Expanded Dromineer Nenagh Literary Festival Attracts Celebrity Authors To Nenagh
International award winning authors Joseph O’Connor and local success Donal Ryan are among the celebrity authors who will be attending this year’s Dromineer Nenagh Literary Festival to be held in venues in the town and lakeside village over the first week of October.
The festival, expanded this year to six days, will be the biggest ever and is the only dedicated literary festival to be held in the entire county. The outstanding venues available in Nenagh will host a range of events, in Nenagh Castle, Arts Centre, and the Governor’s House.
Taking place from October 1st to 6th, the packed programme will feature, among others, author Rosita Boland on her latest book “Elsewhere”, in conversation with documentary maker Manchán Magan, while novelist Niamh Boyce will read from and discuss her award winning novel, Her Kind. Based on the life of Alice Kytler, a powerful, wealthy money-lender in 14th Century Kilkenny, Niamh’s book is a vivid re-imagining of the events leading to Ireland’s first witch trials. This event will take place, appropriately, in the Castle.
Of strong local interest will be the reading by Maggie Wadey, author of The English Daughter, a novel based on her mother’s stories of life growing up in nearby Puckaun, Nenagh. Maggie’s book is at once a real-life memoir, a detective story and a family saga. She will read from and discuss her work with local historian, Danny Grace.
Emerging writers and poets will be presented at the festival, among them Jane Clarke, Jackie Gorman, and Grace Wilenz whose debut collection will be heard at an event chaired by Rick O’Shea, a previous visitor to the festival.
The rich programme also includes Sunday morning meditation and a lunchtime one-man show “Strolling Through Ulysses” featuring the often hilarious quirky characters from the famous work.
The festival will be launched on Friday September 13th when local poet, Paddy Moran will read from his new collection, Reckonings. Full details are available on dnlf.ie, through DNLF Facebook page and booking is via Nenagh Arts Centre or through DNLF website.