The first day of Dun-Laoghaire Rathdown’s Mountains to Sea Book Festival reached its apex with the meeting of two literary giants on the stage of the Pavilion Theatre on Friday night. Dubliner John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2006), and David Mitchell, of Cloud Atlas (2004) fame chatted with interviewer Edel Coffey about Ireland, film adaptations and, naturally, Kate Bush.

Both authors began by reading from their new books. Boyne read a striking passage from A History of Loneliness, which deals with the complicity of Catholic priests in abuse cases. He went on to discuss references to his own alma mater, Terenure College, in the novel, speaking in strong terms about the physical abuse that he himself suffered while a student there. He also discussed the fact that though this is the thirteenth novel he’s written, it’s the first he’s set in Ireland. When asked about his seeming reluctance to write about his home country, he replied, “Why should I?”, insisting that he might never have written about Ireland unless a particular story had led him to.

British-born, but living in Clonakilty, Co. Cork, David Mitchell had other reasons for avoiding Irish characters in his work. Speaking about his new novel The Bone Clocks, a part of which is set in Ireland, he admitted to having considered making the book’s main character Irish, before balking at the idea of trying to get the “cadences” of Irish dialogue right, saying, “I’d be a microtone out.” The Bone Clocks, in typical Mitchell style, features numerous overlapping stories, set between 1984 and 2043, one of which is set on the Irish west coast.

Of course the conversation strayed off topic several times, with amusing results. Who knew John Boyne auditioned for Boyzone? Or that both authors are so obsessed with Kate Bush? (They allegedly did their pre-show sound-check through lyrics from her songs).