dlr
Poetry
Now
International
Poetry Festival
18th - 22nd
March 2015
www.mountainstosea.ie
EVENTS
for SCHOOLS
& FAMILIES
WELCOME FROM
AN CATHAOIRLEACH
I am delighted to welcome you to
Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival. Fáilte
mhór romhaibh go léir go Féile Leabhar
dlr Ó Chuan go Sliabh 2015.
This year, for our 7th festival in the series,
we move to an earlier calendar slot from
18th-22nd March and we will now host
the first major literary festival of 2015
with five days of readings, spoken word
events, exhibitions and workshops for
all ages. This is the first festival to use all
the venues at dlr LexIcon since it opened
for business at the end of 2014. As in
previous years, the festival events will
also take place in the Pavilion Theatre,
the Mill Theatre, Dundrum, the Maritime
Museum and County Hall.
Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival will
launch on Sunday March 8th when we
will celebrate International Women’s
Day with two superb events in the
Pavilion Theatre, the #readwomen
panel with a number of high profile
women authors including the inaugural
Laureate for Irish Fiction, Anne Enright
and an event with the highly regarded
writer and actor Sheila Hancock who
has written a fascinating novel entitled
Miss Carter’s War. These events will be
followed during the festival with a host
of international and Irish authors such as
Paul Durcan, S.J. Watson, Paula Hawkins,
David Lodge and Jill Leovy. We will have
some old favourites and new events
marking our rich local literary heritage
with dramatic readings of James Joyce
and Flann O’Brien.
The prestigious Poetry Now festival
celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2015
and special events celebrating this
achievement will be hosted throughout
the festival. Visiting international poets
include Maureen N. McLane, David Ferry,
Tom Pickard and Kei Miller and we look
forward to hearing the results of our two
major poetry awards, The Irish Times
Poetry Now Award and the Shine/Strong
Poetry Award.
As always, the festival has something
for all the family and this year is one of
our most exciting to date with Francesca
Simon (of Horrid Henry fame), Frank
Cottrell Boyce, David Almond and the
inimitable Sarah McIntyre and Philip
Reeve return by popular demand. We
have workshops and events with authors
and illustrators from near and afar
and are pleased to offer our first multisensory workshop with Deirdre Sullivan.
The festival partners with many creative
individuals and organisations and I
would like to thank the Arts Council,
Fáilte Ireland, The Irish Times and Shine
for all their support in addition to an
ever increasing amount of local sponsors
from the business community in Dún
Laoghaire-Rathdown. Thanks are due
to our many superb venues for hosting
these festival events.
On behalf of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown
County Council, I would like to welcome
all our participants and visitors to
Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival
and wish each and every one of you a
most enjoyable visit to Dún LaoghaireRathdown.
An Cathaoirleach,
Councillor Marie Baker
BOOKING
INFORMATION
Booking for all festival events is
open from February 4th
CONTACT
Pavilion Theatre Box Office,
Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.
BOOKING
+ 353 1 231 2929
(€1 booking fee)
(Box office hours: Mon to Sat: 12pm - 5pm )
BOOK ONLINE AT
www.mountainstosea.ie
(No Booking Fee)
INFORMATION LINE
+353 85 184 0257
(Lines open from: Mon to Fri 10am - 1pm & 2pm -5pm)
Included in booking price for all tickets in the complimentary tickets, they must be
Pavilion is a 50 cent refurbishment charge
collected a minimum of 30 minutes before
for the theatre. Tickets may sell out quickly
shows start or they will be released.
so book early to avoid disappointment.
Events last approximately one hour unless
Please arrive early for each event –
otherwise stated. Adult workshops are
latecomers will only be admitted if there
approximately two hours.
is a suitable interval. If you are collecting
FESTIVAL
VENUES
GETTING TO
DÚN LAOGHAIRE
Travel the Green way and reduce traffic congestion
HAR
DUBLIN BUS
BOU
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TO
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1
GE
GE
’S
ST
LO
WE
2
For further information on Dublin Bus, please log onto dublinbus.ie
5
DART
QU
RD
RIN
E
RD
R
NS
EE
YORK RD
OR
Regular Services to Dún Laoghaire:
7, 46a, 45a, 59, 75, 63, 111
IER
OF
EP
CR
’S
ST
UP
PE
R
4
3
PARKING
RD
GE
PAR
K
OR
OR
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IN
Pay and Display parking applies within all town and harbour
areas in Dún Laoghaire.
E
AC
RR
TE
TIVOLI TERRACE E
PA
TR
ICK
ST
MA
Regular DART services stop at Dún Laoghaire.
For further information on DART, please log on to: irishrail.ie
W
6
GE
1 COUNTY HALL
Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire.
Tel: 01 205 4700
2 PAVILION THEATRE
Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire.
Tel: 01 231 2929
3 NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM OF IRELAND
Mariners’ Church
Haigh Terrace, Dún Laoghaire.
Tel: 01 280 0969
4 dlr LexIcon (Library & Cultural Centre)
Haigh Terrace, Moran Park,
Dún Laoghaire,
Tel: 01 280 1147
5
THE HEN HOUSE
Queen's Road, Dún Laoghaire
Tel: 01 663 6611
6 MILL THEATRE
Dundrum Town Centre, Dundrum
Tel: 01 296 9340
The following private car parks are also available:
- Bloomfields Shopping Centre
- dlr LexIcon
- Dún Laoghaire Shopping Centre
- Pavilion, Parkrite
LOCAL TAXI
Dalkey Cabs: Blackrock Cabs: City Cabs: City Cabs: Southside Cabs: 285 4444
288 9911
872 7272
668 3333
283 6622
VIP Cabs: Cabs 2000: Dalkey Taxis: NRC Taxis: 284 4444
269 1111
285 77 77 / 99
677 2222
EVENTS AT A GLANCE
PRIMARY EVENTS
POETRY
FAMILY AND SCHOOLS
Sunday March 8th
6.00pm
8.00pm
#Readwomen
Sheila Hancock
Pavilion Theatre
Pavilion Theatre
8
8
Wednesday March 18th
10.30am
11.00am
3.30pm
6.30pm
8.30pm
The History Detectives (Schools)
Bringing Yeats Alive (Schools) The History Detectives
Jill Leovy Paul Durcan
Pavilion Theatre
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
Pavilion Theatre
Pavilion Theatre
44
44
32
9
9
Thursday March 19th
10.30am Let’s Create (Schools)
10.30am Laugh Out Loud (Schools) 11.00am Dinosaur Tales with Juliette Saumande
4.00pm
How to Write an Awesome (and Not at All Geeky) Book
6.30pm Sara Baume, Rob Doyle & Colin Barrett 8.30pm The Third Policeman
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
Mill Theatre
dlr LexIcon
Pavilion Theatre
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
Pavilion Theatre
44
44
32
33
10
10
Pavilion Theatre
Mill Theatre
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
dlr LexIcon
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
County Hall
Pavilion Theatre
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
Pavilion Theatre
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
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45
11
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22
34
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dlr LexIcon*
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Friday March 20th
10.30am 10.30am
11.00am 11.00am 1.00pm 6.30pm 6.30pm 6.30pm 8.00pm 8.30pm 9.45pm The Cakes in Space Show (Schools)
The Amazing Danger is Everywhere Show (Schools)
Brave New Words with Colm Keegan
Tales of The Sea with Gráinne Clear & Dave Rudden
Alice Lyons: Poetry Now Talk
Tips from the Top S.J Watson & Paula Hawkins
Poetry Now Keynote Address
Natasha Fennell & Róisín Ingle
Miriam Gamble, Maureen N. McLane & Tom Pickard
‘The Residency’ with Colm Keegan & Guests Saturday March 21st
10.00am
10.00am
10.00am
10.30am
11.00am 11.00am
Poetry Masterclass: Tess Gallagher
Drawing Stories with Oisín McGann
How to Catch a Star Multi-Sensory Workshop
Writing Workshop with Sue Leonard
Fiction Workshop with Joanna Briscoe
Tall Tales with Simone Schuemmelfeder
11.00am When Judi Met Sarah: Judi Curtin & Sarah Webb County Hall
11.30am Teen Angst, The Apocalypse and Other Stories dlr LexIcon
12.00pm Creating Brilliant Characters
dlr LexIcon
12.30pm The Irish Times Poetry Now Award
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
12.30pm Sarah Bannan & Polly Samson
Pavilion Theatre
1.00pm Young Bond: Shoot to Kill
County Hall
2.30pm The Beckett Foxrock Walk
Tullow Church, Foxrock
2.30pm Peter Sirr & Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill dlr LexIcon, The Studio
2.30pm The Cakes in Space Show
Pavilion Theatre
3.00pm Trade Secrets with David Almond and panel
County Hall
4.30pm Andrew Crofts
Pavilion Theatre
4.30pm Tomasz Różycki & Kei Miller
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
5.00pm Masters of Irish Children’s Literature
County Hall
6.00pm Andrew O’Hagan
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
6.30pm Peter Fallon & David Ferry
Pavilion Theatre
9.00pm Compánach
Pavilion Theatre
9.30pm IADT/Poetry Now Feuilleton Launch
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10.15am 10.30am 10.00am 11.00am 11.00am 12.30pm 12.30pm 12.30pm 12.45pm 2.00pm 2.30pm 2.30pm 2.30pm 3.00pm 4.00pm 4.00pm 4.30pm 4.30pm 6.30pm 8.30pm 26
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Sunday March 22
Poetry Masterclass with Liz Berry
Publishing Workshop
There’s a Shark in the Bath
Behind the World of Chris Judge
Writing Workshop with Aoife Barry
Being a Man
The Astounding Broccoli Boy Shine/Strong Poetry Award Reading Draw a Robot with Chris Judge
Guess How Much I Love You Storytelling Daljit Nagra & Liz Berry
Horrid Henry Meets Dennis the Menace The Beckett Foxrock Walk
Guess How Much I Love You Storytelling Joyce Aloud
Guess How Much I Love You Storytelling Paul Howard Poetry Film Screening
David Lodge
Rory O’Neill aka Panti Bliss
dlr LexIcon
dlr LexIcon
dlr LexIcon
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
dlr LexIcon
Pavilion Theatre
dlr LexIcon
dlr LexIcon The Studio
dlr LexIcon
dlr LexIcon
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
Pavilion Theatre
Tullow Church, Foxrock
dlr LexIcon
Maritime Museum
dlr LexIcon
Pavilion Theatre
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
Pavilion Theatre
Pavilion Theatre
Exhibitions @ dlr LexIcon
Full details of ongoing exhibitions on pages 46 and 47
Live in the Living Room: dlr LexIcon, The Living Room
Saturday March 21st & Sunday 22nd @ 9.30am - 5.00pm. Full details on page 27
How to Catch a Star Multi-Sensory Workshops:
*10.00am, 10.30am, 11.00am, 11.30am, 12.00pm, 12.30pm, 2.00pm, 2.30pm, 3.00pm
WELCOME FROM
THE CURATOR
Writing a festival introduction in January feels
strange. There was a quarter inch of frost on the
windscreen this morning. It’s cold as a banker’s
heart out there. Even the dog cannot be coaxed
outdoors. As T.S. Eliot so nearly said, January really
is the cruellest month. But the good news for
fans of Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival is that
you will have two festivals within the space of six
months because this year we’ve opted for seasonal
change, reverting to our traditional Poetry Now
time-slot of March.
We kick off with two Preview events to celebrate
International Women’s day on the 8th of March.
In 2014, the #readwomen campaign inspired
thousands of women readers to examine their
reading habits and we are delighted to welcome
founder Joanna Walsh onto a panel chaired by
Sinéad Gleeson and also including Man Booker
Prizewinner, Anne Enright and Sarah DavisGoff of Tramp Press. The second event features
the wonderful English actor and writer Sheila
Hancock, who will be discussing her career and
her latest novel with Edel Coffey. Fiction readers
are well-served with two of the hottest young
thriller writers, S.J. Watson and Paula Hawkins,
reading from eagerly-awaited novels plus readings
from Andrew O’Hagan, Polly Samson and Sarah
Bannan and a panel discussion with three of
Ireland’s finest young writers, Rob Doyle, Colin
Barrett and Sara Baume.
There’s plenty for lovers of non-fiction too. The
celebrated poet Paul Durcan returns to read from
a new collection of poems and LA Times Crime
reporter Jill Leovy discusses the topical issue
of policing black neighbourhoods in the USA.
Leading English novelist and critic, David Lodge,
joins us to talk about his new memoir and Rory
O’Neill aka Panti Bliss, who inspired the nation
with his Noble Call at The Abbey last year will be
closing the festival on the Sunday evening.
Local literary heroes James Joyce and Flann
O’Brien are honoured in separate events featuring
leading Irish actors, Barry McGovern, Owen Roe,
Michèle Forbes and Phelim Drew while Paul
O’Hanrahan returns with a new Samuel Beckett
Walk in Foxrock. Saturday night offers a rare treat
with Compánach, an audio-visual recital which
brings alive the encyclopaedic Companion To Irish
Traditional Music with some of Ireland’s finest
performers. Aspiring writers can choose from a
range of creative writing workshops and just in
case we’re being a tad too arty, Ross O’Carroll-Kelly
drops in to keep us grounded, as only he can.
With the addition of dlr LexIcon, Mountains to Sea
dlr Book Festival can now boast one of the best
all-purpose festival campuses anywhere. Start
spreading the news.
Bert Wright
Primary Curator
FICTION
For International Women’s Day
Mountains To Sea Presents
#Readwomen
with Anne Enright, Joanna
Walsh and Sarah Davis-Goff
Chaired By Sinéad Gleeson
Pavilion Theatre
Sunday March 8th
FICTION
NON-FICTION
POETRY
Sheila Hancock
in Conversation
with Edel Coffey
Ghettoside
Jill Leovy in Conversation
with Declan Hughes
Paul Durcan:
A Reading
Pavilion Theatre
8.00pm
Sunday March 8th
€10 / €8 Concession
Her case – that female authors are marginalised by
newspapers and literary journals, their books given
‘girly’ covers – became the subject of vigorous debate.
Her rallying-cry, take action against this inequality by
making sure the next book you read is by a woman,
gained real traction throughout 2014.
Sheila Hancock is one of Britain’s most popular
actors. Since the 1950s she has enjoyed a career
across film, television, theatre and radio. A
memoir of her marriage to John Thaw, The Two of
Us, was a no. 1 bestseller as was Just Me, a memoir
of her widowhood. Now in her eighties, she has
written a scintillating first novel entitled Miss
Carter's War. It is 1948 and Britain is recovering
from WW II. Marguerite Carter, young and
beautiful, has lost her parents and survived a
terrifying war. Now she has a mission – to fight
social injustice, to prevent war and to educate her
girls. From the peace marches of the fifties and
the flowering of the Swinging Sixties, to the rise
of Thatcher and the battle for gay rights, to the
spectre of a new war, Sheila Hancock has created a
wonderful panoramic portrait of Britain.
Sinéad Gleeson, literary journalist and arts presenter
on RTÉ TV and Radio One will moderate a discussion
on this hot topic and she will be joined by writer and
editor Joanna Walsh, Man Booker prizewinner and
inaugural Laureate for Irish Fiction, Anne Enright and
Sarah Davis-Goff, publisher at Tramp Press.
Edel Coffey is a features writer and reviewer for
the Irish Independent. She is a researcher on
RTÉ Radio 1’s Today with Sean O’Rourke and also
contributes regularly to RTÉ Radio 1’s Arena, and
RTÉ television’s The Works.
6.00pm
€10 / €8 Concession
UK writer, illustrator and fiction editor, Joanna Walsh,
started the Twitter hashtag #readwomen after
drawing and posting online some bookmark-shaped
New Year’s cards showing some of her favourite
female writers. Her tweet met with a huge response
from women readers, adding their own favourite
authors and books by women until a massive
polyphonic conversation took hold.
hartley's
r e s t a u r a n t
hartley's
r e s t a u r a n t
This event is supported
by Hartley's Restaurant.
Pavilion Theatre
6.30pm
Wednesday March 18th
€10 / €8 Concession
Jilly Leovy’s Ghettoside is True Crime like you never
heard before, leaving all the crime thrillers and
blockbuster TV series for dead, which is how a
frightening number of young black Angeleno
males end up. Based on a decade embedded with
the homicide units of the LAPD, this gripping,
immersive work of reportage takes the reader
onto the streets and into the lives of a community
wracked by a homicide epidemic. Ghettoside
provides urgent insights into the origins of such
violence, explodes the myths surrounding policing
and race, and shows that the only way to fight the
epidemic successfully is with justice.
Post-Ferguson, this is the book you have to read to
understand the issue of policing black
neighbourhoods. Jill Leovy has been a reporter
for the LA Times for 20 years, and has been
embedded with the LAPD homicide squad on and
off since 2002. In 2007 she masterminded and
wrote the groundbreaking Homicide Report for the
LA Times, ‘an extraordinary blog’ (New Yorker)
that documented every one of the 845 murders
that took place in LA County that year.
Local author Declan Hughes is well known to
festival audiences. Hailed as ‘the best Irish crime
novelist of his generation’, his latest novel is All the
Things You Are.
Pavilion Theatre
8.30pm
Wednesday March 18th
€15 / €12 Concession
A Paul Durcan public reading is like no other.
Audiences come away drained and cleansed as if
from a secular mass. He can be funnier than any
stand-up, dramatic as many an actor, but once
heard, the sotto voce incantatory style is never
forgotten.
In the year following his Irish Book Awards'
Lifetime Achievement Award, Durcan returns, in
his 70th year, with a wonderful new collection, The
Days of Surprise, in which he muses upon the ‘precrucifixion scenario’ of being prepared for surgery,
the gift of a malacca cane, the joy of retail therapy,
the horror that is wheel-clamping, the ‘starry
mystique’ of the weather forecaster Jean Byrne,
suicide, bird-watching, stammering, art, Mayo,
New York City, New Zealand, murder in Syria and
the commemoration of 1916. Perhaps the greatest
surprise is the voice of the late Seamus Heaney
coming down his chimney: ‘Are you all right down
there, Poet Durcan?’ The Days of Surprise is proof
that the great poet of contemporary Ireland is in
fine fettle.
This event is supported
by Royal Marine Hotel.
8|9
FICTION
THEATRE
SPOKEN WORD
FICTION
Shock of The New
with Sara Baume, Rob
Doyle and Colin Barrett
Chaired by Peter Murphy
The Third Policeman by
Flann O’Brien
Narrated by Phelim Drew
Brave New Words
with Colm Keegan
S.J. Watson &
Paula Hawkins
Chaired by Sinéad Crowley
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
6.30pm
Thursday March 19th
€10 / €8 Concession
Irish literature’s capacity for self-renewal is
legendary. Every now and then, however, a group
of writers emerges to confound even our most
optimistic expectations. The generation of Tóibín,
Barry, O’Connor, Doyle and Enright burst onto the
scene in the 1980s and 1990s and now, in the new
century, another group is beginning to make its
own unique contribution, portraying a world that is
identifiably theirs, a world illuminated by a familiar
energy-source, the native flair for vivid storytelling.
Sara Baume won the Davy Byrnes Short Story Award
for 2014. Her first novel, Spill Simmer Falter Wither,
will be published by Tramp Press in February 2015.
Rob Doyle’s debut novel, Here Are the Young Men, was
widely acclaimed. His fiction, essays, and criticism
have appeared in The Dublin Review, The Stinging
Fly, and The Moth. Colin Barrett won the 2014
Guardian First Book Award for Young Skins published
by Stinging Fly. Judge, Anne Enright, hailed Barrett
as “an author who has a clear path in front of him.”
Live score by Colin Reid
Dave McCann cello; Ruth Millar violin; Dermot
Clenaghan cello; Colin Reid piano
Pavilion Theatre
8.30pm
Thursday March 19th
€12 / €10 Concession
A murder thriller; a hilarious comic satire about
an archetypal village police force; a surreal vision
of eternity; the story of a tender brief unrequited
love affair between a man and his bicycle, and
a chilling fable of unending guilt. A gem of Irish
literature is brought to life in this highly acclaimed
presentation which has toured widely throughout
Ireland, north and south. Glowering like a
Hibernian Rasputin, Drew delivers a richly allusive
account of the text, relishing the fantastical
elements of magic realism encountered in the
rural Ireland of O’Brien’s recondite imagination.
Colin Reid’s score is wonderfully eclectic,
referencing jazz, classical, and traditional idioms.
The music is particularly good at evoking the
strange, mysterious lyricism implicit in O’Brien’s
visionary take on Irish pastoral. The show is a pure
treat for lovers of O’Brien’s great novel.
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
11.00am
Friday March 20th
€3 per student
Age: Teenage
Over the last couple of months, dlr Writer in
Residence Colm Keegan has been working
with teenagers from local schools in the Dún
Laoghaire-Rathdown area. Following a series
of workshops with the students, he will present
a spoken word showcase as part of the festival,
featuring some of the best up and coming voices
from the area and beyond.
Colm has been shortlisted four times for the
Hennessy New Irish Writing Award for both
poetry and fiction. He won the All Ireland Poetry
Slam in 2010. His debut poetry collection Don’t Go
There was published by Salmon in 2012 to critical
acclaim. He is currently working on his first novel.
Since he started his residency, he has seen the
reopening of Blackrock Library and the move
into dlr LexIcon in Dún Laoghaire where he has a
dedicated room on the top floor.
Pavilion Theatre
6.30pm
Friday March 20th
€10 / €8 Concession
How well do we know our family, our closest
friends? How well do we really know ourselves? S.J.
Watson’s new novel, Second Life, explores identity,
lies and secrets in a nail-biting new psychological
thriller. Watson’s debut novel, Before I Go To Sleep,
became a phenomenal international success. It
has now sold over 4 million copies around the
world and has been made into a hit Hollywood
film starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman.
Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train has become
a publishing sensation before it has even hit the
shops with early reviewers anointing it as “the new
Gone Girl”. The central conceit is brilliant. Rachel
catches the same commuter train every morning.
Each time it waits at the same signal, overlooking
a row of houses. And then she sees something
shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves
on, but now everything’s changed.
Sinéad Crowley is Arts & Media correspondent
with RTÉ News. Her debut thriller Can Anybody
Help Me was published in 2014.
Peter Murphy is the author of two novels, John the
Revelator and Shall We Gather at the River. He is also
part of The Revelator Orchestra and a journalist and
TV presenter.
Cover photography: Erica Keegan
This event is supported
by Specsavers.
salmonpoetry
Don’t Go There
COLM KEEGAN
Colm Keegan’s poetry is a soulful yet visceral evocation of what it is to live in a Dublin
rarely seen in its un-exaggerated form in the literary world. A life and a mode of living
and seeing that refuses to be marginalised are set against a backdrop of palpable geography.
Rarely has a poet’s voice, unfamiliar but true in it’s every utterance, been captured so well
as it is in Keegan’s first collection. From the first poem to the last the energy of the verse
of his life and living never flags. Family, friends, children and the urban sprawl he renders
sparely yet lyrically, all are grist to the mill of Colm Keegan’s poetics.
“The poetry of Colm Keegan brims with frenetic energy and a hard-earned street-wise
lyricism, bereft of false notes or unearned experience. These new poems for a new era
grow into a powerful and often dark portrayal of contemporary Dublin: an exploration of
the streetscape of urban estates teeming with the complexity of life.” Dermot Bolger
“Sometimes you meet poets with soul, sometimes with experience, sometimes with talent.
But you seldom meet a poet with all three. Colm Keegan is one such poet.” Dave Lordan
Published by Salmon Poetry, Cliffs of Moher, Co Clare
ISBN 978-1-908836-06-9 114pp €12
Buy Online at www.salmonpoetry.com
10 | 11
NON-FICTION
CABARET
WORKSHOP
WORKSHOP
The Daughterhood:
Natasha Fennell & Róisín Ingle
dlr Writer in Residence
Colm Keegan Presents
Writing Workshop
with Sue Leonard
On Ghostwriting
and Memoir
Fiction Workshop with
Joanna Briscoe
From Character to Plot:
How Good Characters
Lead to Storytelling
The Good, The Bad and The Guilty of Mother
Daughter Relationships
Chaired by Anna Carey
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
8.00pm
Friday March 20th
€10 / €8 Concession
When Natasha Fennell’s mother was diagnosed
with a progressive illness, her life came to a
standstill. She wondered how she would cope when
her mother was gone and whether she had been a
good enough daughter. After a call out to daughters
in co-writer Róisín Ingle’s Irish Times column, they
quickly learned that other daughters had similar
fears and had never spoken about them before.
An impromptu, informal self-help club, The
Daughterhood, was formed – albeit one that
involved good food and wine – as once a month a
group of women would come together to help each
other navigate one of the most complex, frustrating
and joyous relationships of their lives.
The Daughterhood is the funny, poignant, and
occasionally heart-breaking story that will strike
a chord with daughters (and their mothers)
everywhere.
Natasha is a Director at Stillwater Communications
and is Ireland’s leading confidence expert. www.
stillwater.ie
Róisín is Daily Features Editor and Broadcaster at
The Irish Times. She writes a column in the paper’s
Magazine every Saturday.
Anna Carey is a journalist, bestselling author and a
regular contributor to The Irish Times.
‘The Residency’
with Dermot Bolger, Kevin
Gildea and Vyvienne Long
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
9.45pm
Friday March 20th
€10 / €8 Concession
We are delighted to announce that Colm Keegan
will present one of his popular cabarets at this year’s
Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival. He has a terrific
lineup with none other than Dermot Bolger, Kevin
Gildea and Vyvienne Long taking part in a compelling
evening of arts and entertainment.
Dermot Bolger is one of Ireland’s best known poets
and playwrights and the author of eleven critically
acclaimed novels, including The Journey Home, The
Family on Paradise Pier and New Town Soul. His twelfth
novel, Tanglewood, set in Blackrock, will be published
in April 2015.
According to himself, Kevin Gildea is a comedian,
writer, performer, interviewer, astronaut, reviewer,
matador and liar and he is currently writing a novel,
a play and a list. According to The Guardian, he is
‘quirky’, ‘innovative,’ ‘creative’ and ‘pioneering’!
Composer, songwriter, cellist and pianist Vyvienne
Long released her critically acclaimed debut album
Caterpillar Sarabande in 2010. Her beautifully
disarming and intensely personal songs have
been in demand for soundtracks in Ireland and
internationally. They include Kirsten Sheridan’s
‘Dollhouse’, the Icelandic documentary ‘The Future
Of Hope’ and RTÉ’s drama series ‘RAW’. Admired as
a compelling vocalist and songwriter of incisive wit,
critics have drawn comparisons with Björk, Tori Amos
and Joanna Newsome.
dlr LexIcon
Saturday March 21st
10.30am- 12.30pm
€25 / €20 Concession
dlr LexIcon
Saturday March 21st
11.00am -1.00pm
What is ghostwriting? Is it telling someone’s
life story in a simple way, or is there room for
creativity? This workshop is for everyone who
wants to learn how ghostwriting works, or who
needs advice on how best to write their own
memoir. We’ll discuss the art of memoir and
ghostwriting; how you identify the story you want
to tell, and how to tell it in a way that best holds
your reader’s attention. We’ll discuss truth and
honesty, and will also go through the process of
compiling a manuscript. We’ll do exercises in class
to demonstrate the importance of finding the
story. We’ll also touch on the publishing process,
and discuss the different options of selling a
manuscript, and the different ways payment is
managed.
Sue Leonard has made her living from writing, as a
journalist and ghostwriter, for eighteen years. She
recently co-wrote the number one bestseller, An
Act of Love with Marie Fleming. (Hachette Ireland,
2014) about Marie’s extraordinary life, and fight for
the right to die with dignity.
€25 / €20 Concession
This is a workshop on characterisation, with
exercises designed to help writers really pin
down characters, understand their back stories,
psyches and personalities, and to give them a
voice through dialogue exercises. We will then see
how a strong protagonist can determine a plot,
once we understand motives and work out what is
possible for that character. Character and plot are
entirely entwined, but the most effective way is to
start with character.
Joanna Briscoe has published five novels, and her
novel Sleep with Me was adapted by Andrew Davies
for ITV. She broadcasts and reviews literature.
She is a tutor at the Faber Academy, where she
has taught many courses in novel writing at all
levels. She has also taught at Birkbeck, University
of London; for City University, and the Arvon
Foundation, as well as running workshops in
Wales and throughout the UK.
12 | 13
FICTION
LITERARY WALK
NON-FICTION
FICTION
Sarah Bannan
& Polly Samson
Chaired by Paula Shields
Dear Old Back Road:
The Beckett Foxrock Walk
With Paul O’Hanrahan
Ghost Stories:
Andrew Crofts in
Conversation with
Sue Leonard
Andrew O’Hagan:
in Conversation with
Mick Heaney
Pavilion Theatre
12.30pm
(Balloonatics Theatre Company)
Saturday March 21
st
€10 / €8 Concession
Sarah Bannan’s debut novel, Weightless,
encapsulates contemporary themes of social
networking, adolescent cliques and virtual
bullying in a haunting coming-of-age story for
the digital generation. The novel examines the
hypocrisy of small town life, where no one quite
knows where rumour ends and truth begins.
Sarah Bannan, was born in upstate New York.
Since moving to Ireland in 2000, she has worked
in various roles in the arts and, since 2007 she has
been Head of Literature with the Arts Council.
Lyrical and exquisitely rendered, Polly Samson’s
second novel, The Kindness, explores a deception
that comes wrapped as a gift, a betrayal clothed
in kindness, and asks if we can ever truly trust
another. The result is an unforgettable story of
love, grief, betrayal and reconciliation. Samson
is the author of two highly acclaimed story
collections and a novel. Married to David Gilmour
of Pink Floyd, she is also a lyricist for one of
Britain’s best­loved bands.
Paula Shields is a researcher on RTÉ TV’s arts show,
The Works.
Tullow Church, Brighton Road, Foxrock
Saturday March 21st & Sunday March 22nd
2.30 - 4.30pm
€20 / €15 Concession
Car parking available in church grounds on Sunday
March 22nd; available, but restricted on Sat 21st
- alternative parking is available on Kerrymount
Avenue.
The Beckett Foxrock Walk was inaugurated last
summer, as part of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown’s
season of Heritage Walks; it is the first to be based
in Beckett’s home village. It explores Beckett’s
relationship with Foxrock by visiting sites associated
with his life and work, such as the house where he
was born and the church attended by his family.
The tour builds on the work of Eoin O’Brien’s The
Beckett Country by offering new insights into a
landscape that was seminal in the development of
the Nobel Prize winning author.
Paul O’Hanrahan is an actor and scholar who
specialises in relating literature to place. Previous
festival appearances include a performance from
Ulysses at the Joyce Tower, an invented journey
based on Flann O’Brien’s whimsical fiction and
a Dún Laoghaire pier walk reflecting Beckett’s
relationship with the harbour and the sea.
O’Hanrahan, who has played Vladimir in Waiting
for Godot, has also led Beckett walks in Dublin and
London. He has presented street theatre and venuebased Joyce performances in Dublin on Bloomsday
for the last 27 years.
Pavilion Theatre
4.30pm
Saturday March 21st
€10 / €8 Concession
Andrew Crofts is one of the UK’s most prolific
and successful writers, despite being almost
completely unknown to the book-buying public.
Why? Because Andrew Crofts is a ghostwriter who,
in a long career has published more than eighty
books, a dozen of which were Sunday Times No 1
bestsellers. He first became known as a chronicler
of the disenfranchised, working with victims of
enforced marriages, sex workers, orphans in war
zones, criminals and victims of crime. Soon, the
enormous success of these books enabled him to
step up a gear; first came the celebrities from the
worlds of film, music, television and sport, and
then the real elite in the form of world leaders
and the mysterious, powerful people who finance
them, arm them and, in some cases, control them.
His latest book, Secret Child, describes a Dublin
childhood in a home for single mothers in the
1950s.
Sue Leonard is also a successful ghostwriter who
co-wrote the number one bestseller, An Act of Love
with Marie Fleming.
dlr LexIcon, The Studio Saturday March 21st
6.00pm
€10 / €8 Concession
In his latest novel, The Illuminations, Andrew
O’Hagan uses his considerable skills to explore
the human consequences of waging so-called
“humanitarian wars”. The book is shaped in part
by the conscience of Capt. Luke Campbell, leading
a regiment in Afghanistan in a war he knows is
dirty. “There’s nothing good here,” Campbell says
“and we the police are creeping to our end.” As UK
troops prepare to exit Afghanistan the novel could
hardly be more timely. The Illuminations is a deeply
charged story about love and memory, about
modern war and the complications of fact.
Andrew O'Hagan has twice been nominated
for the Man Booker Prize. He was voted one of
Granta's Best of Young British Novelists in 2003.
He has won the Los Angeles Times Book Award
and the E.M. Forster Award from the American
Academy of Arts & Letters.
Mick Heaney is radio columnist for The Irish
Times and a regular contributor to the paper’s
Arts pages. As a journalist and broadcaster, he has
covered cultural issues for a variety of publications
and programmes, including RTÉ 1’s arts magazine
The Works.
14 | 15
IRISH LANGUAGE
WORKSHOP
WORKSHOP
NON-FICTION
Compánach:
The Music Of Ireland
Publishing Workshop with
Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin
How to Get Published
Writing Workshop
with Aoife Barry
How to Write Online
Being a Man
with Tom Clonan, Colm
O’Gorman and Damian Barr
Chaired by Ian Robertson
Pavilion Theatre
9.00pm
Saturday March 21st
€12 / €10 Concession
dlr LexIcon
Cur i láthair closamhairc dlúth de cheol,
amhránaíocht is damhsa a chuireann beocht
i nádúr, raon agus stair Cheol Traidisiúnta na
hÉireann mar a leagtar amach é san Companion to
Irish Traditional Music. Páirteach sa cheolchoirm
bheoga seo tá an fidléir Gerry O’Connor, an
píobaire Tiarnán Ó Duinnchín, an fliúiteadóir
Fintan Vallely, an damhsóir ar an sean-nós Sibéal
Davitt agus an t-amhránaí Róisín Chambers. Trí
úsáid a bhaint as céad rian ceoil agus amhrán
as ceithre hairde na hÉireann léiríonn siad stór
agus stíl shainiúil cheol na tíre. Ina n-orlaí tríd an
tseinnt tá faisnéis, comhthéacs agus anamúlacht
ag síolrú as 400 íomhá lánscáileáin de dhaoine,
áiteanna agus imeachtaí leis an ngrianghrafadóir
Gael-Bheilgeach Jacques Piraprez Nutan.
An intimate, audio-visual recital of music and
song which brings alive the nature, scope and
history of Irish traditional music as described in
the encyclopedic Companion to Irish Traditional
Music. It is a fast-moving concert of great variety
with fiddler Gerry O’Connor, uilleann piper
Tiarnán Ó Duinnchín, flute-player Fintan Vallely,
sean-nós step dancer Sibéal Davitt and singer
Róisín Chambers. In music and song from all Irish
regions they demonstrate Irish music’s hallmark
repertoire and style. Information on the music,
context and warmth are given by a flow of 400
large-screen backing images of people, places
and events by Belgian-Irish photographer Jacques
Piraprez Nutan.
Sunday March 22nd
10.30am - 12.30pm
€25 / €20 Concession
Thinking of submitting your book to agents
or publishers? What do you need to do to give
your work the best possible chance of success?
Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin is Ireland’s leading literary
consultant who has guided hundreds of writers to
publication.
Vanessa is the founder of www.writing.ie and runs
Inkwell Writers’ Workshops. She is a literary scout
for several leading Irish agents and publishers and
works with major UK agents to place Irish authors.
She will explain the blueprint from keyboard to
bookshelf and discuss exactly what the industry is
looking for - what’s hot and what’s not - and how
best to submit your work. She will show you what
you need to do to attract a publisher and build
your author platform - and explain exactly what
that is.
This workshop will give you concrete ways to
improve your book, your pitch, ideas on where to
submit and give you a thorough understanding of
how the business works in a relaxed and informal
atmosphere where you can ask all those tricky
questions.
dlr LexIcon
Sunday March 22nd
11.00am - 1.00pm
€25 / €20 Concession
Want to write for an online publication, but not
sure what skills you need? Want to learn how to
ensure your news/feature story/blogpost grabs
readers’ attention online?
In this workshop, Aoife Barry from Irish news
website thejournal.ie will show you the key points
in what to do - and not do.
Pavilion Theatre
Sunday March 22nd
12.30pm €10 / €8 Concession
In the late twentieth century, the march of feminism
forced men to examine the nature of the hegemony
they had exerted over women for aeons. This
cataclysm, some have argued, has left men resentful,
confused, and unsure about what it means to be a man
today. With depression and suicide rates increasing
alarmingly, why is it that so many men feel “unmanned”
in the new century?
Aoife comes from a print background, having
written for the Irish Times, the Irish Independent,
State.ie, the Event Guide, and various blogs, as well
as featuring on national radio and television. Aoife
has learned how to bring a piece of writing from
page to computer screen and make it pop.
Led by Ian Robertson of Trinity College, a group of
contributors, all leaders in their field, will explore all
facets of masculinity and male identity. Subjects range
from fatherhood, heroism and the tribal nature of sport
to online addictions, sex, war, race and the aspirations
men have.
In a relaxed and informal way, she will show you
the key points in drawing readers in, how to craft
an article or blogpost that caters for the right
audience, and how to keep people reading in an
age when attention spans are shortening.
Dr. Tom Clonan is the Irish Times Security Analyst. He
is a retired army officer with experience in the Middle
East and former Yugoslavia. He has written forcefully on
the incidence of sexual harassment and bullying in the
Irish military.
Aoife will introduce you to the exciting world of
online writing, showing you how to bring your
writing skills, no matter what level, to a new
audience.
Colm O’Gorman is the founder of One in Four, a former
Senator, and current executive director of Amnesty
International in Ireland. He is a survivor of clerical
sexual abuse, and first came to public attention by
speaking out against the perpetrators.
Damian Barr is a hugely influential newspaper
columnist, writer and salonnière. Maggie & Me,his story
of surviving small-town Scotland in the Thatcher years
won The Sunday Times Memoir of the Year.
SECOND
EDITION
COMPANION
TO IRISH
TRADITIONAL
MUSIC
Fintan Vallely, Editor
16 | 17
FICTION
FICTION
NON-FICTION
NON-FICTION
Joyce Aloud - Readings from
the Works of The Master
With Barry McGovern,
Michèle Forbes & Owen Roe
The Unbearable Lightness
of Being Ross
Paul Howard in Conversation
with Róisín Ingle
David Lodge
in Conversation
with Séan Rocks
Rory O’Neill AKA Panti Bliss
in Conversation with
Damian Barr
Maritime Museum
4.00pm
Sunday March 22nd
€10 / €8 Concession
As with the best poetry, the prose of James Joyce
isn’t just for the eye and the mind, it benefits
hugely from being read aloud. The musical
element in Joyce, the sound, meter and rhythm,
needs to be heard. Articulated with the throat,
teeth, lips, and tongue, the language comes alive.
Nobody said reading Joyce is easy; whole passages
can elude the reader’s grasp but from the mouths
of great actors, comes understanding and nuances
unheard hitherto. Here is a rare opportunity to
hear three of Ireland’s finest actors reading from
the works of Ireland’s greatest novelist.
Barry McGovern will read the Cyclops chapter from
Ulysses. Barry is the narrator on the Wonderland
Audio production of Dubliners and also reads on
the app dedicated to The Dead produced by UCD
Humanities Institute.
Michèle Forbes will read Clay also from Dubliners.
She performed the reading of the revised edition
of Finnegan’s Wake at its launch at Dublin Castle in
2010.
Owen Roe will read The Ondt and the Gracehoper
from Finnegan’s Wake which he performed upon
publication of the first ever illustrated version by
Irish artist Tom McNally.
Pavilion Theatre
4.30pm
Sunday March 22nd
€10 / €8 Concession
Declan Lynch of The Sunday Independent recently
advanced the proposition that Paul Howard is a
comic writer of Wodehousian stature, with Ross as
his Bertie Wooster. “In his estrangement from all
the pieties of our time, he appeals to something
within all of us, a desire to transgress, to value
relaxation as man’s highest purpose, to say the
wrong thing and to not give a damn.” With sales of
his 16 books recently crashing the million barrier
and Ross O’Carroll Kelly now firmly embedded in
popular culture, this is no idle claim. As another
writer remarked, we Irish “need the Rossmeister
like Gotham needs Batman.”
Paul Howard will be discussing Ross and his stellar
career with longtime friend and former journalistic
colleague, Róisín Ingle, whom he first met while
both were tyro journalists on the Sunday Tribune.
Paul will also read passages of vintage Ross and
together they may spontaneously burst into a
chorus of Bruce Springsteen’s The River (those of
a delicate aural disposition will be well-warned in
advance.)
Pavilion Theatre
6.30pm
Sunday March 22nd
€10 / €8 Concession
“I drew my first breath on the 28th of January 1935,
which was quite a good time for a future writer to
be born in England.” So begins this memoir from
one of Britain’s finest novelists and critics, David
Lodge. The only child in a lower-middle-class
London family, Lodge was four when World War
II began and grew to maturity through decades of
great social and cultural change. In this memoir,
Lodge looks back over his childhood and youth,
including his undergraduate years at University
College London. After National Service, and two
years’ postgraduate research, he landed a job at
the University of Birmingham and met a colleague
of similar ambition, Malcolm Bradbury.
A promising career opens up, full of opportunities
for travel, exciting new trends and interesting
new friends. From this platform Lodge went on
to become a distinguished academic and the
critically-acclaimed, prize-winning author of books
such as Changing Places, Small World and The Art of
Fiction.
Seán Rocks presents ARENA, RTÉ Radio 1’s
flagship arts, popular culture and entertainment
programme, broadcast at 7pm from Monday to
Friday.
Pavilion Theatre
8.30pm
Sunday March 22nd
€15 / €12 Concession
Woman in the Making is the extraordinary story
of a boy, a drag queen, and a nation. It’s also the
story of a misfit who turned his difference into
a triumphant art form; of personal struggle and
coming to terms with HIV; of political passion and
activism; and of ‘Pantigate’, and the Abbey speech
that touched a million lives. Here is Rory O’Neill’s
journey from the fields of a once homophobic,
homogeneous Ireland, through Tokyo’s chaotic
underbelly and Dublin’s burgeoning drag world,
to becoming Panti Bliss, the voice of a brave new
post Catholic nation.
Welcome to the absolutely fabulous, hilariously
funny and ultimately life-affirming world of Panti,
Ireland’s foremost ‘gender discombobulist’ and
‘accidental activist’. The invention of Rory O’Neill,
she began performing while an art student in the
late ‘80s before moving to Tokyo. Returning to
Dublin in 1995 she ran some of Dublin’s seminal
club nights and hosted the legendary Alternative
Miss Ireland for 18 years.
Damian Barr is a hugely influential newspaper
columnist, writer and salonnière. Maggie & Me,his
story of surviving small-town Scotland in the
Thatcher years won The Sunday Times Memoir of
the Year.
This event is supported
by Fallon & Byrne
18 | 19
POETRY NOW @
DLR BOOK FESTIVAL
Poetry Now 2015: 20 years of seeding and reseeding poetry
My first point of contact with Poetry Now was as
a member of the audience. The festival has been
one of the highlights of my year, especially when
my daughter was young and I was home, trying
to keep writing during her nap times. I bought my
tickets early and spent the weekend immersed
in poetry readings, organised talks and chance
conversations. The train journey home to Carrickon-Shannon had me laden with new books, with
inklings. But it was the voices of the poets, the
timbre and pacing, the pitch and the cadence
that lingered in me longest. It clarified that while
books are surely indispensable, the presence of
the writer, the person who commits words to
the forms of poems, matters. That they are there
(George Oppen).
Poetry Now is a festival that celebrates the
richness of possibility held by the intersection(s)
of text - spoken and written- and persons, writers
and readers. I am delighted to return to the
festival this time in the role of curator and to
offer you many sorts of opportunities for such
encounters. And it’s time to celebrate because
Poetry Now is 20 years old!
The programme this year reflects the generative
and re-generative nature of language and poetry,
how new words spring up in the humus of the
what has been. Our keynote address by the
compelling poet and essayist Maureen McLane
addresses the oft-descried deaths of poetry and
poetry’s rambunctious resurrections, much like
Tim Finnegan in the old ballad.
I can think of no better emblem for poetry’s
regenerative powers than the words and the
person of poet and translator David Ferry, who
dlr
Poetry
Now
International
Poetry Festival
comes to us at age 92, in the home stretch of
translating The Aeneid and author of the radiant,
lauded collection Bewilderment, a trove of new
words about long life.
There are so many more wonderful poets, too
many than my word count allows me to mention!
Plus masterclasses, an artists’ book fair, viewing
booths for films and online magazines, and a film
screening directed by one of our fine poets, Tom
Pickard.
Finally, this 20th anniversary year sees the
production of a Feuilleton with poems from this
year's poets and artwork from Visual Arts Practice
students at IADT, a publication dedicated to our
audience.
For being generous, open-minded, passionately
opinionated and always willing to take chances
for poets and poetry … we couldn’t have existed for
20 years without you … Bravo!
Alice Lyons
Poetry Now Curator
POETRY
POETRY
POETRY
WORKSHOP
Alice Lyons: Poetry Now
Curator’s Talk
Poetry as Perpetual Speech
Maureen N. McLane: Poetry
Now Keynote Address
Poetry Is Dead, Long Live
Poetry: Toward An Ongoing
Compositionism
Miriam Gamble, Maureen
N. McLane & Tom Pickard
Introduced by Declan Long
Tess Gallagher:
Poetry Masterclass
Writing Past The Ending
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
1.00pm
Friday March 20th
Free Event
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
We come into the world as strangers to language
and gradually become its familiars. Yet that state, or
the memory of the state, of outsidedness remains.
Elizabeth Bishop’s recollection in her poem ‘In
the Waiting Room’ recalls a phase of childhood
in which one is both in and outside a ‘self’: ’But
I felt: you are an I / you are an Elizabeth...I knew
that nothing stranger/ had ever happened, that
nothing/ stranger could ever happen.’ How might
lyric poetry 'remember the history of the process
of its own coming into being', as critic Mutlu Konuk
Blasing suggests? How is one's initiation into speech
perpetuated in the experience of reading and
hearing lyric poetry?
Poetry Now’s curator Alice Lyons will give a talk
exploring language acquisition and language
variation and their intersection with poetry in the
minds of authors and readers. She will refer to the
work of many of the poets reading at this year’s
festival. Come along to this free lunch time event.
6.30pm
Friday March 20th
€10 / €8 Concession
In some precincts of the English-speaking world,
poetry has been declared dead for some 200
years. Is this true? if so, what then? Poet and
essayist Maureen N. McLane explores the many
ways poetry has been and can be dead, and how
it might continue to live. She will offer reflections
and examples from her own reading and writing
life; she brings as well some bulletins from
North America, and will outline a horizon for
poetry as ‘something evermore about to be,’ as
Wordsworth put it, as ‘still in a state of becoming,’
to invoke Schlegel. En route she will discuss old
ballads, Elizabeth Bishop, Percy Bysshe Shelley,
other romantic poets, and contemporary poets
and critics. Some slogans for a new century:
make it new; make it old; compose it; care for it:
compositionism!
Poet and divagator Maureen N. McLane grew up
in upstate New York (USA) and was educated at
Harvard, Oxford, and the University of Chicago.
Her book My Poets (2012)–an experimental hybrid
of memoir and criticism–was named a New York
Times Notable Book and a Finalist for the National
Book Critics Circle Award in Autobiography.
Currently a professor of English at New York
University, she has written poems on ‘weird life’
and two books on British romanticism.
Pavilion Theatre
8.30pm
Friday March 20th
€10 / €8 Concession
Miriam Gamble is from Belfast and now lives in
Edinburgh. Her first collection, The Squirrels Are Dead
(2010) won a Somerset Maugham Award in 2011; her
second, Pirate Music, also from Bloodaxe, appeared in
2014.
New Yorker Maureen N. McLane is the author of three
books of poetry all from Farrar, Straus & Giroux: Same
Life (2008), World Enough (2010), and This Blue (2014),
which was a Finalist for the 2014 National Book Award
in Poetry.
Tom Pickard was born Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1946.
He left school at fourteen and a few years later ‘served
an apprenticeship’ with Basil Bunting. His Ballad of
Jamie Allan was a Finalist in the National Book Critics
Circle Awards (US). The Sunday Times reviewing
hoyoot, Collected Poems and Songs (Carcanet) described
him as ‘one of our finest lyric poets’.
Declan Long is a lecturer in modern and contemporary
art in the Faculty of Visual Culture at the National
College of Art and Design. He served as a member of
the judging panel for the 2013 Turner Prize and writes
extensively on art and culture.
dlr LexIcon
Saturday March 21st
10:00am – 12.00pm
€25 / €20 Concession
One of the most lauded of contemporary poets,
Tess Gallagher, will offer this masterclass on
sustaining the poem and ‘not letting the expected
steal the poem at the penultimate moment’.
Tess Gallagher’s ninth volume of poetry, Midnight
Lantern: New and Selected Poems(2011) is available
from Graywolf Press. Other poetry includes
Dear Ghosts, Moon Crossing Bridge, and Amplitude.
Gallagher’s The Man from Kinvara: Selected Stories
was published in 2009. In 2008 Blackstaff Press
published Barnacle Soup: Stories from the West of
Ireland, a collaboration with the Sligo storyteller
Josie Gray. She spends time in a cottage on Lough
Arrow in Co. Sligo where many of her new poems
are set, and also lives and writes in her hometown
of Port Angeles, Washington, USA.
As places are limited, applicants are asked to apply
by e-mailing 3 poems to: [email protected] and
if applicable, a list of recent publications before
Friday February 27th.
As the workshop is limited to 12, early booking is
advisable.
This event is supported
by Poetry Ireland
22 | 23
POETRY
POETRY
POETRY
Peter Sirr & Nuala
Ní Dhomhnaill
Introduced by Jane Clarke
Tomasz Różycki
& Kei Miller
Introduced by Gail McConnell
Peter Fallon and David Ferry: Reading Followed
by a Conversation with Vincent Woods
Introduced by Siobhán Garrigan
dlr LexIcon, The Studio Saturday March 21st
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
2.30pm
4.30pm
€10 / €8 Concession
Peter Sirr lives in Dublin where he works as a freelance
writer and translator. His collections published by
Gallery Press include Nonetheless (2004), shortlisted for
the Irish Times Poetry Now Award, The Thing Is (2009),
shortlisted for the Irish Times Poetry Now Award and
winner of the Michael Hartnett Award in 2011, and,
most recently, The Rooms (2014) shortlisted for this
year’s Irish Times Poetry Now Award. Selected Poems also
appeared in 2004. Peter Sirr is recipient of the Patrick
Kavanagh and O’Shaughnessy Awards and a member
of Aosdána.
Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill is one of Ireland’s best known
poets writing in the Irish language today. Her writings
focus on the rich traditions and heritage of Ireland
and draw upon themes of ancient Irish folklore and
mythology combined with contemporary themes of
femininity, sexuality and culture. Her poems appear in
English translation in the dual-language editions Rogha
Dánta/Selected Poems (1986, 1988, 1990); The Astrakhan
Cloak (1992), Pharaoh’s Daughter (1990), The Water Horse
(2002), and The Fifty Minute Mermaid (2007). Selected
Essays appeared in 2005. She is a regular broadcaster
on Irish radio and television and she has also won
numerous international awards for works which have
been translated widely.
Roscommon-born, Wicklow poet, Jane Clarke’s work is
widely published in poetry journals in Ireland and the
UK and her first collection, The River, will be published
by Bloodaxe Books in 2015. www.janeclarkepoetry.ie
Saturday March 21st
€10 / €8 Concession
Tomasz Różycki is a poet, critic and translator who
lives in Opole in southwestern Poland. He has
published nine books since the mid-1990s, including
the epic poem Dwanaście Stacji (Twelve Stations,
2004) and the sonnet cycle Kolonie (Colonies, 2006),
both of which were nominated for Poland’s most
prestigious literary award, the NIKE. Translation of
Kolonie (Colonies) by Mira Rosenthal into English was
shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize and won the
Northern California Book Award in 2014. The Forgotten
Keys, a selection from his first five books translated
into English by Mira Rosenthal, was published in
2007.
Kei Miller was born in Jamaica. His poetry has been
shortlisted for awards such as the Jonathan Llewellyn
Rhys Prize, the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Scottish
Book of the Year. His fiction has been shortlisted
for the Phyllis Wheatley Prize, the Commonwealth
Writers Prize for Best First book and has won the Una
Marson Prize. His recent book of essays won the 2014
Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature (non-fiction). In
2010, the Institute of Jamaica awarded him the Silver
Musgrave medal for his contributions to Literature.
His 2014 collection, The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way
to Zion, won the Forward Prize for Best Collection.
Pavilion Theatre
6.30pm
Saturday March 21st
€10 / €8 Concession
Peter Fallon’s books include The Georgics of Virgil (a
Poetry Book Society Recommended translation),
(Oxford World’s Classics), The Company of Horses
(2007) and Strong, My Love (2014). At the age of
eighteen he founded The Gallery Press, Ireland’s
leading literary publishing company, and he has
edited and published five hundred books of poems
and plays by the country’s finest established and
emerging authors. A member of Aosdána, he held
the Burns Chair at Boston College (2012-13). He lives
in Loughcrew in County Meath where he farmed for
many years.
David Ferry is the author of six books of poems
including Bewilderment, winner of the National
Book Award (US, 2012). As a translator, he has
published English renderings of Gilgamesh, Virgil’s
Eclogues and Georgics, and Horace’s Odes and Epistles,
winner of the Harold Morton Landon Prize of the
Academy of American Poets. Among his other
awards and honours are fellowships from the
Ingram Merrill Foundation and the Guggenheim
Foundation, as well as the prestigious and lucrative
Ruth Lilly Award for lifetime achievement in poetry.
‘David Ferry is a transcendent American poet .. . .The
true voice, or rather the true voices, of feeling, as clear as
a bell, from a great poet, now of a great age. Alive with
stoicism’s wit, ‘Turning Eighty-Eight, a Birthday Poem,’ a
recent one-line poem, is no flat line: ‘It is a breath-taking,
near-death, experience.’ Christopher Ricks
Poet, playwright and broadcaster Vincent Woods is
the host of Arts Tonight, a weekly magazine of the
arts on RTÉ Radio 1.
Siobhán Garrigan is a theologian, currently working
at Trinity College as its first Loyola Professor. 'Her
most recent book is, The Real Peace Process: Worship,
Politics and the End of Sectarianism.
Dr. Gail McConnell is Lecturer in English at Queen’s
University Belfast. She is the author of Northern Irish
Poetry and Theology (Palgrave, 2014) and is one of the
editors of The Irish Review.
24 | 25
POETRY
POETRY
POETRY
BOOK FAIR
Publication Launch: IADT/
Poetry Now Feuilleton to mark
Poetry Now’s 20th Anniversary
Daljit Nagra & Liz Berry
Introduced by
Clíodhna Shaffrey
Film Screening:
Birmingham Is What I
Think With (1991, 50 mins)
A Film about Poet Roy Fisher
Directed by Tom Pickard
Live in The Living Room:
Artists’ Book Fair &
Viewing Booths
dlr LexIcon, The Living Room
Saturday March 21st 9.30pm Free Event
Come celebrate the publication of the Poetry Now 20th
anniversary Feuilleton, a collaborative project featuring
poems by all the poets reading at dlr Poetry Now 2015
and designs by IADT Visual Arts Practice students and
tutors (Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dún
Laoghaire). Retire to festival club after the launch for
impromptu readings and more!
dlr
Poetry
Now
International
Poetry Festival
20 YEARS
WORKSHOP
Liz Berry: Poetry Masterclass
Working Towards a First
Collection of Poems
dlr LexIcon
Sunday March 22nd
10:15am – 12:15pm €25/ €20 Concession
This workshop is facilitated by poet Liz Berry, the 2014
winner of the Forward Prize for Best First Collection for
her book Black Country. It will be aimed at poets who are
working toward a first collection.
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
2.30pm
Sunday March 22nd
€10 / €8 Concession
Daljit Nagra comes from a Punjabi background
and was born and raised in London, then
Sheffield. In 2004, he won the Forward Prize for
Best Individual Poem with Look We Have Coming to
Dover! This was also the title of his first collection
which was published by Faber & Faber in 2007.
This won the South Bank Show Decibel Award,
the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and
was nominated for The Costa Prize, The Guardian
First Book Prize, the Aldeburgh Prize and the
Glen Dimplex Award. Tippoo Sultan’s Incredible
White-Man Eating Tiger-Toy Machine!!! (2012) and
his reworking of the classic epic Ramayana (2013)
were both shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize. He is
the Keats’ House Poet-In-Residence from July 2014
– June 2015.
Liz Berry was born in England’s Black Country. She
received an Eric Gregory Award in 2009, an ArvonJerwood mentorship in 2011 and won the Poetry
London competition in 2012. Her debut collection
Black Country (Chatto & Windus, 2014) won the
Forward Prize for Best First Collection.
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
4.30pm
Sunday March 22nd
€10 / €8 Concession
‘There’s no shame In letting the world pivot
on your own patch. That’s all a centre’s for.’ Roy Fisher
Tom Pickard, notes for his film Birmingham’s What I
Think With about poet Roy Fisher:
... what woke the poet in the child was fire – dirty
dangerous industrial fire. Just as Whitman did
when crossing Brooklyn Ferry, Fisher saw the
night sky lit up by the blast furnaces. They were
his Northern Lights. And no less truthful or
less enriching than the aurora-borealis--those
Birmingham solar winds created the poet in the
child and the child in the poet.
dlr LexIcon, The Living Room
Saturday March 21st & Sunday 22nd
9.30am-5.00pm
Free Event
The Living Room area of the Haigh Terrace Level
at dlr LexIcon will be alive with literary activity for
all ages on Saturday and Sunday. Come and visit
bookstalls with publications made by artists and
small presses and have a look inside four viewing
booths—like old fashioned photo booths—where
you can view children’s animations, illustrations
and poetry films and online literary magazines.
Something for everyone.
Tom Pickard will be present to introduce his film.
Clíodhna Shaffrey was one of the founders of
Poetry Now. She is director of Temple Bar Gallery +
Studios, Dublin and writes frequently on matters
of art, culture and public policy.
As the workshop is limited to 12, applicants are asked
to apply by e-mailing 3 poems to: [email protected] and
if applicable, a list of recent publications before Friday
February 27th.
Early booking is advisable.
26 | 27
AWARD
AWARD
The Irish Times / Poetry Now Award
Shine / Strong Poetry Award Reading
dlr LexIcon, The Studio Saturday March 21st
dlr LexIcon, The Studio Sunday March 22nd
12.30pm
12.30pm
Free Event
The Irish Times/Poetry Now Award is presented
annually to the author of the best collection of
poems published in English by an Irish poet in the
previous year. The winner will be chosen from this
shortlist of collections published in 2014. Recent
winners include Derek Mahon, Seamus Heaney,
Michael Longley, Dennis O’Driscoll and Sinéad
Morrissey. This year’s judges are Lucy Collins,
Catríona Crowe and Thomas McCarthy. The winner
will receive €2,000.
‘Since 2005 the Irish Times Poetry Now Award has been
a lens through which the rich and varied field of new
poetry in Ireland has come into focus’ –
Belinda McKeon
THIS YEAR’S SHORTLIST
Theo Dorgan
Nine Bright Shiners
Dedalus Press
Martina Evans
Burnfort, Las Vegas
Anvil Press
Vona Groarke
X
The Gallery Press
Kerry Hardie
The Zebra Stood in the Night
Bloodaxe Books
€5 entry
The Shine/Strong Reading features readings by
the poets shortlisted for this year’s Shine/Strong
Award as well as the presentation of the Award.
The Award is presented annually to the author
of the best first collection of poems published in
English or Irish by an Irish poet in the previous
year. Previous winners of the Award include Nerys
Williams, Dave Lordan, Peadar Ó hUallaigh, Grace
Wells, Michelle O’Sullivan and most recently, Tara
Bergin. This year’s award is judged by Daljit Nagra,
and the recipient will receive €1,000.
The Shine/Strong Award is awarded in memory
of Rupert and Eithne Strong and is made possible
by the generous support of Shine. Shine is the
national organisation dedicated to upholding
the rights and addressing the needs of all those
affected by mental ill health.
THIS YEAR’S SHORTLIST
Graham Allen
The One That Got Away
New Binary Press
Caoilinn Hughes
Gathering Evidence
Carcanet
Jean Kavanagh
Other Places
Salmon Poetry
Jessica Traynor
Liffey Swim
Dedalus Press
Peter Sirr
The Rooms
The Gallery Press
This event is supported by
The Irish Times.
This event is
supported by Shine.
28 | 29
FAMILIES @
DLR BOOK FESTIVAL
My name is Sarah Webb and I have a fantastic
job: I select the children’s writers and illustrators
from Ireland and abroad and invite them to Dún
Laoghaire. My main aim is to give children, parents
and teachers an unforgettable book experience.
This year I invited magical writers, David Almond
and Frank Cottrell Boyce from England to talk about
their award-winning books; I asked international
storytellers Simone Schuemmelfeder (Germany)
and Juliette Saumande (France) to inspire our
youngest attendees; I woke bestselling Irish author,
Derek Landy from his writing cave and cajoled him
into entertaining you. I also read hundreds of new
children’s books, fell in love with Shane Hegarty’s
debut, Darkmouth, and asked him to join in the fun.
And what will Horrid Henry and Dennis the Menace
and their creators, Francesca Simon and Steven
Butler get up to in the Pavilion? I dread to think!
There are stellar writers lined up for the schools
events. Marita Conlon-McKenna, Brian Gallagher
and Nicola Pierce will talk about their great love of
history at The History Detectives and we are thrilled
to be hosting award-winning writer and comedian,
David O’Doherty and award-winning illustrator,
Chris Judge’s Danger is Everywhere Show. Taking
your feedback on board, we are also hosting family
events of some of the school shows including The
History Detectives and The Cakes in Space Show.
The focus for the 2015 festival is creativity - getting
young people actively participating in reading,
writing and illustrating. Creative children are better
able to cope with life’s ups and downs as they are
able to express themselves through their writing and
art. There are lots of statistics to back this up, but
to me it’s obvious: a creative child is a happy child.
To celebrate this we have a Let’s Create Day at the
LexIcon, where children will showcase the work they
have created with our writers, illustrators and poets.
This year I want to give every child a chance to have
a creative experience at our festival. It is estimated
that there are almost two thousand people with
(ASD) Autism Spectrum Disorder living in dlr and
I hope our innovative How To Catch a Star MultiSensorial Workshop – with live starfish – will mean
that children on the autistic spectrum can enjoy an
unforgettable book experience too.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing you all at
our family and schools events. ‘Let the wild rumpus
start!’
Sarah Webb
Family & Schools Curator
FAMILY EVENT
FAMILY EVENT
FAMILY EVENT
FAMILY EVENT
The History Detectives:
Marita Conlon-McKenna, Brian
Gallagher & Nicola Pierce
Chaired by Gráinne Clear
LexIcon At Eleven –
Storytime
Dinosaur Tales with
Juliette Saumande
How to Write an Awesome
(And Not At All Geeky) Book
LexIcon At Eleven Storytime
Tales of The Sea with
Gráinne Clear &
Dave Rudden
dlr LexIcon, The Studio Wednesday March 18th
3.30pm – 5.00pm
€4 per child / €6 per adult
Age: 10+
History Comes Alive with The History Detectives!
Find out how real stories from history inspire Marita,
Nicola and Brian’s award winning books. Marita
Conlon-McKenna is one of Ireland’s best loved
writers. Her first book, Under the Hawthorn Tree,
set during the Great Irish Famine has become an
international children’s classic.
Brian Gallagher has written five historical novels for
younger readers, and his plays and short stories have
been produced in Ireland, Britain and Canada. Friend
or Foe, set in 1916 is his latest book for children.
Nicola Pierce’s first novel for children, Spirit of the
Titanic went to five printings within its first twelve
months. Her second, City of Fate features the battle of
Stalingrad. Her new book, Behind the Walls is about
the infamous 1689 siege of Derry.
Gráinne Clear is the Publishing Manager at Little
Island Books. She also works as a storyteller.
dlr LexIcon
with Derek Landy, Holly Smale &
Shane Hegarty in Conversation with
Uber Book Geek, David O’Callaghan
from Eason
Thursday March 19th
11.00am – 11.30am
Free Event
Age: 0 to 4
No Booking required
*If you are a preschool or group, please pre-book your
children at the booking office)
Eleven o’clock means story time in the LexIcon
children’s library during the festival. A host of local
authors will be on hand to share tales with the
youngest readers. Babies and toddlers welcome.
Drop in and join the fun.
Juliette Saumande is a writer and translator of
children’s books with over thirty picture books
published in her native France. In English, she is
the author of a novel, Chop-Chop, Mad Cap!, several
picture books and an app, SOS Dinos in Distress.
Pavilion Theatre
Thursday March 19th
4.00pm – 5.00pm (Followed by signing*)
€4 per child / €6 per adult
Age: 11+
Join Derek Landy, Holly Smale and Shane Hegarty for an
afternoon of book fun. The trio will be in conversation
with book guru, David O’Callaghan from Eason. Book
early, this one’s bound to be a sell out!
Derek Landy is the creator of the No.1 bestselling
Skulduggery Pleasant series. When he is not writing he
plays too many computer games and watches too many
movies. He lives in Dublin.
Holly Smale is the author of the bestselling Geek Girl
series which includes a 2015 World Book Day book, Geek
Drama. The inspiration for her accident-prone heroine
Harriet Manners came from her own experiences as a
teenage model.
Shane Hegarty is the author of a new fantasy adventure
series, Darkmouth, in which the slightly rubbish Finn is
the last of the Legend Hunters. Can he save the world?
Shane is the former Arts Editor of the Irish Times. He
lives in Skerries (which is actually Darkmouth) and
writes full time.
dlr LexIcon
Friday March 20th
11.00am – 11.30am
Free Event
Age: 0 to 4
No Booking required
*If you are a preschool or group, please pre-book your
children at the booking office)
Eleven o’clock means story time in the LexIcon
children’s library during the festival. A host of
local writers and storytellers will be on hand to
share tales with the youngest readers. Babies and
toddlers welcome. Drop in and join the fun.
Gráinne Clear is the Publishing Manager at Little
Island Books. She also works as a storyteller for
children and adults. Dave Rudden is a writer and
storyteller. His Nightmare Club title, Brain Drain
Baby will be out soon and watch out for his first
book with Puffin Random House in spring 2016.
*Please allow plenty of extra time after 5pm if your reader
would like a book signed – be warned, signing can last up
to 2 hours
This event is supported
by Eason
32 | 33
PANEL DISCUSSION
WORKSHOP
WORKSHOP
WORKSHOP
Tips From the Top:
How to be a Children’s Writer
or Illustrator with Steve Cole,
Judi Curtin, Sarah McIntyre
and Philip Reeve
Chaired by Tom Donegan from
The Story Museum, Oxford
Drawing Stories
with Oisín McGann
How to Catch a Star Guided
Multi-Sensory Workshop
with Deirdre Sullivan
Teen Angst,
The Apocalypse
and Other Stories
with Claire Hennessy
County Hall Friday March 20th
6.30pm - 7.30pm
€4 per child / €6 per adult
12+ and adults
Some of our favourite writers talk about their work
with Tom Donegan from The Story Museum in
Oxford. They will give some brilliant writing tips for
aspiring writers and illustrators and talk about their
journey to publication.
Steve Cole is the millions-selling, non-stop author
of Astrosaurs, Cows In Action, Astrosaurs Academy, The
Slime Squad, Z. Rex, and the latest Young Bond novel,
Shoot to Kill.
Judi Curtin is the best-selling author of the Alice and
Megan series and the Eva series.
Sarah McIntyre is secretly an alien fighter pilot from
the Planet Pointispex. Arriving on Earth with her
space pens and a suitcase full of hats, she has used
her superior drawing skills to become a leading
illustrator and comics artist.
Philip Reeve wrote his first space adventure at the
age of five. He went on to write many more stories,
including the Larklight trilogy and the Carnegie
prize-winning, Here Lies Arthur.
dlr LexIcon
Saturday March 21st
10.00am – 11.00am €12
Age: 10+
Join Oisín for a crash course in the basics of
illustration. This kind of art is not about drawing
pretty pictures, it’s about getting what’s in your
head into someone else’s head. The language of
pictures is something you’ve been learning since
you were born – now here’s a chance to learn how
to use it to tell stories.
Oisín McGann has written and illustrated many
books for young children, including the Mad
Grandad series, The Forbidden Files comedy horror
series, the MAC series, The Wolfling’s Bite for the
Nightmare Club series as well as eleven Young
Adult novels.
dlr LexIcon, Level 5
Saturday March 21st
10.00am - 1.00pm & 2.00pm - 3.00pm *
€2 per child (adults free)
Age: 5 to 10
(These workshops are designed for children with ASD)
*Each individual workshop lasts approx. 15 minutes – please
book a time slot by ringing the festival booking office
These short, individual workshops for children with
ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and their parents/
guardians will explore the world of Oliver Jeffers’
picture book, How To Catch a Star. In a calm, quiet
environment, children will listen to the sound of the
sea, explore beach textures, meet and hold (if they like)
a real live starfish, and hear Deirdre Sullivan read the
story.
Deirdre Sullivan has written three YA novels and three
Nightmare Club books. She is a qualified primary school
teacher with an MA in Drama and Theatre studies.
When she’s not being a writer, she teaches children
with autism. She believes that stories are magic things
and every child should have as many favourite books
as possible.
dlr LexIcon
Saturday March 21st
11.30am – 1.00pm
€12
Age: 13+
For teenagers who want to write - or are writing
already - this workshop’s for you! We’ll explore
getting and developing ideas, and how to
translate the stuff in your brain to the page,
and finish up with a Q&A about writing and
publishing. All you need is pen, paper, and
yourself.
Claire Hennessy is a writer, editor, and workshop
facilitator. She is the author of several YA novels
and is the Children’s Editor at Penguin Ireland.
With thanks to Sea Life, Bray, HarperCollins and PRISM
for their help and support.
This event is supported by Sealife
Image from How to Catch
a Star by Oliver Jeffers.
Deirdre Sullivan and
her guinea pig
34 | 35
FAMILY EVENT
FAMILY EVENT
WORKSHOP
FAMILY EVENT
LexIcon at Eleven - Storytime
Tall Tales with Simone
Schuemmelfeder
When Judi Met Sarah
Judi Curtin in Conversation
with Sarah Webb
Creating Brilliant
Characters
with Paula Leyden
Young Bond: Shoot To Kill
with Steve Cole
dlr LexIcon
County Hall
Saturday March 21st
11.00am – 11.30pm Free Event
Age: 0 to 4
No Booking required
*If you are a preschool or group, please pre-book your children
at the booking office)
Eleven o’clock means story time in the LexIcon
children’s library during the festival. A host of local
authors will be on hand to share tales with the
youngest readers. Babies and toddlers welcome.
Drop in and join the fun.
Simone Schuemmelfeder is a storyteller, writer and
teacher from Germany. She was born in a small
town close to the Fairy Tale Road that connects
the different places where Grimm’s Fairy Tales are
supposed to have happened.
After working as a German and English teacher in
secondary schools for some time, Simone moved to
Ireland in 2011. Here she founded the storytelling
group StoryGate together with her husband Michael
Phelan and gave up teaching German grammar to do
what she loves best, telling stories. She now lives in
Dublin as a storyteller and travels the country to tell
stories to children and adults at festivals, in schools
and in libraries.
Saturday March 21st
11.00am - 12.00pm*
€4 per child/ €6 per adult
dlr LexIcon
Saturday March 21st
12.00pm - 1.00pm
€12 per child Age: 10+
County Hall
Saturday March 21st
1.00pm - 2.00pm* €4 per child/ €6 per adult
Age: 10+
Age: 8+
*Please allow extra time if you’d like to get your books signed
Join writers Judi Curtin and Sarah Webb for a
fascinating insight into their books and their lives.
Judi and Sarah write about friendship in their
books, but they are also friends in real life. Find out
more at this fun, interactive event. Come with lots
of questions to ask Judi and Sarah!
Judi Curtin is the best-selling author of the Alice
and Megan series which includes Alice to the Rescue
and Viva Alice!. She is also the author of the smashhit Eva series: Eva’s Journey, Eva’s Holiday, Leave it to
Eva, and Eva and the Hidden Diary, and the Friends
Forever series. Judi lives in Limerick with her family.
Sarah Webb is the Family and Schools Curator of
the Mountains to Sea Book dlr Book Festival. She
writes for both children and adults. The first book
in her new children’s series, The Songbird Café Girls
– Mollie Cinnamon is Not a Cupcake - has just been
published (age 9+). She is also the author of the
Ask Amy Green series.
In this interactive, hands on workshop, awardwinning children’s writer, Paula Leyden will focus
on how to use your imagination to create realistic
characters. If you love to write and would like to
find out more about inventing great characters
and how they make or break a story, this is the
workshop for you.
Paula Leyden lived in different parts of Africa
before moving to Ireland in 2003 and she now
lives (and writes books) on a farm in Kilkenny with
her partner, five children, six horses, two donkeys,
three cats and three dogs. Her latest book is The
Sleeping Baobab Tree.
*Please allow extra time if you’d like to get your book
signed after this event
The much loved author of the Astrosaurs series
and Dr Who books, Steve Cole has taken on a
new challenge – Young James Bond. In Shoot to
Kill, Bond has been expelled from school and is
in Tinseltown – what could possibly go wrong?
Steve will tell you all about his latest and boldest
mission yet.
Steve Cole is the slightly crazy, highly frantic,
millions-selling, non-stop author of Astrosaurs,
Cows In Action, Astrosaurs Academy, The Slime
Squad, Z. Rex and many other books (including
several original Doctor Who stories). He used to
edit magazines and books but prefers the job
of a writer where you can wear pyjamas and eat
chocolate all day.
36 | 37
FAMILY EVENT
PANEL DISCUSSION
EVENT FOR ADULTS
FAMILY EVENT
The Cakes In Space Show
with Sarah McIntyre and
Philip Reeve
Trade Secrets: Insights from
the Inner World of Writing,
Editing & Publishing
with David Almond, his Editor
Anne McNeil & his Agent
Catherine Clarke
Chair: Elaina Ryan, Director
of Children’s Books Ireland
Masters of Irish
Children’s Literature
Sam McBratney in
Conversation with
Robert Dunbar
There’s a Shark
in The Bath
with Sarah McIntyre
Pavilion Theatre Saturday March 21st
2.30pm - 3.30pm €4 per child / €6 per adult
Age: 7+
Explore the furthest reaches of storytelling, drawing
and song with CAKES IN SPACE, presented by
author-illustrator dream team, Philip Reeve and
Sarah McIntyre. Marvel at the wonder of science that
is the Nom-O-Tron, learn to draw a friendly robot,
and discover why attempting to bake the Ultimate
Cake may get you into serious trouble!
Sarah McIntyre is secretly an alien fighter pilot from
the Planet Pointispex. Arriving on Earth with her
space pens, she has used her superior drawing skills
to become a leading illustrator and comics artist. Her
books include Jampires, There’s a Shark in the Bath and,
with Philip, Oliver and the Seawigs.
Philip Reeve wrote his first space adventure at the
age of five. Feeling terribly pleased with himself, he
went on to write many more stories, including the
Larklight trilogy, Carnegie prize-winning Here Lies
Arthur, the Mortal Engines and Fever Crumb books.
County Hall
Saturday March 21st
3.00pm - 4.30pm €8 / €5 Students + Concession
Adults and Older Teens (16+)
Award-winning author, David Almond joins his
editor, Anne McNeil, and agent, Catherine Clarke for a
fascinating glimpse behind the curtain.
David's debut novel, Skellig, won the Whitbread
Children’s Award and the Carnegie Medal and was
made into a feature-length film. In 2010 David won
the Hans Christian Andersen Award for his lasting
contribution to children’s literature and is widely
regarded as one of the most exciting and innovative
children’s authors writing today. His latest novel is A
Song for Ella Grey.
Anne McNeil is the Publishing Director of Hodder
Children’s Books and has been David’s editor for many
years. Skellig is one of her favourite books of all time.
This event is kindly supported by Children’s Books
Ireland.
County Hall
Saturday March 21st
5.00pm - 6.00pm €8 / €5 Students + Concession
Adults and Older Teens (16+)
Antrim man, Sam McBratney has won many
awards for his children’s books and is best known
as the author of the multi-million selling family
classic, Guess How Much I Love You, one of the
world’s most popular picture books. Sam has
written over a hundred books and scripts, and has
published in a variety of genres and age groups
during his long career as a writer — everything
from science fiction to radio plays. His highly
acclaimed 1993 young-adult novel The Chieftain’s
Daughter, a 5th century story of young love and
tragedy, was praised by critics as among the most
significant works of children’s historical fiction
ever published in Ireland. It is Robert Dunbar’s
favourite Irish children’s novel.
dlr LexIcon Sunday March 22nd
10.00am - 10.45am
€2 per child (adults free)
Age: 4+
BIG TEETH! BUBBLES! BATHROOM CHAOS!
When a family of sharks pops out of the
plughole, Dulcie must figure out a way to
keep them from eating her up. Cue utter
silliness, sea creatures, music and some crazy
cartooning with Sarah McIntyre. Learn how to
draw a shark, with this year’s Mythical Maze
Summer Reading Challenge illustrator and
creator of books such as Jampires, Morris the
Mankiest Monster, You Can’t Scare a Princess!,
Vern and Lettuce, Oliver and the Seawigs and
Cakes in Space.
Robert Dunbar is a commentator on children’s
books and has a regular review column in The
Irish Times.
Catherine Clarke represents a number of bestselling
and prizewinning writers for children and young
adults, as well as writers for adults. She became
Managing Director of Felicity Bryan Associates in 2010.
38 | 39
EVENT FOR ADULTS
Behind The World of Chris Judge
dlr LexIcon, The Studio
11.00am - 12.00pm
Sunday March 22nd
FAMILY EVENT
FAMILY EVENT
The Astounding
Broccoli Boy
with Frank Cottrell Boyce
Draw A Robot
with Chris Judge
dlr LexIcon
€8/€5 Students + Concession
Sunday March 22nd
12.30pm - 1.30pm*
Adults & Older Teens (16+)
€4 per child/ €6 per adult
A visual treat, not to be missed. Chris Judge is one
of Ireland’s most exciting and innovative artists
and picture book makers and he will talk about his
work and some of the creative projects he has been
involved with over the past few years.
Chris studied graphic design at Dún Laoghaire
Institute of Art, Design and Technology and worked
in web design before moving into illustration full
time in 2005.
In 2011 Chris’s first picture book, The Lonely Beast, was
published and went on to win the Irish Children’s
Book of the Year. It was followed by two Beast sequels
as well as other picture book projects including
TiN and Brian and the Vikings, illustrated by Mark
Wickham.
He recently illustrated Roddy Doyle’s new children’s
book Brilliant and also collaborated on a book for
older children with comedian David O’Doherty called
Danger is Everywhere!
dlr LexIcon
Sunday March 22nd
12.45pm - 1.15pm
€2 per child (adults free)
Age: 4+
Age: 9+
*Please allow extra time after 1.30pm if you’d like to
get a book signed
We are delighted to welcome the wonderfully
entertaining Frank Cottrell Boyce to our festival.
Frank will share the secrets of his astounding
Broccoli Boy, the unusual hero of his new book for
children. A brilliant event for all the family, don’t
miss it.
Father of seven, Frank Cottrell Boyce is the
award-winning author of Millions, Framed, Cosmic
and the new Chitty Chitty Bang Bang novels. He is
also a successful writer of film scripts (including
Welcome to Sarajevo and 24 Hour Party People)
and, along with Danny Boyle, devised the Opening
Ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics. He lives
in Merseyside with his family.
Join the award-winning picture book maker and
creator of The Lonely Beast, Chris Judge for some
hands-on, large-scale robot drawing. Come and
draw your own robot with Chris (yes, the grownups can join in too) – cool or colourful, rusty or
shiny, the bigger the better. Get creative and help
Chris to build a futuristic cast of characters on a
monster-sized sheet of drawing paper to keep his
robot friend, TiN company.
Chris Judge is the award winning author/
illustrator of The Lonely Beast and a number
of other picture books for children. He also
illustrated Roddy Doyle’s novel, Brilliant and
Danger is Everywhere! His latest picture book is TiN.
Image from TiN by Chris Judge
Image from Brilliant by Roddy Doyle,
Illustrated by Chris Judge
40 | 41
FAMILY EVENT
FAMILY EVENT
SCHOOL EVENTS
Guess How Much I Love You
Storytime For All
with Storyteller Vanessa Woolf
Horrid Henry versus
Dennis The Menace
with Francesca Simon
& Steven Butler
Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival runs a
comprehensive programme of events for schools
including theatre shows and interactive workshops in
both Irish and English. The line-up features some of
the biggest names in children’s books.
dlr LexIcon
Sunday March 22nd
2pm, 3pm and 4pm*
€2 per child (adults free)
Age: 4+
*Please book a time slot at the booking office
Pavilion Theatre
Sunday March 22nd
2.30pm - 3.30pm (Followed by signing)*
€4 per child / €6 per adult
SCHOOL BOOKING DETAILS
Age: 7+
Join our storyteller Vanessa Woolf for this very
special version of Guess How Much I Love You, which
celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. With over
30 million copies sold throughout the world, it’s one
of the most popular picture books ever and we are
delighted to celebrate its author, Sam McBratney,
one of Ireland’s most talented writers.
* Please allow extra time if you would like to
get your books signed.
Free goody bag for every child.
Born in America, Francesca Simon was a journalist
before becoming a children’s writer. She is an
outspoken spokesperson on behalf of children’s
literature and she receives in excess of a hundred fan
letters a week from young readers. She lives in North
London.
Sam will be in conversation with Robert Dunbar on
Saturday 21st March at the festival – that event is
aimed at adults and older teens who are interested
in McBratney’s work as a whole and his writing
career. It is not suitable for children.
We would encourage you to read the authors’ work
with your class before the event as the children will
get a lot more out of the experience if they are familiar
with the books. And do come armed with plenty of
questions for our talented team of writers, poets and
illustrators!
We close this year’s family events with two characters
who don’t need any introduction, Horrid Henry and
Dennis the Menace. Watch out for the fireworks when
they come face to face in this jam-packed hour of
mischief and mayhem!
Steven Butler is an actor, dancer and trained circus
performer, and has been a fan of The Beano since
childhood. He has appeared in the Wizard of Oz
in London’s West End and was previously Henry in
Horrid Henry Live and Horrid!
This event is supported by Milano
Bookings for school events and family events will open on Wednesday 4th February
Tickets for all events are available from the Pavilion Theatre Box-Office
(01) 2312929
www.paviliontheatre.ie
Please note: tickets for Guy Bass and Debbie Thomas, and David O’Doherty and
Chris Judge are available from Mill Theatre Booking Office
(01) 2969340 or www.milltheatre.ie
Price for theatre events: €3 per child
Additional adults : €3*
Ticket price for Let’s Create: €5 per child
*Two teachers/adult supervisors free per class group of up to 30 students (please advise the box-office
staff of your adult ticket requirements when placing your booking).
There will be a bookshop on site at all events where children can purchase a book
and get it signed after the event.
42 | 43
SCHOOL EVENT
SCHOOL EVENT
SCHOOL EVENT
SCHOOL EVENT
The History Detectives:
Marita Conlon-McKenna, Brian
Gallagher & Nicola Pierce
Chair: Gráinne Clear
Let’s Create @ LexIcon with Lucinda
Jacob, Oisín McGann & Dave Rudden
The Cakes In Space Show
with Sarah McIntyre &
Philip Reeve
The Amazing Danger Is
Everywhere Show
with David O’Doherty
& Chris Judge
Pavilion Theatre
Wednesday March 18th
10.30am - 12.30pm
4th- 6th class
€3 per seat (2 teachers free per class)
Please arrive at 10.00am to be seated
History Comes Alive With The History Detectives!
Find out how real stories from history inspire Marita,
Nicola and Brian’s award winning books. In conversation
with Gráinne Clear, this interactive show is a must for
young history fans.
In Association With Little Island Books
dlr LexIcon Studio and Workshop Rooms
10.30am to 1.00.pm
Thursday March 19th
4th - 5th class
€5 per child
Please arrive at 10.00am to be seated
Only 3 class slots available, please book early
A morning full of writing, drawing, poems and stories.
Our crack team of poets, writers and illustrators will
host fun workshops and then entertain your class with
their work. There will also be a chance for your children
to take to the stage to present their own writing.
SCHOOL EVENT
SCHOOL EVENT
Bringing Yeats Alive in Word
and Song with Enda Reilly &
Séamus Barra Ó Súilleabháin
Laugh Out Loud with Guy Bass
& Debbie Thomas
(Irish and English language event)
dlr LexIcon Studio Wednesday March 18th
11.00am - 12.30pm
5th & 6th class
€3 per seat (2 teachers free per class)
Please arrive at 10.30am to be seated
Only 3 class slots available, please book early
Enda Reilly sings the poetry of Yeats in English and in
Irish with some translations also read in Irish by Séamus
Barra Ó Súilleabháin, bringing a bilingual, musical
perspective to the poetry of Yeats for 5th and 6th classes.
Mill Theatre, Dundrum
10.30am - 12.30pm
Pavilion Theatre
10.30am - 12.30pm
Friday March 20th
3rd- 6th class
€3 per ticket (2 free seats per class)
Please arrive at 10.00am to be seated
Explore the furthest reaches of storytelling,
drawing and song with CAKES IN SPACE, presented
by author-illustrator dream team, Philip Reeve and
Sarah McIntyre. Marvel at the wonder of science
that is the Nom-O-Tron, learn to draw a friendly
robot, and discover why attempting to bake the
Ultimate Cake may get you into serious trouble!
Mill Theatre, Dundrum
10.30am - 12.30pm
Friday March 20th
3rd - 6th class
€3 per ticket (*2 teachers free per class)
Please arrive at 10.00am to be seated
Join award-winning writer and comedian, David
O’Doherty and illustrator, Chris Judge for a
mad cap morning full of facts and fun. Danger
Is Everywhere: A Handbook for Avoiding Danger is
their bestselling book which was inspired by the
notebooks of the enigmatic and ultra-cautious
Dangerologist, Docter Noel Zone.
Thursday March 19th
2 - 5th class
nd
€3 per seat (2 teachers free per class)
Please arrive at 10.00am to be seated
Join Guy and Debbie for a morning full of book fun. Guy
is an award-winning children’s book author and semiprofessional geek. His book series include Stitch Head, The
Legend of Frog, Dinkin Dings, and Atomic!. Debbie Thomas
lives in Kildare and is the author of Dead Hairy, Jungle
Tangle and Monkie Business.
44 | 45
EXHIBITION
EXHIBITION
EXHIBITION
Portrait Of The Author:
Ger Holland Photography
Exhibition
Poetry Now
20 Years
‘home’, dlr Open Submission Exhibition 2015
dlr LexIcon, Level 5
dlr LexIcon, Level 5
Wednesday March 4 – Thursday April 30
th
dlr LexIcon, Haigh Terrace Level 3
Wednesday March 4th – Thursday April 30th
Ger Holland is a young freelance photographer
based in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. She
specialises mostly in event photography and has
covered numerous literary gatherings including
book launches, signings and festivals for the last
few years. Ger has been photographing authors
who have participated in the Mountains to Sea
dlr Book Festival and also the dlr Library Voices
series since 2012.
This exhibition provides an opportunity to
highlight the vitality, energy and perception of
her portraits.
Saturday February 14th - Sunday March 22nd
10.00am - 5.00pm Monday to Saturday
th
Poetry Now celebrates its 20th anniversary in
2015. Over the years we have been proud to
present an annual programme of world-class
poetry readings, masterclasses and panels. Some
of the finest Irish and international poets have
come to read here in Dún Laoghaire. With two
major poetry awards, The Irish Times Poetry
Now Award, introduced in 2006 and the Shine/
Strong Poetry Award which honours the best first
collection of poems published in English or Irish
by an Irish poet, the festival emphasises the public
place of poetry in Irish culture and the rich legacy
of the poetic voice.
‘home’ organised by dlr Arts Office, will showcase an exciting range of visual art by artists associated
with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, in the Municipal Gallery, dlr LexIcon.
The exhibition has been selected by Mark St. John Ellis, Director, nag Gallery, Dublin. This exhibition
has become an important feature of the Arts Programme. The Gallery Learning Programme will
create opportunities for visitors to explore and engage with the artworks on show, through a series of
workshops and masterclasses.
This display provides a snapshot of brochures and
photos taken over the past two decades, capturing
a sense of the intensity, range and vitality of
Poetry Now.
dlr
Poetry
Now
International
Poetry Festival
Join us Friday, Saturday and Sunday
at our Festival Club @ The Hen House
from 9.30pm - 11.30 nightly.
THANKS &
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Festival Director
Mairead Owens
Festival Producers
Carolyn Brown
Marian Keyes
Primary Curator
Bert Wright
Poetry Now Curator
Alice Lyons
Family and Schools Curator
Sarah Webb
Event Management by Artscope
Caroline Wynne
Diana Giurgi
Sara Hanley
Geraldine Jordan
PR
Cormac Kinsella
Social Media Co-ordinators
Susan Lynch
Maeve McElligott
Administration
M.J. Cull
Sandra Trappe
Venues
The Festival Team would like to thank the
staff of all of the venues involved.
Brambles
County Hall
dlr LexIcon
The Hen House
Kingston Hotel
Mill Theatre
National Maritime Museum of Ireland
Pavilion Theatre
Royal Marine Hotel
Booksellers
Books Upstairs
Gutter Bookshop
Festival Photographers
Angelique Cheronnet
Mark Granier
Ger Holland
Photographers
We would like to acknowledge all photographers
who provided their images for this programme.
Graphic Design
evolve
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
All the publishers and their staff, all the
poets and introducers, filmmakers, artists
and editors who contributed material to
Viewing Booths, Bilfinger, Catherine Alport
at Macmillan Children's Books, Damian
Barr, Alison Barrow at Transworld, Laura
Boland, Mary Byrne, Anna Carey, Jane
Clarke, Gráinne Clear, Edel Coffey, Sinéad
Crowley, Cora Cummins, Louise Dobbin &
Peter McIntyre at Repforce, Tom Donegan,
Nina Douglas at Orion Children's Books,
Jenny Duffy, Ros Ellis at Bloomsbury, Peter
Fallon, Joanne Fine and PRISM, Siobhán
Garrigan, Sinéad Gleeson, Conor Hackett
and Paul Black at Walker Books, Kim Harte,
Mick Heaney, Declan Heeney & Helen
Gleed at Gill Hess Ltd, Ruth Henaghan and
all at O'Brien Press, Declan Hughes, Róisín
Ingle, Oliver Jeffers, Maureen Kennelly
and all at Poetry Ireland, Cormac Kinsella,
Sue Leonard, Declan Long, Laura Mahon,
Claire McAree, Gail McConnell, Orla Mc
Hardy, Sarah McIntyre and all at Oxford
University Press, Belinda McKeon, Maureen
McLane, Patricia McVeigh, Peter Murphy,
Patrick Murphy, Clíodhna Ní Anluain, Aoife
Nic Cormac, David O'Callaghan, Vanessa
O'Loughlin at writing.ie, Pat Ó Súilleabháin
at Sea Life, Bray, Penguin Ireland and Puffin
Books, Charlie Perpoil and all at The Dock in
Leitrim, Tom Pickard, Alison Pilkington and
IADT Visual Arts Practice students, Sally
Roden at RTÉ, Ian Robertson, Sean Rocks,
Elaina Ryan and all at Children's Books
Ireland, Peter Salisbury, John Saunders and
SHINE, Clíodhna Shaffrey, Niamh Sharkey,
Paula Shields, Gerry Smyth and The Irish
Times, Deirdre Sullivan, Jessie Sullivan
at Little Tiger Books, Siobhan Tierney
at Hachette Children's Books, Gemma
Tipton, Ruth Waldram and Bethan Jones
at Random House, Sam White and Nicola
Byrne at HarperCollins, Steve Woods and
IADT Animation students, Vincent Woods.
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The
EVENT SPONSORS
hartley's
r e s t a u r a n t
Literary Supper Club
hartley's
r e s t a u r a n t
in association with Books Ireland
Celebrating 40 years of
19 March 2015 @ 6.30pm, Royal St George Yacht Club,
Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.
With special guest, multi-award-winning author Mary Costello, winner of the Eason
Novel of the Year at the 2014 Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards and Bord Gáis
Energy Book of the Year 2014 for her debut novel Academy Street.
This Supper Club has limited capacity so BOOK NOW.
• With an author at every table, join some of Ireland’s
top writers at this exclusive Supper Club event in the
beautiful surroundings of the Royal St George Yacht
Club on Dún Laoghaire’s sea front.
• Talk books and writing with your table hosts, Mary
Costello, Martina Devlin, Tara Flynn, Karen
Gillece, Liz McManus, Liz Nugent, Niamh
O'Connor and Paul Perry.
• After supper hear Mary Costello in conversation
with Paul Perry.
• Dubray Books will provide a bookshop on the night.
• €29.50 for starter, main course and coffee.
Supervalu Dún Laoghaire
• Book a table for your book club; come with a friend or by yourself and make
friends at the first Writing.ie Supper Club in association with Books Ireland.
BOOK ONLINE: www.rsgyc.ie/literarysupperclub
BUSINESS
IMPROVEMENT
DISTRICT
Paul Durcan David Lodge S.J. Watson Maureen McLane
Frank Cottrell Boyce
Francesca Simon
Liz Berry David Almond
David Ferry
Kei Miller
Sheila Hancock
and many others
Booking Number: 01 231 2929
www.mountainstosea.ie