Dublin Prepares for Literary Feast

Over 100 writers will gather at Dublin City Hall from tomorrow, 6 March 2010, for the third Dublin Book Festival, Ireland’s largest literary event.

This year’s festival will feature contributions from leading Irish authors, poets and journalists who will participate in 40 public readings, debates, interviews and workshops. Top authors, including Nell McCafferty, Gordon Snell, Thomas Kilroy, Mary Kenny and Eileen Battersby will be interviewed by fellow authors, while poets Theo Dorgan, Geraldine Mills, Paddy Bushe, Pól Ó Muirí and Rosita Boland will be reading from their work.

The festival will play host to a series of lively public debates. Diarmaid Ferriter, Ruan O’Donnell and Niamh O’Sullivan will lead a discussion on Ireland’s rebel history; sports journalists Gavin Cummiskey, Gerry Thornley and Liam Toland will examine the state of sports writing in Ireland; while Caroline Walsh, Carlo Gébler, Greg Baxter and Siobhán Parkinson will explore the role of the literary critic.

Families are welcome and children are invited to join some of their favourite authors, including Siobhán Parkinson, Conor Kostic and Sarah Webb, for writing workshops. Young readers should also keep a look out for the Poetry Knights who will be patrolling City Hall.

Monday, 8 March, is International Women’s Day and therefore women writers will have a particularly strong presence on the final day of the festival. A posthumous book from Nuala Ó Faolain, A More Complex Truth: Selected Writings will be launched, while the legacies of feminism will be debated by Susan McKay, Ivana Bacik, Caitríona Crowe and Margaret MacCurtain, chaired by Anthea McTeirnan.

A specially constructed bookshop will showcase the best of Irish publishing , and the festival café will serve refreshments daily between 10am and 6pm.

Entry to all festival events is free and no booking is required, but seats can be reserved for certain events (see www.bookfestival.com for details).

“The Dublin Book Festival offers respite against the prevailing gloom; book-lovers can lose themselves for a few hours, while they mingle with their favourite writers, browse through the festival bookshop or simply enjoy a cup of tea and a good read in the Festival Café,” said Alan Hayes, the festival’s Artistic Director.

The Dublin Book Festival celebrates the diversity and creativity in contemporary Irish writing and publishing, and is organised by Publishing Ireland, supported by the Department of Art, Sport and Tourism; the Irish Times; Foras na Gaeilge; the Arts Council, Dublin City Council; Dublin City Libraries and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

The festival programme is available at www.dublinbookfestival.com. The festival opens on Saturday at noon and closes on Monday at 6pm.

Alan Hayes, the festival’s Artistic Director and President of Publishing Ireland, and selected authors are now available for interview. Please contact the festival's press officer, Gert Ackermann: M: 086 176 9287
E: gert.ackermann@gmail.com. Images are available.