Prof Joseph O'Connor's new novel 'The Ghosts of Rome' has entered the bestsellers' list at number one

Prof Joseph O'Connor's new novel 'The Ghosts of Rome' has entered the bestsellers' list at number one in Ireland and number 19 in the UK.

Published on 30 January, the book has received rave reviews from the Sunday Times, Irish Times, Guardian, Toronto Star, The Times, Times Literary Supplement, and New York Times.

His essay on the real-life women involved in the Rome Escape Line assisting fugitives from the Nazis was published in the Sunday Independent on 2 February.

Joe recently appeared on Brendan O'Connor's RTE Radio 1 programme segment, 'My Life in Five Songs', choosing music from the Boomtown Rats, the Smiths, the Undertones, Hildegard von Bingen and Coleman Hawkins, and speaking about the research involved in 'The Ghosts of Rome'.

Joe was also interviewed by Kirsty Wark on 'Front Row' (interview starts at 12:11), BBC Radio 4's flagship arts programme.

Congratulations Joe!