The inaugural festival will run from next Thursday, October 15, to Sunday, October 18, and will feature talks and readings on fiction, essays, historical fiction, poetry, history and music. All events are in Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop on Middle Street. Everything is free but booking is required.
The line-up includes the prominent eco-builder and well-known TV broadcaster, Harrison Gardner, who will talk about his new book and foster greater self-reliance in how we build our houses and live our lives, on Sunday, at 5pm.
Writer and hiker Tim Hannigan will look at why Ireland has such limited ‘Rights to Roam’ around its countryside on Thursday, at 6pm.
On Thursday and Friday, at 2pm, novelists Sean Farrell and Adrian Duncan (both winners of the John McGahern prize ) will talk about their current books, and at 6pm, Allan Esslemont’s novel, The Princess of Connemara, rescues Mary Martin, granddaughter of Humanity Dick, from undeserved obscurity.
Poets Moya Cannon and Alvy Carragher will both read, and Carragher will launch her latest collection The Only Fear I Ever Had Was Standing Still on Friday night, at 8pm.
On Saturday, at 2pm, essayist Roisin Kiberd turns her penetrating gaze onto the world of fashion and beauty in a conversation with Lisa McInerney on her new book The Most Normal Woman.
At 6pm, on Saturday, the brilliant Martina Devlin will discuss her latest fictional biography of a writing family, the Shellys, Mary and her poet husband, Percy. James Hawes will present his outstanding illustrated talk based on his bestselling The Shortest History of Ireland at 8pm.
On Sunday, at 2pm, historian Angus Mitchell will reassess the life of the enigmatic Roger Casement. The final event on Sunday at 7.30pm is a concert with the box player Mairtin O’Connor, fiddler Cathal Hayden and special guest, singer Fran McPhail.
See www.charliebyrne.ie for programme and book free tickets. All welcome.
