In an extended interview, Paul Allen talks to John McGahern , author of Amongst Women, The Barracks, and a string of acclaimed short stories. That They May Face the Rising Sun- his first book for 12 years - paints an intimate portrait of life in rural Ireland as a couple retreat from the grind of London to take on the running of a small lakeside farm in Leitrim. Here they discover a new rhythm to the seasons and meaning to the friendships they form with the country folk around them.