About

Rónán Hession is an Irish writer and musician based in Dublin. His debut novel Leonard and Hungry Paul was published by Bluemoose Books in 2019. It was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year, the An Post Irish Book Awards, the British Book Awards, the Books Are My Bag Awards, the Dalkey Literary Prize, the McKitterick Prize, and was longlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize. Leonard and Hungry Paul was selected by Dublin City Council as the 2021 One Dublin One Book. It was also chosen by the Sunday Times as one of the 50 Great Irish Novels of the 21st Century.

Rónán’s second novel Panenka was published in May 2021. It was shortlisted for Novel of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards and for the Books Are My Bag Fiction prize.

His third novel, Ghost Mountain, was published in May 2024 to critical acclaim. It was a Book of the Year in Review 31 and The Irish Independent:

“We are very lucky that there are novels like this being written in Ireland today” – The Irish Times
“Hession is brilliant at framing the minutiae of ordinary days and feelings” – The Guardian
“Ghost Mountain is a profound novel by a writer of immense talent” – Review 31

Rónán has been a judge for the An Post Irish Books Awards, the British Book Awards and the Society of Authors McKitterick Prize.

He also reviews fiction in translation for the Irish Times. As an interviewer he has interviewed Nobel Prize winner Jon Fosse and International Booker winner Georgi Gospodinov.

As Mumblin’ Deaf Ro, he has released three albums of storytelling songs. His third album Dictionary Crimes was nominated for the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year.