The writer on her housing-crisis novel Somewhere, her collaborative work, and playing Countdown in the pubJessamine O’Connor Sat Jun 06 2026 - 04:40 • 4 MIN READTell us about your debut novel, Somewhere Somewhere centres on Clodagh, a young woman who is staying in her mother’s flat since breaking up with Seamus. It’s told from several perspectives as they all muddle through life in Ireland, some with various addictions and all experiencing the housing crisis. It’s about interconnection really, friendship, compassion and solidarity. It’s set in your native Dublin but you live on the Sligo-Roscommon border. Did you find it easier to write about Dublin from a remove? Well, the book never names Dublin or any specific place as I wanted to keep the “where” open, with the song This Could Be Anywhere (This Could Be Everywhere) in mind. However, obviously it’s written on the blueprint of Dublin city. When I started writing this, I had been away for years so it came from an odd kind of nostalgia. I made trips to the city centre when it was becoming a novel, taking photos and writing notes, looking quite the tourist.What are the best books/films about addiction?The most obvious is Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh; it’s so perfectly written and is about people, not only their addictions. Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby jnr is wonderful but depressing as hell. The Outrun (the film – I haven’t read the book yet unfortunately) is excellent, with Saoirse Ronan as a woman who ends up isolating on a tiny island to beat her alcoholism. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris has the most hilarious and so-true section in it about his time as a speed-freak wannabe artist.Your characters are in rented accommodation, squatting or sleeping rough – they almost all lack a true ‘home’. Was this deliberate? The precarious housing situation came with the characters really; as they were written, their situations appeared with them. So although I can’t say it was deliberate, the issue of housing is integral to what happens to each person. It is almost impossible to deal with any big problem if you have nowhere to rest or be cared for, or plan a future without some sense of stability.[ Somewhere by Jessamine O’Connor: An addict’s life in an elliptical DublinOpens in new window ]Somewhere feels ultimately hopeful. Would you see it that way?Definitely. Although some of the themes are heavy, it’s certainly not gloomy. The pace is brisk, it’s quite funny in places, and I’ve been told it’s a page-turner so I’m happy with that. Although a debut novelist, you are a published poet – Silver Spoon (2020) and two pamphlets. Did this help? Is there such a thing as a poet’s novel?Trying fiction was really refreshing. I have been doing poetry for 20 years, which, for me, means taking a true story and distilling it to its most essential components, whereas the novel allowed me to expand and explore. I can’t seem to do both at the same time though; it’s like changing heads, Worzel Gummidge style.You collaborate with lots of different creatives, including Thomas Drouard on a techno poem, I Don’t Dance Enough. What was that like?The best! We had made a piece together in 2023, but long distance, so getting the Ireland Chair of Poetry travel award meant we got to work together in Le Havre for a whole week. It was so stimulating to start from scratch and create in a back-and-forth way with someone, as well as return to techno, which was a big part of my youth.You’re an editor with Drunk Muse Press and published a collection of songs and poems by the folk musician and writer Helen B Grehan, The ReturnI love this Scottish poetry publisher and was invited to join them five years ago, working on books including Dareen Tatour’s prison memoir and Jamie O’Halloran’s new poetry collection, but editing Helen’s debut is what I’m proudest of. A gifted poet and songwriter, Helen was famous for the 1970s radical folk trio the Grehan Sisters. We met in Boyle, where she performed a poem that literally made my jaw drop, and she was at the heart of The Hermit Collective, a pop-up arts troupe we had in the northwest for years. [ Irish fiction debuts to look forward this year from Neil Tully, Ana Kinsella to Colin MorganOpens in new window ]How did writing Somewhere compare with collaborative projects?It was difficult. Strange to be so alone with my own words. For all I knew, the story would never even be read by anyone, so throwing myself into it for so long was quite kamikaze. I missed the spark off other people, and felt totally redundant as a writer because nothing was appearing in print. With poetry there’s a quick turnover; write it – send it – see it out in the world. Once I realised what was bothering me, I got back into collaborating with friends to keep myself connected.Tell us about Co:Mon, the Countdown festivalI only stumbled into the Countdown world recently, after a random invite to the Co:Wat event in Waterford. I started my own weekend in Monasteraden in 2022; an all-day tournament of word and numbers games based on the great TV show. It’s so much fun; people stay over and we spend much of the time in the next-door pub. Co:Mon is the weekend after Easter, but this year’s Co:Wat is coming up soon in June.Which projects are you working on?I am writing a new novel, assembling a poetry collection, plotting a poetry film and a techno-poem, and getting ready to host a series of monthly spoken-word nights in Ballaghaderreen, Spells Spoken Word Club.Which current book, film and podcast would you recommend?Book: Orbital. Film: Hamnet. Podcast: Frank Skinner’s Poetry Podcast. I am obsessed by this last one and have listened to every episode, some many times. Also, Get Around to It, an Irish arts podcast that is really good.Which writers, living or dead, would you invite to your dream dinner party?Jesmyn Ward, James Joyce, Phillip K Dick, Thomas Hardy, Kae Tempest, Mary Shelley, James Baldwin.Somewhere is published by Lilliput PressIN THIS SECTION