Patrick Radden Keefe appeared on Late Night With Seth Meyers to discuss his book Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, which was recently adapted into a Disney+ limited series.
Keefe’s book, published in 2019 by Doubleday, tells the story of the 1972 kidnapping and slaying of Jean McConville by the Provisional Irish Republican Army. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus called the book, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award, “a harrowing story of politically motivated crime that could not have been better told.”
The Disney+ series is created by Joshua Zetumer and stars Lola Petticrew, Hazel Doupe, and Anthony Boyle.
Meyers asked Keefe about having his book picked for singer Dua Lipa’s book club.
“I got a text from my agent in L.A. saying, Dua Lipa would like your phone number. Is it OK if we give Dua Lipa your phone number?” Keefe recalled. “I didn’t think to ask why. I just [said], Yes….I basically just spent the next several weeks just waiting by the phone.”
Keefe also told Meyers about meeting with a source for his book in Ireland. The man agreed to an interview, and insisted it take place at a pub in a small town on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. As Keefe was talking to the source, several pub patrons came out and surrounded them, asking what they were talking about and demanding to know which Dublin hotel Keefe was staying at.
“At this point, I’m like, I’m out of here. This is not good,” Keefe said. “I gather all my stuff up, I say, ‘Thanks for your time.’ I run into the rental car, open the door, get in, close the door, let out this huge sigh of relief. And then I’m looking at the dashboard, because the steering wheel is on the other side in Ireland, and I have gotten in the wrong side.…I slowly look up, and these guys are on the ground, laughing. They’re cracking up.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
