Join us for a conversation on Kevin Rafter’s Fearless! Vincent Browne’s Magill and Ireland in the 1980s. Rafter draws on extensive interviews and archival material to uncover the drama behind Magill and its founding editor Vincent Browne, both at the heart of a crucial and contentious decade in Irish life. Kevin will discuss his meticulously researched book and answer questions from the audience.
Attendance is free but booking is essential.
“Magill excited, and there was great loyalty. It was never just a job.” - Colm Toibin
“People saw the magazine as having authority.” - Fintan O’Toole
“Magill was fashionable and it had Vincent Browne.” - Eamon Dunphy
“Are there words to describe Vincent Browne?” - Olivia O’Leary
“He was a dictator.” - John Waters
“It was an investigative magazine that held to account people in power, the Church, people in politics, in business and in the media. We tried to do that. Sometimes we did it well.” - Vincent Browne
KEVIN RAFTER is Full Professor of Political Communication at Dublin City University and a former political journalist. He has written extensively on Irish politics and media, including acclaimed biographies and histories of key political parties as well as co-editing The Irish Presidency . His book, Dillon Rediscovered , has been widely praised and was described as ‘vivid, compelling’ ( Sunday Times ), ‘breaks new ground’ ( Irish Times ), ‘fascinating’ ( British Journalism Review ) and ‘truly exceptional’ ( Irish Independent ). He has chaired both the Arts Council and Culture Ireland, and was a Fulbright Scholar at Boston College in 2024. Fearless! Vincent Browne’s Magill and Ireland in the 1980s is his newest release.