Psychologist Tony Bates and Editor Neil Astley in conversation with Thomas McCarthy.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Neil Astley will no longer be able to attend this event.

Dr Tony Bates is a clinical psychologist and adjunct professor of Psychology at UCD. Graduated from UCD and completed his postgraduate research and training at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and Oxford University. Head of Psychology for 30 years in St James’s Hospital. Established and directed the MSc in Cognitive Psychotherapy in Trinity College Dublin. Founded Jigsaw – The National Centre for Youth Mental Health (2006) and was CEO until 2016. Author of the best-selling book on depression, Coming through Depression: A Mindful Approach to Recovery (2012) and most recently, Breaking the Heart Open: The Shaping of a Psychologist (2023).

Neil Astley is the editor of Bloodaxe Books which he founded in 1978. His books include many anthologies, most notably those in the Staying Alive series: Staying Alive (2002), Being Alive (2004), Being Human (2011) and Staying Human (2020), along with four collaborations with Pamela Robertson-Pearce, Soul Food (2007) and Soul Feast (2024), and the DVD-books In Person: 30 Poets and In Person: World Poets. He received an Eric Gregory Award for his poetry, and has published two poetry collections, Darwin Survivor and Biting My Tongue, as well as two novels, The End of My Tether (shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award), and The Sheep Who Changed the World. He lives in the Tarset valley in Northumberland.

Thomas McCarthy was born in Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, 1954. Worked for many years at Cork City Libraries. Author of ten collections of poetry, two novels and three books of non-fiction. Carcanet Press will publish his next collection of poems, PLENITUDE, in the spring of 2025.