12 September 2022
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
Words By Water, the Kinsale Literary Festival, have announced the
programme of events for the 2022 festival, taking place from Thursday
September 29th to Sunday October 2nd.
This will be the first full in-person programme the festival has held
in three years and organisers are looking forward to welcoming readers
and authors back to the town.
“Now we can return with a full programme this autumn, we hope to see
many of you again and look forward to welcoming new faces,” committee
member Ruth McDonnell said. “Whether you want to hear a favourite
author speak, listen to some lively debate or learn about the craft of
writing for yourself – we hope you find something to suit you in this
year’s programme.”
The festival has a host of well-known faces appearing at venues around
the town over the weekend.
“We are very proud of the lineup of authors who are joining us this
year and hope our audience are as excited as we are to hear from John
Creedon, Sara Baume, Danielle McLaughlin, Olivia Fitzsimons, Sarah
Moore Fitzgerald and many more,” Ms McDonnell said.
Events are taking place at a number of locations, including The Lord
Kingsale, The Trident Hotel, The Methodist Church and Prim’s Bookshop.
On Saturday night RTÉ broadcaster John Creedon, author of the
bestselling That Place We Call Home will be in conversation with
Esther McCarthy of the Irish Examiner 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 later in September.
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 what should be a fascinating event on Saturday, there will be a
screening of documentary films ‘This Is Nicholas’, about the author
and documentary maker Nicholas Ryan Purcell’s experience of living
with autism. This will be followed by a discussion between Nicholas
and Diarmuid Heffernan, who has worked for 13 years supporting people
on the autism spectrum and currently works as an ASD consultant
providing training/workshops.
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 local school Scoil Naomh Eltin and a number
of other free events for children.
Elsewhere, author and University of Limerick professor Sarah Moore
Fitzgerald will lead a workshop on Time Management for Creative
Writers on Saturday and on Sunday USA Today bestselling author Jean
Grainger will share her knowledge of self-publishing.
Saibh Kelly (3) and Rían Ó Lorcáin (4) from Kinsale with Kate Murphy, childrens events organiser enjoying the sun at the announcement of ‘Words by Water’ Kinsale Literary Festival which runs from the 29th September to October 2nd. Details can be found at www.wordsbywater.ie.
Picture. John Allen
Booking is now open for all events, browse the full programme at
www.wordsbywater.ie.