Programme 2026

Sally loves musical theatre and dreams of a career on Broadway, so writing her own musical seems like the perfect first step to a life of fame and making her dreams come true. But will her performance prove that she’s left her problems behind her? Join Méabh Collins, author of From the Top, Sally Fynn […]

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In Nadia Islam, On the Record (Hodder Children’s Books), aspiring journalist Nadia hates that she’s missing spending Ramadan with her best friend to go to Bangladesh. But the trip unexpectedly puts her reporting skills to the test. Her journalist aunt is there too, to write a story on the increasing climate change problem in Bangladesh […]

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Join poet Nell Regan for this engaging workshop – bring a picture of a place you love (a landscape or cityscape), a pen and a willingness to play. We’ll look at a myriad ways to approach the same thing/view, aiming for a freshness of language and perspective. Suitable for all.  Tickets for this poetry workshop […]

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Referred to as the faithful housekeeper of Robert Emmet, Anne was much more than that. Her pivotal role in the insurrection of 1803 led to her spending three years in Kilmainham Gaol. On this, the one-hundred-and-seventy-five-year anniversary of her death in the Liberties area of Dublin, hear all about this remarkable Irish patriot in this […]

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Join author-illustrator Steve Webb for a fantastically fun event bringing his brilliant Peng and Spanners series (Faber & Faber) to life! In this latest graphic novel, our duo’s action-packed trip to the Invention Convention with Spanners’ latest and greatest invention has hilarious consequences. Find out about Steve’s creative process, from initial idea to printed book, […]

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Chairs: Melissa Campana (Children’s Books Ireland) and Sarah Webb (Children’s Author). Speakers:  Ivan O’Brien (MD, The O’Brien Press), Matthew Parkinson-Bennett (Publisher, Little Island Books), Venetia Gosling, (Children’s Publisher, Gill Books) and Caitríona Nic Sheáin (Publisher, An tSnáthaid Mhór).        The world of Irish and international children’s books has seen a lot of changes over the last […]

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Join author and historian Pat Liddy, or one of his expert guides, for a walking tour of the neighbourhood around the Festival Hub, taking in many key landmarks associated with a wide range of our famous historic writers and the early development of writing in Ireland. Starting outside the gates of the National Gallery on […]

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Join us for a thought-provoking discussion about changing laws and attitudes around book censorship in the USA and its chilling influence across Irish culture. With first-hand perspectives from both sides of the pond, panellists include Elaina Ryan (CEO of Children’s Books Ireland), Sarah Carey (Journalist), Kim A. Snyder (Director of ‘The Librarians’) and librarian Audrey […]

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