The tenth annual Dromineer Literary Festival will take place October 3-5, Thursday to Sunday, next month. With support from the Arts Council, the Arts Office of North Tipperary County Council and the generosity of local sponsors, the festival committee have planned an exciting programme for 2013 that will include established and emerging writers.
For the festival's poetry evening and in celebration of the All Ireland Poetry Day, much loved poet, Michael Longley, will read alongside poet Mark Roper and emerging poet Jennifer Matthews at 8pm, Thursday evening, October 3 at Lough Derg Yacht Club, in Dromineer. Mr. Longley has told us he is looking forward to visiting our county and participating in the festival's poetry evening.
Abbot Mark Hederman will officially open the festival on Friday evening October 4, at 7.30pm at Lough Derg Yacht Club. The winners of the schools Poetry Competition and the adults' poetry and flash short stories will be announced. The judges this year are: Mary Arrigan, Primary Schools Poetry Competition, Jean O'Brien, Poetry Competition and John MacKenna, Flash Short Story Competition. Niamh Hogan and Stewart Andrews, actors with the Nenagh Players, will read the adults winning entries.
The Meet the Authors event will take place at the Nenagh Arts Centre (please note venue) at 8pm on Saturday night, October 5. Multi-award winning, Nenagh born authors, Julian Gough and Donal Ryan will be joined on stage by acclaimed, and fellow rising authors Paul Lynch and Alan McMonagle. We wish Donal Ryan the very best of luck; his debut novel, The Spinning Heart, longlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize, is currently on the longlist for the Guardian First Book Award.
DLF committee member Paul O'Dwyer, an author, broadcaster and Dentist, will facilitate the conversation, readings and discussion by the authors. To get the most of the evening, we encourage the audience to read the books by these authors in advance of the event, all details can be found on our website https://www.dromineerliteraryfestival.ie The Nenagh Arts Centre are taking bookings through their booking line, 067 34400.
At lunchtime Sunday October 6, from 11.45am until 2.45pm, the festival will celebrate the rich diversity of new poetry published in Ireland in 2013 with The Launching Party. Writers and poets participating in this event are: John W. Sexton, Maighread Medbh, Patrick Deeley, Susan Millar DuMars, Kate O'Shea, Adam White, John Saunders and Michael Gallagher. Poet Jean O'Brien will introduce each writer and will read from her own work at the end of the event. We are delighted that poet, Adam White, has been shortlisted for the prestigious Forward Prize for his debut collection Accurate Measurements. The winners will be announced in London, October 1, we wish Adam the best of luck.
From 3-5pm, Sunday afternoon October 6, afloat on Lough Derg, author and poet Theo Dorgan and Nicki Griffin will read from their new books Making Way 'and The Skipper and Her Mate. Places on board are strictly limited, to avoid disappointment, please book early by emailing [email protected]
The festival will conclude with drama and music from John Faulkner and Members of The Nenagh Players, from 6pm at The Whiskey Still in Dromineer village.
The festival artist this year is Galway based Dolores Lyne. Lyne's wonderful exhibition, By Water, will be on view, with works for sale, at Lough Derg Yacht Club, throughout the weekend.
