Date: Wednesday, 6th July 2022 at 8pm No. 1 of 9 Talks
Speaker: Rosita Boland
Talk Title: Breaking a Silence
Talk Description:
Breaking a Silence about Ann Lovett’s life and death after 34 Years – Rosita Boland will talk about her interview with Ricky McDonnell, Ann Lovett’s former boyfriend.
Ann Lovett, aged just 15 Years, died on a school-day, on a Tuesday, 31st January 1984, after giving birth to a boy at the Grotto in Granard, Co Longford – a tragedy that continues to resonate across the decades.
Ann Lovett, aged just 15 Years, died on a school-day, on a Tuesday, 31st January 1984, after giving birth to a boy at the Grotto in Granard, Co Longford – a tragedy that continues to resonate across the decades.
In 2018 – Ann’s former boyfriend Ricky McDonnell spoke publicly for the first time. Rosita Boland will explain how she got the interview everyone wanted, and will provide an insight into the weeks spent investigating Ricky McDonnell’s story, and the process of collaborating it prior to publication.
Then, she will explore and expand on the public reaction after the interview was published.
It is undeniable that hearing Ricky McDonnell ‘s voice – through Rosita Boland’s 2018 article – changed an Irish narrative that had stayed static for 34 years.
The interview was published in The Irish Times on 5th May 2018 and, for Rosita Boland, it won her both the “Scoop of the Year” & “Journalist of the Year in 2018”.
About the Speaker:
Rosita Boland is Senior Features Writer with The Irish Times, where she specialises in human-interest stories. Rosita has won several awards for her Journalism, including “Journalist of the Year in 2018”. She is also the Author of two essay collections, Elsewhere (Doubleday), and Comrades (Penguin). Originally from Ennis, Co. Clare, she now lives in Dublin.
Rosita Boland is Senior Features Writer with The Irish Times, where she specialises in human-interest stories. Rosita has won several awards for her Journalism, including “Journalist of the Year in 2018”. She is also the Author of two essay collections, Elsewhere (Doubleday), and Comrades (Penguin). Originally from Ennis, Co. Clare, she now lives in Dublin.