In this Q and A event, Colin Graham talks about his new book ’Sensation’ and reflects on his work as ’The Border’.

‘Sensation’ is an evocative autobiographical work by Graham that traces connections across his childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Rooted in his experience growing up in 1980s Belfast, these personal essays each ask in a different way how the self is formed and how what we read and see makes us who we are. Interweaving politics, literature, music, and nature, Graham moves across memory and sense, examining the entangled elements of a life.

Following this, we delve into the satirical phenomenon I Am the Border, So I Am, published by HarperCollins. Originating from the viral anonymous Twitter account @BorderIrish, the book’s personification of the 310-mile boundary provides a profound look at the Irish border as both a physical reality and a cultural symbol.

Critic Fintan O’Toole called it “among the best satires of the Brexit era” in the Irish Times.

Biography

Colin Graham is a Professor of English at Maynooth University, where he has previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Celtic Studies, and Philosophy. A leading scholar in Irish studies, his work interrogates the cultural and visual constructions of Irish identity. He is the author of several influential monographs, including Deconstructing Ireland (2001) and Northern Ireland: 30 Years of Photography (2013), which was named an Observer Photography Book of the Month.

Beyond academia, Graham is a significant contributor to public discourse on the island’s future. He hosts the “My Identity” podcast for the ARINS project and the Royal Irish Academy, interviewing prominent figures such as Leo Varadkar and Drew Harris. During the Brexit negotiations, he was the creative force behind the viral anonymous Twitter account @BorderIrish, later publishing the satirical book I Am the Border, So I Am with HarperCollins. He lives and farms in the Dublin mountains.

‘Sensation’ is published by PVA Books.