Dublin’s literary calendar is getting a major celebration this November as Dublin Book Festival marks its 20th anniversary with five days of talks, performances, book launches, walking tours, workshops and family events across the city.
Running from 4 to 8 November, this year’s festival features more than 120 events, bringing together some of Ireland’s best-known writers alongside emerging voices, international authors, poets, illustrators and publishers.
The line-up includes a particularly strong selection of familiar names, with Mary Robinson, Roddy Doyle, Marian Keyes, Anne Enright, Sebastian Barry, Louise Kennedy, Kevin Barry, Hector Ó hEochagáin, Mario Rosenstock, Louise O’Neill and Katriona O’Sullivan among those taking part. Special guests include bestselling American author Jodi Picoult, as well as illustrator and author Oliver Jeffers and writer and activist Naomi Klein.
For a festival that has spent two decades championing Irish writing, there is also plenty of room for conversations about some of the bigger issues facing society.
The festival opens on 4 November with The Irish Times Women’s Podcast Book Club, with Róisín Ingle joined by Louise Kennedy, Sue Rainsford, Jan Carson and Sheila Armstrong to discuss the success and influence of Ireland’s female writers.
Climate and the environment feature prominently too. Mary Robinson, Sadhbh O’Neill and John Gibbons will take part in Culture File Debate: Three Books to Save the Planet, while author and rewilder Eoghan Daltun joins Robinson to discuss his latest book, Setting the Land Free: Visions of a Rewilded Ireland.
There will also be conversations about censorship, including a discussion with human rights lawyer Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC examining restrictions on books and freedom of expression around the world. Another panel will explore how changing attitudes towards book censorship in the United States could influence Irish culture.
For many book lovers, however, it will be the big-name conversations that prove hardest to resist.
Two of Ireland’s Booker Prize winners, Roddy Doyle and Anne Enright, will come together for a conversation with Martin Doyle on 8 November. Marian Keyes will discuss the politics of women’s commercial fiction, while Jodi Picoult will appear in conversation with Miriam O’Callaghan about her new novel, Hollow Bones.
There’s also an opportunity to hear Hector Ó hEochagáin discuss his new book Irish Words for Every Occasion, Mario Rosenstock delve into his life in comedy with Gift Grub & Me: My Life in Comedy, and Kevin Barry join Irish Times books editor Martin Doyle to discuss A Hosting: Interviews with Irish Writers 1991-2026.
Beyond the headline names, the festival continues its tradition of giving new and emerging writers a platform. Debut novelists Jessamine O’Connor and Djamel White will appear in conversation with Aingeala Flannery, while Ruth McKee and Juliano Zaffino will discuss their first novels.
Poetry Ireland’s Introductions | Céadlínte will showcase 15 emerging poets writing in English and Irish, while the Raising Voices showcase focuses on aspiring writers and artists whose voices have traditionally been underrepresented in literature.
And this is Dublin, so there are plenty of ways to experience the literary city beyond sitting in a theatre.
The festival’s walking tours return, including Pat Liddy’s tour of landmarks associated with famous writers, a look at the stained glass of Earley Studios with Michael Earley, Haikus on the go with Liam Carson at Trí Mhionlíne / Three Little Lines, or exploring the architectural history around St Stephen’s Green with Emma Gilleece.
There are also plenty of reasons to put the books down for a while. The programme includes a Dublin-themed table quiz, karaoke at the festival club, spoken-word performances, a poetry and music night, and a multilingual open mic and seanachaí event.
Families are well catered for too, with events featuring children’s authors and illustrators including Oliver Jeffers, Patricia Forde, Shane Hegarty, Sinead O’Hart and Erika McGann. The festival hub at the Royal Irish Academy of Music will host a family treasure hunt, creative activities and a children’s book swap.
For anyone interested in writing rather than simply reading, there are workshops covering everything from poetry and short stories to zines, character development and navigating emotions in poetry. There will also be discussions examining the future of Irish publishing and the impact of the digital age on storytelling.
Before the main festival gets underway, four Spotlight events will offer an early taste of what’s to come, including Louise O’Neill in conversation with Sophie White on 30 September, Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor discussing End Times Fascism on 2 October, and two Irish mythology events on 29 October.
After 20 years, Dublin Book Festival has become a fixture of the city’s cultural calendar. This year’s programme looks set to celebrate that history while continuing to make space for the writers, ideas and conversations that will shape the next 20 years.
Booking is now open, with the full programme available at dublinbookfestival.com.
Photo: Maggie O’Farrell and Niamh Campbell © Nathan Snow
