We are pleased to announce the return of the Kinsale Literary Festival, Words By Water taking place from Thursday, September 29th to Sunday October 2nd.

This will be the first full in-person programme we have  held
in three years and we are looking forward to
welcoming readers and authors back to the town.

Now we can return with a full programme this autumn, we hope to see
many of you again and look forward to welcoming new faces,” committee
member Ruth McDonnell said. “Whether you want to hear a favourite
author speak, listen to some lively debate or learn about the craft of
writing for yourself – we hope you find something to suit you in this
year’s programme.”

We have a host of well-known faces appearing at venues around
the town over the weekend.

We are very proud of the lineup of authors who are joining us this
year and hope our audience are as excited as we are to hear from John
Creedon, Sara Baume, Danielle McLaughlin, Olivia Fitzsimons, Sarah
Moore Fitzgerald and many more

Events are taking place at a number of venues, including The Lord
Kingsale, The Trident Hotel, The Methodist Church and Prim’s Bookshop.

The festival opens on Thursday night with Right Words – an evening of
poetry and prose curated by Kinsale poet Matthew Geden.

Friday’s events include Olivia Fitzsimons and Danielle McLaughlin in
conversation with journalist Shane Coleman and a discussion of crime
fiction with Cork authors Tadhg Coakley and Catherine Kirwan.

On Saturday night  RTÉ broadcaster, John Creedon, author of the
bestselling That Place We Call Home will be in conversation with Irish
Examiner’s Esther McCarthy in The Trident Hotel. John and Esther will
be discussing his first book and his latest offering A Treasury of
Irish Folklore which is due in shops in September.

In addition to welcoming authors from around Cork and further afield,
the programme also includes a new event showcasing the work of local
writers and a separate talk by a local historian.

“Championing local voices has always been important to us; Kinsale and
its surrounding area is home to an abundance of literary talent,” Ms
McDonnell said. “We are proud to be showcasing the work of Amy Cronin,
Gráinne Murphy, Niamh Prior, Adrian Wistreich and Shannon Forde as
part of the festival.”

This year’s programme also includes a workshop for young people being
held in conjunction with local school Scoil Naomh Eltin and a number
of other free events for children.

Elsewhere, author and University of Limerick professor Sarah Moore
Fitzgerald will lead a workshop on Time Management for Creative
Writers on Saturday and on Sunday USA Today bestselling author Jean
Grainger will share her knowledge of self-publishing.