Literary listings: Howth, Borris, Dublin, Hay Kells and Bloomsday

Literary arts in Howth

Lutyens Library in Howth Castle is the inspired venue for the inagurual Howth Midsummer Literary Arts Festival this weekend. Running June 5th-7th, the festival aims to highlight the port village’s literary, historic and architectural heritages. The programme includes Pulitzer Prize winners Richard Ford and Michael Cunningham. Irish literature will be well represented by Booker Prize winners John Banville, Roddy Doyle and Anne Enright.

The festival pays homage to Sir Edwin Lutyens and his contribution to Howth with a series of talks. Other events will discuss historical figures with links to Howth, including Granuaile and James Joyce. Burrow National School will host the children’s literature programme, which includes workshops with Fighting Words, Nicola Pearce, Dr Doodle, a series of events for children from Children’s Book Ireland and storytelling with Niall de Burca. Dr Anne Markey of TCD will chair a discussion on the genre.

[ www.howthliteraryfestival.com ]

Culture in Carlow

As part of the Carlow Arts Festival, Borris House is hosting its fourth Festival of Writing and Ideas this weekend. In keeping with previous years, the programme is an eclectic mix of literature, music and performing arts. A mix of international and Irish literary talent sees Michael Cunningham, Ian McEwan, Anne Enright, Neil Jordan, Belinda McKeon, Mary Costello, Michael Harding and Colin Barrett among the lengthy list of authors in attendance.

Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour will take to the stage with his wife, the author Polly Samson, to talk to Andrew O’Hagan about “lyrics and their creative relationship”. Other highlights include Aoife Duffin’s solo performance of Eimear McBride’s A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing, adapted by Corn Exchange; a workshop on short story writing with Colin Barrett, Thomas Morris and Rob Doyle; and a duo event with comedian Tommy Tiernan and author Kevin Barry that promises to provide “some answers to questions no one has thought to ask”.

From June 5th-7th – more information and bookings at festivalofwritingandideas.com

Irish Writers Centre events

The Irish Writers Centre's calendar is busy as ever this month, with a number of events taking place in the centre's headquarters and further afield. Songbook with Valerie Francis brings wordsmiths and music lovers together for an evening of "tunes and chats" from 7.30pm on Wednesday, June 10th at the centre's base on Parnell Square, Dublin 1. Singer-songwriter Francis will talk the audience through her "musical hopscotch" sounds, which range from ambient melodies to pop. The centre's popular Publishing Day series goes on the road to the Belfast Book Festival on Saturday, June 13th. Aiming to connect with new audiences in Northern Ireland, the one-day seminar costs £30/£25 for members and is suited to writers of all genres and forms. Heading to the other end of the country the following Saturday, June 20th, the centre is running Mindshift: Tough Crowd in Cork in association with Children's Books Ireland. The half-day workshop is designed to equip children's authors and illustrators with the tools they need to interact with young audiences at schools, libraries and literary festivals. Tickets are €30. More information on all three events at www.irishwriterscentre.ie.

Bloomsday literary salon

The second in a series of “literary-salon” events based around the works of James Joyce takes place on Thursday, June 11th at the James Joyce Centre, Dublin 1. Organised by the centre and independent publisher Tramp, A Feast of Epiphanies looks at the works of Joyce in the run-up to Bloomsday and will feature Paul Murray, Belinda McKeon and Dermot Bolger. The third night on July 23rd aims to showcase Ireland’s most exciting new writers.

High tea is on the menu at each of the salons, described as "an informal place for writers and readers to meet". Audience members will be served a series of small courses (Teeling Whiskey glazed ham, Skellig white chocolate scones) while getting the chance to sit amongst authors and discuss the topics of the evening. More information at jamesjoyce.ie

Comedy and culture at Martello Tower

Another literary event with a Bloomsday link is Portal of Discovery, an afternoon of readings, song, comedy and food, "with some of Ireland's most interesting creative people" taking place in the Martello Tower in Sutton on Sunday, June 14th. Organised by the non-profit collective Young Hearts Run Free in aid of the Simon Community, Portal of Discovery features the comedian Fred Cooke, actor and playwright Gina Moxley, the spoken word poet Stephen James Smith, with live music from The Evertides and Dylan Tighe. From 4 - 7pm, tickets are €20 and can be purchased through: www.eventbrite.ie

Hay Festival Kells

Film, food, fashion, North-South reconciliation, and probably books if there’s time, are among the topics up for discussion at this year’s Hay Festival Kells. Taking place from June 25th-28th, recent additions to the literary line-up include bestselling authors Lynda La Plante (Prime Suspect) and Marian Keyes, who has just gotten her 10th number one in the UK Official Top 50. It’s been a great month for the Irish author, with her most recent novel The Woman Who Stole My Life topping bestseller lists in both the UK and Irish markets last week, according to the latest data from Nielsen.

Keyes is joined on the billing at Hay by a trio of Booker winners in Roddy Doyle, Anne Enright and Ben Okri, with the poet Paul Durcan the main draw for poetry lovers. Other Irish talent includes Sara Baume, Michael Harding, Colin Barrett and Paul Murray, who releases his new novel The Mark and the Void next month.

For music fans, Brian Eno will be among the guests, talking "freeganism and food" at an environmentally themed event. Cinema is also covered, with Lenny Abrahamson (Adam and Paul, Garage, Frank), Ed Guiney of Element Pictures (The Guard, What Richard Did), and writer Malcolm Campbell discussing the "creative triangle" of writer, director and producer. Cartoon Saloon will give a visual presentation on the process involved in creating an Oscar-nominated animation feature film, including clips from the soon to be released Song of the Sea. A full line-up of events is at www.hayfestival.com.

Competition winners

Congratulations to our Eoin McNamee competition winners (answer: Stuart Townsend was the star of Resurrection Man), who each win a signed copy of Blue is the Night: Francis Dempsey, Tuam; George Hawthorn, Holywood; Aileen Sheehan, Oranmore; Sheelagh Coyle, Mountmerrick; Malachy Keenan, Belfast; Emma Flynn, Dublin 7; Peter Callaghan, Dublin 8; Michael Reynolds, Ballinasloe; Jim Donnellan, Nenagh; Tom Hanlon, Dublin 18; Cian Fitzsimmons, Booterstown; Mary Maxwell, Rush; Nicola Depuis, Cork; Jarlath Costello, Dublin 7; and Paddy O’Donoghue, Dún Laoghaire.

Congratulations also to our three Jurassic World competition winners (answers: Indominus Rex and 1993): Emer Breen, Goatstown; Janice Doyle, Ballincollig; and Lorraine mcCall, Enniscorthy.

Contact sarah.gilmartin@gmail.com with your literary listings