The Dublin Book Festival’s story began 20 years ago when a group of Irish publishers, led by Michael O’Brien, founder of The O’Brien Press, came together with a shared belief that Ireland’s writers deserved a festival of their own. A place to celebrate their work, champion Irish publishing and bring readers and writers together. From that vision the Dublin Book Festival was born.
I have been incredibly proud to be part of that journey for more than 16 years. The festival is a reflection of Ireland’s vibrant publishing scene, growing from year to year, strength to strength.
The festival has grown into an important fixture in Dublin’s cultural calendar, for established and emerging writers, publishers and audiences. At its core, the festival creates a unique environment not only to meet and discover authors and creatives, but to explore the ideas, experiences and questions that shape contemporary Ireland.
The 20th anniversary programme will host conversations with some of the biggest names in Irish literature, alongside debut writers, poets, translators, illustrators, independent publishers and emerging artists. There will be literary talks and book launches, walking tours and workshops, family events and performances. At night, the After Dark Festival Club will host everything from quizzes and spoken word, to music and lively conversations.
A highlight for many will be the conversation between Booker Prize winners Roddy Doyle and Anne Enright hosted by Martin Doyle. Other major appearances include Sebastian Barry, Louise O’Neill, Kevin Barry, Mario Rosenstock, Katriona O’Sullivan, Jodi Picoult, Hector Ó hEochagáin and Oliver Jeffers.
The Women’s Podcast Book Club, from The Irish Times, with Róisín Ingle will open the festival to celebrate some of Ireland’s female writers including Louise Kennedy and Jan Carson.
At its heart is the idea that a literary festival should provide a platform for writers at every stage of their careers. Our Emerging Writers Series has always been a staple at the Dublin Book Festival and this year we’ll be exploring captivating debut novels from Jessamine O’Connor, the Booker Prize longlisted Djamel White, Ruth McKee and Juliano Zaffino.
The festival would not exist without Ireland’s publishers who work tirelessly behind the scenes to produce the incredible wealth of books in Ireland today. Publishers including Brendan Barrington, Ivan O’Brien and Caitríona Nic Sheáin will discuss how the publishing landscape in Ireland has evolved over the past two decades. Ireland’s Indie Publishers will also have a showcase event at the After Dark Festival Club, which promises to be vibrant and engaging.
The anniversary programme demonstrates how far the definition of a book festival has expanded. Literature is being used as a way to interrogate the most urgent issues facing society.
Climate change, biodiversity, rewilding and our relationship with the natural world are all central themes. In Three Books to Save the Planet, Mary Robinson, Sadhbh O’Neill and John Gibbons will debate which book about climate change they believe has been most effective in informing the public and offering practical solutions and hope.
Award-winning author and rewilder Eoghan Daltun will join Mary Robinson to discuss Setting the Land Free: Visions of a Rewilded Ireland. Michael Cronin, author of Ireland: Why It Matters to Be an Island and Mark Mellett, author of Blue Heart, consider the importance of protecting our seas and oceans. Easkey Britton, Eoin Warner and Roisin Maguire will explore the wonders and importance of our seas and waterways and how fiction can often help to raise awareness on such important themes.
The relationship between people and the natural world is explored further with a day of events at TU Dublin’s Grangegorman campus, with speakers including Eoin Warner, Miriam Mulcahy, Dearbhla Mescal, and Brigit Anna McNeill.
Elsewhere, Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann presents human rights lawyer Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC discussing censorship around the world and the ways in which restrictions on books and writers affect freedom of expression.
Language and identity are other important threads running through the festival. Irish-language programming includes conversations, poetry, music and events for audiences at different stages of their engagement with the language. Hector Ó hEochagáin returns to celebrate Irish words in everyday life, while a special gala poetry and music night brings together poetry, folklore, traditional music and contemporary Irish-language writing.
The festival’s popular walking tours continue this year and include Pat Liddy’s explorations of Dublin’s literary landmarks, a tour discovering the stained glass of the Earley Studios with Michael Earley, and a walk around St Stephen’s Green exploring the architecture and history of modern Ireland with Emma Gilleece.
We have a full free programme of family and schools’ events giving children the opportunity to meet Ireland’s wonderful children’s writers. Oliver Jeffers, Sarah Webb, Ashwin Chacko, Shane Hegarty, Ellen Ryan and Patricia Forde are just a few. In our Festival Hub at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, families can take part in storytelling sessions, draw-alongs, join our treasure hunt, visit the Creative Station or swap a much-loved book for another. Teenagers will be invited to take the microphone at the Fighting Words Story Slam with Dave Rudden.
Book launches remain a vital part of the festival too. New Irish titles being launched include Sounding Ireland: Radio and the Making of Us by Clíodhna Ní Anluain, Jane Clarke’s Coracle, Stay Winter by Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe, and new work from Winter Papers, among others.
For a festival that began with a simple belief in the value of Irish writing, its 20th anniversary feels like an opportunity not only to look back, but to look forward. The literary landscape has changed enormously over the past two decades. New voices have emerged, new forms of storytelling have developed, and Irish writers are being read around the world. Publishing itself has transformed, while the ways audiences discover and engage with books continues to evolve.
Dublin Book Festival has evolved alongside this ever-changing landscape, but the fundamental idea remains the same: bring writers and readers together, create space for conversation, and ensure that Ireland’s writing continues to have a platform of its own. However, we always welcome a few international authors on their book tours and this year international writer and activist Naomi Klein and novelist Jodi Picoult will join us.
Twenty years on, the festival is not simply celebrating the books that have shaped Ireland’s literary story, it is celebrating the people who will write its next chapter. With more than 120 events spread across five days, there should be plenty of stories to keep us going.