Words by Water | 02-05 October 2025

Kinsale Literary Festival

Words by Water is a not-for-profit festival, committed to promoting the best in Irish and international writing to all sections of the local and wider community. We aim to help promote new writing, engage with unpublished authors, and encourage reading and writing among young people.

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Events

Upcoming events for this years Words by Water Festival

Kinsale Literary Festival

Words by Water

Welcome readers and writers to Words by Water 2025. As always, we have a varied programme, with fiction, non-fiction, poetry, local interest, workshops, and our children’s programme. We are committed to keeping things as affordable as we can and are delighted pleased to say that our €50 festival pass* is back, if you fancy making a weekend of it and seeing where the mood takes you!. (*excludes workshops, the Ancestral Storytelling event, and the Gaitkrash Beckett event).

The festival opens on Thursday evening, with Joachim Beug talking about when history becomes personal followed by an evening of poetry and song, curated by Matthew Geden. Friday puts storytelling front and centre, with Paddy Doyle honouring our ancestors through story and remembrance, history powerhouses Diarmuid Ferriter and Peadar Thompson revealing Ireland’s roaring insides in the recent past, and Niall Williams taking us to a slightly earlier West of Ireland, to a small damp village on the edge of County Clare, where the discovery of a baby in the Christmas season of 1962 changes everything On Saturday morning, Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction 2025 longlistee and founder of the UK Centre for Women’s Justice, Harriet Weistrich joins us to talk about women’s rights. Cork takes a well-deserved turn in the spotlight next, as our Something in the Water event features four critically acclaimed Cork debuts from writers Catherine Airey, Louise Hegarty, Patrick Holloway and Barbara Leahy.

In the afternoon, Kit de Waal and Fíona Scarlett chat to Shane Coleman about their new novels, dealing with themes of family, love, grief, society and class. How social is social media? is the question posed by Aoife Barry and Daragh Fleming, as they explore the darker impacts of life online. Finally, our Saturday showcase event is GAITKRASH Theatre Company presents two of Samuel Beckett’s later plays, Footfalls and Not I, in an experimental soundscape – guaranteed to be a unique and fresh experience.

On Sunday morning, our ever-popular Local Voices session will give you a chance to hear from local favourites, Katherine Boucher Beug, Matthew Geden and Afric McGlinchy, or get involved with our Bookswap and trade some older reads for new favourites!

Young readers have a special treat this year, as we are joined by Irish legend, Marita Conlon-McKenna, author of the bestselling Children of the Famine series, and the most-borrowed Irish author from our libraries in 2024. Younger readers who want to get even more involved can go along to their very own Gratitude Workshop in Kinsale Library, or join Barry Moloney’s Walking Tour for Children, which we are thrilled to offer again after its success last year.

In our adult workshops, you can learn to write for little minds with children’s author, Amanda Neri, create your very own calligraphy piece with calligrapher Des Meade, or make paper with Caroline Smith. As always, places are limited so book early!

We are very grateful for festival funding from the Arts Council of Ireland and Cork County Council, as well as our ongoing local sponsorship from Lilly Kinsale. Special thanks to Katherine Boucher Beug for our fresh cover design.

Events at a Glance

Festival Programme 2024

DAY 1

Thursday
03 October 2024

7:30pm

Methodist Church

Davy Russell in conversation with Gemma Tipton

8:00pm

The Lord Kingsale

Right Words - poetry and song, curated by Matthew Geden

DAY 2

Friday
04 October 2024

3:30pm

Friar's Lodge

An afternoon of storytelling with Alice Taylor

4:30pm

Kinsale Library

The Golden Fairy Door by Amanda Neri

6:00pm

Methodist Church

Jan Carson & Michelle Gallen in conversation with Shane Coleman

8:00pm

Methodist Church

Dr Marie Cassidy in conversation with Catherine Kirwan

DAY 3

Saturday
05 October 2024

10:00am

Kinsale Library

Storytime with Nadine Hughes Campbell & Trish Kelleher

10:00am

Trident Hotel

Bookbinding workshop with Elize DeBeer

10:00am

Trident Hotel

Creative Writing workshop with Fíona Scarlett

12:00pm

Methodist Church

Literary Friendship: A tribute to Dervla Murphy by Dr Ethel Crowley

1:30pm

Methodist Church

Sheila Armstrong & Noel O’Regan in conversation with Mairéad Hearne

2:00pm

Kinsale Tourist Office

Kinsale Stories, A Walking Tour for Children

3:00pm

Methodist Church

Sinéad Gleeson & Nuala O’Connor in conversation with Tara Flynn

5:00pm

Methodist Church

Rónán Hession in conversation with Shane Coleman

8:00pm

Trident Hotel

An Evening with Marian Keyes & Tara Flynn

DAY 4

Sunday
06 October 2024

12:00pm

Prim's Bookshop

Local Voices

2:00pm

Friar's Lodge

Papermaking workshop with Caroline Smith

Venue

Words by Water,
Kinsale Literary Festival
Friars Street
Kinsale
Co. Cork
Ireland

Contact

Kinsaleliteraryfestival@gmail.com