War correspondent to address travel writing festival

An award-winning war correspondent with a newly published book on the assassin whose shots set off the first World War is one of the key speakers at this year's Immrama Festival of Travel Writing, which starts next week.

Author and journalist Tim Butcher will be telling his tales of travel in countries of major conflict such as in the Balkans, the Middle East and Africa when he takes to the stage in Lismore, Co Waterford, during the June 12th-15th festival.

A former chief war correspondent with the Daily Telegraph, his account of a journey through the Democratic Republic of Congo topped the bestseller lists, while his latest, The Trigger, about Gavrilo Princip who shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 to spark the Great War, has just been published to critical acclaim.

Other guests lined up for the festival include author and broadcaster Charlie Bird, who will speak about his travels through the Arctic region, along the Amazon river and the Ganges river, and his journey on the trail of Antarctic explorer Tom Crean.

Opening the festival with a book launch are authors Diana Gleadhill, Alan Murphy, Michael McMonagle and Paul Clements.