Top authors for Dalkey Creates festival

THE Dalkey Creates literary festival is returning later this month with an impressive line-up of high profile authors and writers. 

Following the success of last year’s festival, this year’s event, from Thursday, October 13 to Sunday 16, is set to be bigger and better than ever.

The festival will feature a compelling range of writing workshops and events involving several high profile authors and writers.

These workshops are designed to inspire, motivate and support writers through the writing process.

The workshop groups are small to allow for more one-on-one attention from the course facilitators.

This year, courses will include creative writing for beginners, writing crime, writing for TV and radio, food writing and writing memoirs/non-fiction.

Aspiring writers will be able to learn the skills and techniques of writing from acclaimed writers and course facilitators who will include Monica McInerney, Anthony Glavin, Louise Phillips, Alana Kirk, Hazel Gaynor, Ferdia MacAnna, Emily Hourican, Amanda Webb, Oliver McCabe and Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin.

This year a number of literary events will take place in Dalkey on each evening of the festival. Some of the highlights include (on Thursday, October 13) an open mic night at Finnegans where you can listen to writers reading their work aloud or bring along some writing to read aloud yourself.

On Friday, October 14, Jennifer Johnston’s ‘Waiting’ starring Geraldine Plunkett will be performed at Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre.

Jennifer will be there too and will read some of her own work.

On Saturday October 15 you can learn about Dalkey’s rich literary history by doing the brilliant Maeve Binchy & Other Famous Writers Walk.

On Sunday, October 16 a new one-act play ‘The Prodger’ by Tina Noonan, starring incredible acting talent including the Abbey Theatre’s finest Brendan Conroy and Pat Nolan, will be performed at The Vico.

Make sure you don’t miss the post show conversation with the author of ‘Wherever the Firing Line Extends: Ireland and the Western Front’, Ronan McGreevy.

Also returning this year is Dalkey Creates Junior, which began last year as a way of encapsulating all the creative work done by children in the local schools for the festival.

This year, the children from Loreto will have their creations of miniature gardens, which were inspired by Peter Pan’s ‘Neverland’, displayed in Dalkey Town Hall on Sunday, October 16.

Gordon Snell will also make a special visit to St Patrick’s School to spend an hour reading and talking about stories.

Meanhile, students in St Oliver Plunkett Monkstown will have the opportunity to write an original story with the creative volunteers at Fighting Words.

Visit www.dalkeycreates.com for more information