Miriam: Life, Work, Everything

‘I started writing this book as an exclusively work memoir but the work and the personal kept overlapping. I don’t know if that’s because I’m a woman or a mother or both, or none of those reasons. I just know that for my story to be authentic and truthful, I couldn’t simply focus on the work side of my life.’

Miriam O’Callaghan is one of Ireland’s best-known broadcasters, covering every election, referendum, major controversy and important public event. In addition, she is a beloved chat show host and celeb, not least for combining career success, high-octane glamour and being a mother-of-eight.

In her absorbing memoir, Miriam not only gives deeper insights into her career and shares deeply touching stories from her personal life – from the life-changing impact of losing her beloved sister and father in a matter of months, as well as the end of her first marriage that same year, to the joys and pains of bringing eight children into the world (she is, she says, a walking obstetrics textbook). She explains her deep engagement with the north of Ireland both professionally and personally (her former husband is from a nationalist background; her present husband is from a unionist background). She provides fascinating insights into how she goes after the big interviews and prepares for them, and what happens when things go wrong. And she addresses the recent RTÉ controversies that cast a shadow over its high-profile presenters, not least herself.

Miriam is an exceptionally honest and personal memoir from one of Ireland’s most esteemed broadcasters.