Colin Morgan - The Ballad of Ronan McCoy
Attendance options:
The Portobello Bookshop is thrilled to welcome Colin Morgan for the Edinburgh launch of his debut novel, The Ballad of Ronan McCoy. It is a beautifully written, tender coming-of-age story about friendship and first love, loss and letting go, and the hopes and fears of a young man. Perfect for fans of Douglas Stuart, Michael Magee, David Nicholls and Andrew O'Hagan, we can't wait to dive into this stunning book with the author.
This event will take place in the bookshop with an in-person audience, as well as a livestream for attendees watching from home.
Please note Colin will not be doing an in-person signing at the event, but will be able to pre-sign and dedicate copies of the book. If you would like a dedicated copy, please select this option with your Book & Ticket and include the name for the dedication before adding your ticket to the basket.
In-person vouchers can be redeemed on the night of the event against a single copy of The Ballad of Ronan McCoy – we will have a list of attendees with vouchers to be redeemed. Please note that only one voucher can be redeemed per book. Livestream vouchers are valid until the day after the event and can be redeemed on our website against a single copy of The Ballad of Ronan McCoy.
About The Ballad of Ronan McCoy:
Brendan's best friend, his only friend, is Ronan McCoy. He knows things about Brendan that no one else does: about his job washing the cars at Feeney’s Funeral Home, about the loneliness he sometimes feels even when surrounded by hundreds of others at school. But Brendan never told Ronan about the dark feeling that sits at the bottom of his stomach, the feeling that tells him something bad is coming. It never comes when Ronan's around.
Ronan is smart and sporty and popular, totally comfortable in his own skin: all the things that Brendan himself isn't. But Ronan always makes him feel like a good friend, a good person, a better Brendan.
Standing at the school gates on the first day of term, the dark feeling begins to form in Brendan's stomach. And when Ronan doesn’t turn up, Brendan learns that something terrible happened to his best friend over the summer and he'll never be the same again. Over the course of the final year of school, Brendan will have to learn to navigate the new shape of their friendship and find a place for himself in the world without Ronan to protect him.
Please note: Tickets for our events are non-refundable. Professional photography and videography may take place during this event. Thank you for your understanding.
Participants:
Colin Morgan Author
Colin Morgan grew up in Northern Ireland, a boy with an instinctive love for stories: hearing them, telling them, writing them, performing them. As an adult he counts himself very lucky that not much has changed, finding himself on stage, in front of a camera, before a microphone or with pen in hand, storytelling. The Ballad Of Ronan McCoy is his debut novel.
The venue
The Portobello Bookshop
46 Portobello High Street
Edinburgh
EH15 1DA
Telephone: 0131 629 6756
Website: www.theportobellobookshop.com
Wheelchair Access
We have a ramp at the front of the shop which has a ratio of 1:10 and loading capacity of 300kg, and so should be able to be used by most wheelchair users or those with mobility vehicles. The front doors are fully automated. Our shop interior is designed to allow access throughout for wheelchair users and prams, though please note there is only 700mm wide clearance to access the staff toilet.
Sound
We use a PA system to enhance the audio at our live events. We also have a hearing loop system installed, if you’d like to use our loop system during an event please let us know and we’ll make sure we have it set up and connected to the live audio feed during the event. If you wish to attend an event and require BSL interpretation, please give us a few weeks notice and we’ll do our best to arrange an interpreter.