all have an exceptional story to tell

Find out more about Eoin here.

Your host is inkjockey founder Mark Heywood.

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You can view the full transcript here.

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