Hundreds of literary enthusiasts are expected to descend on Ennis this weekend to celebrate the town's inaugural Book Club Festival.
"The Ennis Book Club Festival 2007 will bring together some of the 150 library book clubs and 300 private book clubs that exist nationwide," Ennis's mayor Joe Reidy said yesterday.
"Those making the trip will enjoy poetry in the cosy cafés, readings in the many restaurants and shops and drama on street corners as they wander through the narrow streets and lanes of Ennis."
Mr Reidy said the event, "one of the largest of its kind" in either Britain or Ireland, would "provide a welcome boost to tourism in the county capital while presenting a unique opportunity for book club members to meet and exchange ideas about all aspects of literature".
In its first year, the festival has managed to attract some of the country's most renowned literary figures, including Patrick McCabe, Ré Ó Laighléis, Carlo Gébler, Ann Enright, Niall Williams and Clare native Edna O'Brien, who will give a public reading and interview at Glór tonight.
There will also be a section for Irish language book clubs.
• More details are available at ennisbookclubfestival.com