The Limerick Literary Festival, formerly under the moniker of The Kate O’Brien Weekend, will commence on the 21st of February and will conclude this literary replete weekend on Sunday. This event will mark the 10th anniversary of the passing of the late Limerick-born author Kate O’Brien and will be a celebration of her life and works while also attracting notable participants worldwide in an inspiring mix of discourse and discussion.
Friday 21st Feb 2020:
Prior to the official launch on Friday evening, the 36-year-old festival will unofficially open with a reading by novelist and poet Catherine Phil MacCarthy of her most recent collection Daughters of the House [11-12, City Library, The Granary – Free]. At lunchtime in The Captain’s Room, The Hunt Museum, the grandniece of Kate O’Brien, storyteller and actress Kathy Rose O’Brien, will discuss curating the Kate O’Brian exhibition at the Museum of Literature Ireland (MOLI) Tickets available here.
The festival launches at 7pm with Professor Patricia Palmer, followed by a musical interlude by the Irish National Opera – Tickets available here.
Saturday 22nd Feb 2020:
Saturday is full of talks by notable members of the literary community such as Forgotten Revolution author Liam Cahill, novelist Christine Dwyer Hickey, literary agent Joe Unwin, writer Paul Lynch, novelist Andrew Miller, poet and broadcaster John Kelly, arts administrator and author David Barrie and authors Sarah Davis Goff, Dan Mooney and Clíona Ní Ríordáin.
Sunday 23rd Feb 2020:
The festival will move to the Belltable on Sunday with appearances by Professor Emerita Patricia Coughlan and Laureate Na Nog and novelist Sarah Crossan. This is followed by the Kate O’Brien Award presentation and the reveal by director and actor Gerry Stembridge and bibliotheraptist and author Ella Berthoud of their choice of five books to carry to a Desert Island. Roddy Doyle, distinguished Irish Novelist, dramatist and screenwriter, will bookend this festival in honour of Kate O’Brien.
For full details, go to limerickliteraryfestival.com.
Article by Kevin Whooley
