Irish Book Week brings host of literary events to Cork

Bookselling Ireland has unveiled the Cork programme for Irish Book Week 2026, which runs until next Saturday, October 24.

Tonight, Waterstones in Cork city will be hosting the closing event of this year’s Cork ‘One City One Book’ event, as author Rosamund Taylor is joined by poet Billy Ramsell from 6.30pm.

Poet John Fitzgerald will be visiting the same store tomorrow at 6.30pm to launch his new poetry collection Mud Angels.

On Friday at 3pm, Irish Book Week ambassador, Carina McNally, will be visiting Kerr’s Bookshop in Clonakilty to sign copies of her haunting historical novel, Mithim. 

Now in its ninth year, Irish Book Week is a nationwide celebration of Irish bookshops, Irish books, publishers, writers, illustrators, and poets. The campaign aims to encourage people from across Ireland to shop local and shop Irish, by visiting their local bookshops to discover and enjoy a range of exciting and interesting events, readings, parties, displays and much more.

The Irish Book Week ambassadors for 2026 are Antrim born best selling Irish children’s author and illustrator Paddy Donnelly; Galway-based author Catherine Doyle; Dublin-based children’s author Shane Hegarty; Cork native, author, journalist and playwright Carina McNally and Belfast-based author and school principal Séamus Ó Tuama.

Irish Book Week is also part of the Booksellers Association’s year-round Books Are My Bag campaign, which also includes Independent Bookshop Week, the Indie Book Awards and other initiatives, which celebrates bookshops of all shapes and sizes and the unique social, cultural and economic value they bring to readers, communities and shopping destinations.

For information on Irish Book Week 2026 and the events that will be taking place as part of the campaign, follow Bookselling Ireland’s on Facebook and Instagram @booksellingireland.