Summertime, and the reading is easy. There are so many literary festivals and book launches going on in the sunshine here in Ireland (yes, the sun’s been out for a while: the nation is going a bit mad, to be honest) that you stand a good chance of tripping over a famous author wherever you turn. We’ve already had the International Literature Festival Dublin. The oldest literary festival in the country, Listowel Writer’s Week is on this week. In a fortnight, there’ll be the Dalkey Book Festival, and just after that, the lovely town of Kells will host The Hay Festival Kells. Writers attending include Hanif Kureishi, Kevin Barry, and Patrick McCabe.
Kells is of course pretty used to literature. It is after all where The Book of Kells was completed by ninth-century monks. The Festival will examine the world-famous manuscript from an unusual perspective: that it was one of the first graphic novels. The Image will host an exciting line-up of comic-book artists and writers, including Rhianna Pratchett (Tomb Raider), Michael Carroll (Judge Dredd), Maura McHugh (Witchfinder). The four-day program of readings, music, lectures, and history tours begins on Thursday, June 23rd.