The Bray Literary Festival 2019 runs from Friday 27th September to Sunday 29th September 2019. I’m pleased to be part of the organising committee along with David Butler, Nessa O’Mahony, Breda Wall Ryan, Phil Lynch and Ed O’Dwyer, although we all take our orders from founder and Director, Tanya Farrelly.
This is the third year of the festival and the programme continues to improve with every year. This year the main event in the Mermaid Theatre features John Boyne and Jess Kidd, interviewed by Tanya and Ed. There are a host of other brilliant events on over the course of the weekend featuring poets, novelists, short story writers and memoirists. Something for everyone. The full programme can be viewed here.
I’m hosting a very interesting panel discussion with multi-genre writers Geraldine Mills, Paul Perry and John O’Donnell on Sunday 29th at 2.30pm in the Town Hall. I have a plethora of questions I’d like to ask them.
A weekend pass costs €25, a day pass €15 and individual events €5, although there are some free events too. Members of the committee will be on hand over the weekend to advise and help anyone requiring assistance, so please do say hello.
Also, and very importantly, there are a range of workshops over Saturday and Sunday for just €10, covering fiction, memoir, poetry and drama. Teachers include, David Butler, Csilla Toldy, Máire T. Robinson, Louise Phillips, Angela Carr and Anne Tannam. Full details can be found here. Places are going fast, so book your place now and you can pay on the day.
Finally, the Bray Literary Festival is hosting a Culture Night event in Bray Town Hall on Friday 20th September 2019. The evening will be hosted by poet Katie Donovan and feature readings from the poetry of the late Shirley McClure. The winners of the poetry and flash fiction competitions will be announced on the night also.
Please go to brayliteraryfestival.com for more information on individual events and workshops.
I’m looking forward to what promises to be an excellent festival and I hope to see many of you there in the beautiful seaside town of Bray.
