Date: Friday 29th May 2026

Venue: St John’s Theatre & Arts Centre

Time: 4 PM

Tá litríocht na Gaelainne á saothrú i Lios Tuathail leis na cianta. Sa chaint shuaithinseach seo, léifidh agus pléifidh Séamus Barra rogha saothar ó bhruach na Féile le ceithre céad bliain anuas. Ó fhilíocht na mbard anuas tríd an traidisiún béil go dtí Séamus de Bhilmot in aimsir na hathbheochana, bígí linn chun blaiseadh a fháil den oidhreacht shaibhir seo atá ró-fhada á ligean i ndearmad.

Séamus Barra Ó Súilleabháin will bring the audience on a journey through four pieces of Irish language literature composed in Listowel over four centuries. From a 16-century praise poem composed by a visiting professional bard, through the oral tradition of local Irish speakers, down to the work of a forgotten playwright, join us to get a taste of the hidden Irish language literary tradition in Listowel district.

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Date: Friday 29th May 2026

Venue: Kilmorna Collection

Time: FROM 3.30 PM

A gentle remedy for the challenges and joys of life
Hosted by poet and poetry pharmacist, Enda Wyley will select and prescribe a poem, designed to make you feel better, which you can bring home and read at your leisure. Wyley shares poems that offer comfort, reflection and moments of quiet connection. Rediscover the healing power of words at this truly lovely experience.

Book your appointment as they are strictly limited through our website www.writersweek.ie

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Date: Friday 29th May 2026

Venue: Listowel Arms Hotel Main Room

Time: 3 PM

The Art of Reinvention

Edel Coffey, author of In Glass Houses, and Charleen Hurtubise, author of Saoirse brings us their new novels, which follow women navigating hidden pasts and high-stakes choices—one a determined journalist chasing a buried truth, the other a young woman living under a false identity as her new life begins to unravel. Together, they offer a gripping discussion on power, belonging and the fragile line between who we are and who we pretend to be.

In Glass Houses is a fast-paced, twist-filled thriller set in the glittering but corrupt world of New York’s elite, where power, privilege, and dark secrets collide. Saoirse is a poignant love story about reinvention and redemption, following a young American who flees to Ireland under a stolen identity, intending only a temporary escape but instead building a new life. Through their new novels, they explore identity, secrets, and the art of reinvention.

In conversation with Katriona O’Sullivan, bestselling author of Poor.

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Date: Friday 29th May 2026

Venue: St John’s Theatre & Arts Centre

Time: 5.30 PM

Across Languages: A Poetry Evening from Kerry to Budapest

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Date: Friday 29th May 2026

Venue: Plaza Hall

Time: 2 PM

Presenting Mr Hoo & Other Stories
Mr Hoo & Other Stories is the latest short story collection from award-winning writer John O’Donnell. Loneliness, vengeance, sorrow, and desire are among the themes featuring in these compelling stories of schemers and survivors: a gullible bird-lover, a woman seeking revenge against an author, a brooding survivor of the Titanic, a young murderer trying to cheat the gallows. Here are almost-winners and not-quite losers, a grieving father and a desperate mother, an unhappy judge, and a troubled client. Love and loss, redemption and remorse, yearning and heartbreak; in clear, incisive language these exhilarating stories movingly examine the human condition. John O’Donnell has won major awards including the Hennessy Award for Emerging Fiction and the Cúirt New Writing Prize. He has also published four poetry collections and has received several poetry prizes.

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