Hay Festival Kells runs this summer, 28th - 30th June 2013

Highlights this year include: NOVELISTS explore John Boyne, DBC Pierre, John Banville, Tiffany Murray | POETS read Owen Sheers, Nerys Williams, Eurig Salisbury | MEMOIRS recall Jeanette Winterson | CHILDREN'S WRITERS share Jenny Valentine, Sarah Webb | PLAYWRIGHTS create Frank McGuiness | ACTORS perform Peter Sheridan, Lisa Dwan | FILM animates The Secret of Kells | ACADEMICS lecture Germaine Greer on Shakespeare, Dr Bernard Meehan on The Book of Kells | POLITICIANS expand Jesse Norman on Burke | MUSIC entertains Alex Valentine.

One of Fáilte Ireland's Top 10 Destinations in Ireland, Kells is an ancient market town in County Meath, 40 miles north of Dublin and renowned worldwide as the spiritual home of the Book of Kells, completed in the 9th century.

Today, the town remains a vibrant community with a lively events programme. Located in the beautiful Boyne Valley among the turns of the Blackwater River, Kells is neighboured by a UNESCO World Heritage site, Headfort House, and the unique Spire of Lloyd, a mysterious inland lighthouse built in the late 18th century by the 1st Earl of Bective. As well as the town's rich monastic legacy, Kells offers an exciting arts and crafts scene, with many artists working and exhibiting in the local area.