DBF Team Festival Highlights
Published 08/11/2021We asked the DBF Team what events they were most excited about on the DBF2021 Programme….
Louise Kane is the DBF Marketing Manager Extraordinaire. Read on to find out what her top picks of DBF21 are.
1pm, Monday 8th November, Online Event
I couldn’t put this book down. It has everything. From swashbuckling adventures in both the Arctic and Antarctic all the way back to Banbridge in Co. Down. Captain Francis Crozier is the hero we never knew we had. I can’t wait to hear Micheal and Turtle delve into his life.
10:30am, Thursday 11th November, Online Event
As someone who has had sport at the centre of their life and most of their career this is an essential event for me. I remember being allowed to play Gaelic football for the first time when I was about 10 years old. Our own club didn’t allow it at all. Camogie only for the girls. It was another ten years before we managed to set our own football team up! The world, women and girls everywhere need this book and the amazing role models it presents us with, not least of them Jacqui herself!
1pm, Thursday 11th November, Online Event
Times are changing fast and Ireland needs to embrace our multi-national identity. It’s easy for some of us to say things like “I don’t see colour” but I think we need to and our social and political sentiments need to reflect the changing face of our country. The shame of Direct Provision will be upon us for a long time and I am excited to hear how the conversation turns around this and of course about Melatu’s first hand experience.
RTE Radio 1 Arena Event with Roddy Doyle, Lisa Harding, Caitríona Lally & Hugo Hamilton
7pm, Friday 12th November, Live Audience
The ARENA show is always one of the highlights for me and this year’s one doesn’t look like it will change my opinion. It’s not only the calibre of authors here that makes it one of my favourites but Sean Rocks is just such a great facilitator that you really feel you’re gaining a new level of insight into the authors and their stories. Both Lisa’s and Hugo’s books are very fresh in my mind which is always great for the Festival AND we’ve just heard that there’ll be music from singer Lisa O’Neill to top it all off! What more could you ask for?!
11am, Sunday 14th November, Live Audience & LiveStream
I kinda know who my favourite Trans Writer is already (hint, he’s the facilitator!), but I am also excited to hear more from Trans writers in Ireland, to hear their truths and experiences. This is an important event for so many reasons, I couldn’t possibly list all of them. The Trans Writers Union in Ireland isn’t just about publishing, they have to contend with so much more than just getting their words out there. In an ideal world, they probably wouldn’t have to exist, but this is Ireland and events like this at least give us a chance to learn, expand and hopefully open our minds.
2:30pm, Sunday 14th November, Live Event
What better place to listen to tales from the sea than Dublin Port itself? This book is a treasure trove of stories, both historical and fantastical, that illustrate Ireland’s millennia old relationship with the sea. From the Book of Invasions to the origins of the Claddagh ring, these are tales that are meant to be told out loud.