UCD Festival’s literary highlights

In The Irish Times this Saturday, award-winning author Barbara Kingsolver and her daughter Lily talk to Keith Duggan about their illustrated children’s book, Coyote’s Wild Home, and there is a Q&A with Estelle Birdy, author of the debut novel Ravelling.

Reviews are Daniel Geary on A Great Disorder by Richard Slotkin; Mei Chin on Private Revolutions: Coming of Age in a New China by Yuan Yang; Seán Duke on Everything Is Predictable: How Bayes’ Remarkable Theorem Explains the World by Tom Chivers; Claire Hennessy on the best new YA fiction; Val Nolan on This Is How You Remember It by Catherine Prasifka; Tom McCarthy on Cork/Corcaigh (Vol. 31, Irish Historic Towns Atlas) by HB Clarke and Máire Ní Laoi; Helena Mulkerns on Cork Stories, edited by Madeleine D’Arcy and Laura McKenna; John Boyne on Evenings and Weekends by Oisín McKenna; Oliver Farry on Final Verdict by Tobias Buck; Eamon Maher on First Belong to God by Austen Ivereigh; and Sarah Gilmartin on The Coast Road by Alan Murrin.

This Saturday’s Irish Times Eason offer is multiple award-winner The Bee Sting by Paul Murray, just €5.99, a €5 saving.

The annual UCD Festival is set to take place on Saturday, June 8th with a line-up of more than 130 events across the university’s Belfield campus. The festival’s literary curator is RTÉ broadcaster Rick O’Shea; his notable highlights include a conversation with bestselling author Kit de Waal, known for championing working-class writers. Debut authors Maggie Armstrong and Ferdia Lennon will also be in conversation with Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan about their respective books. Additionally, Irish authors Rónán Hession and Jan Carson will share their favourite book recommendations, and UCD’s Dr Páraic Kerrigan will discuss his book Reeling in the Queers, delving into lesser-known stories behind the fight for LGBTQ rights since 1974. Elsewhere the UCD writer-in-residence for 2024 Colin Barrett talks to journalist and writer Aoife Barry about his new novel, Wild Houses. All events are free, but some require booking. For more information, visit festival.ucd.ie

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The Journals Fleadh, Ireland’s first literary journal fleadh, is bringing readers, writers and journals together for a weekend of entertainment in the beachside village of Rathmullan, Co Donegal on Saturday, July 20th and Sunday, July 21st. You can find a round-up and links to the individual events here.

Hosted by Donegal’s own The Pig’s Back, in partnership with Holy Show, the fleadh will showcase Ireland’s finest writing talent, give writers and readers a chance to meet some of the people behind Ireland’s flourishing journals scene, and pack in a few swims as well as a night of stories and live music.

Confirmed writers include Lisa McInerney, Tom Morris, Aingeala Flannery, Patrick Holloway and Jessica Traynor. Our full programme can be found here.

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This year marks the 25th anniversary of bilateral relations between Ireland and Colombia, and two Colombian writers are taking part in the International Literature Festival Dublin this month. Margarita García Robayo, whose most recent novel translated into English is The Delivery, will be in conversation with Mike McCormack on May 25th. Margarita, originally from Cartagena de Indias, emigrated to Buenos Aires nearly 20 years ago.

Velia Vidal will be in conversation with Cathy Sweeney on May 26th about her debut novel Tidal Waters (out in English in May). Velia is originally from Chocó, has also written for children and is founder of Motete, an organisation that promotes reading and literacy, as well as Chocó's culture.