Kinsale festival bounces back with a busy line-up of events

IT has been a challenging few years for Words By Water, the Kinsale Literary Festival, as for so many small events, but the organising committee say it makes it all the sweeter to finally be returning with a full in-person programme at the end of this month.

The 2022 festival takes place from Thursday, September 29 to Sunday, October 2 and offers a mix of readings, discussions and workshops for all ages and interests.

Ruth McDonnell, one of the founders of the festival, said they have worked hard to keep the event’s spirit alive during the Covid years.

“So many festivals moved online when in-person events weren’t possible; it was wonderful to see it,” she said. 

“But for us, holding events in person, and in the many venues all around the town, was a key part of our festival. It has always been about bringing writers and readers to Kinsale, creating that buzz in the venues and around the streets.

“We have loved it and felt it would be impossible to recreate that online with our limited budget – and limited technical knowledge!”

So instead the group held safe, socially-distanced outdoor events for children, when it was possible to do so in the summers of 2020 and 2021.

This was followed by a special tribute to poet Derek Mahon in autumn last year. The Belfast-born poet had lived in Kinsale for decades before his death in 2020, and one of his poems, Everything is going to be All Right, enjoyed a fresh surge in popularity at the start of the pandemic.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be possible to plan a full festival last year,” Ruth said. “There was too much uncertainty around what would be possible at that time. But our normal festival time, the start of October, coincided with Derek Mahon’s anniversary, so we felt it was important to take the opportunity to mourn his loss and celebrate his great talent in the town he called home for so many years.”

The event was a huge success, an evening of poetry and song featuring John Spillane, David Peare, Alannah Hopkin, Matthew Geden and other speakers who read selected favourite poems from the author.

Now Ruth and the rest of the committee are looking forward to this year’s programme.

“We are very proud of the line-up of authors who are joining us this year and hope our audience are as excited as we are,” Ruth said.

On Saturday night, RTÉ broadcaster John Creedon, author of the bestselling That Place We Call Home will be in conversation with the Irish Examiner’s Esther McCarthy in The Trident Hotel. John and Esther will be discussing his first book and his latest offering, A Treasury of Irish Folklore, which is due in shops in September.

Events are also taking place at a number of other venues, including The Lord Kingsale, The Methodist Church and Prim’s Bookshop.

The festival opens on Thursday night with Right Words - an evening of poetry and prose curated by Kinsale poet Matthew Geden.

Friday’s events include Olivia Fitzsimons and Danielle McLaughlin in conversation with journalist Shane Coleman and a discussion of crime fiction with Cork authors Tadhg Coakley and Catherine Kirwan.

In addition to welcoming authors from around Cork and further afield, the programme also includes a new event showcasing the work of local writers and a separate talk by a local historian.

“Championing local voices has always been important to us; Kinsale and its surrounding area is home to an abundance of literary talent,” Ms McDonnell said. “We are proud to be showcasing the work of Amy Cronin, Gráinne Murphy, Niamh Prior, Adrian Wistreich and Shannon Forde as part of the festival.”

This year’s programme also includes a workshop for young people being held in conjunction with a local school and a number of other free events for children.

“I can’t tell you how pleased we are to be back,” Ruth said. 

“It has been a long few years for everyone and we just can’t wait to feel that buzz around the town again - it’s going to be very special.”

Booking is now open for all events, browse the full programme at www.wordsbywater.ie.