The 38th Cúirt International Festival of Literature will welcome world-renowned and celebrated Irish and international authors, alongside the very best in emerging talent, to Galway this year, for the week of 18th - 23rd April.
The festival will host over 50 events, including poetry, fiction, theatre, memoir, masterclasses, exhibitions, and family events.
We hope that the programme this year offers audiences new perspectives, and an opportunity to share a love of literature with the city and with each other. After all, reading is both a solitary and shared act that can bring us closer and widen our appreciation of the world. This idea is reflected in our poster, illustrated by artist Charlot Kristensen, which is an invitation to settle into a book and share the act of reading, and all that it encompasses - ideas, inspiration, conversation - with those around us.
We can’t wait to welcome everyone to the festival for what will promise to be an unforgettable week of readings, events, and conversation.
| Tues 18 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:30 | The Hardiman - An Amazing Story | Hardiman Hotel | FREE | ||
| 12:30 | Poems for Patience Launch | Hospital Lobby | FREE Ticketed |
Tickets | |
| 14:00 | Poetry Masterclass with Colette Bryce | Aras NaGael | €25 | Tickets | |
| 16:00 | Too Much of Nothing | Neachtains | €10 | Tickets | |
| 18:00 | Queering the Green | Nun's Island | €8/6 | Tickets | |
| 19:30 | Cúirt Festival Week Launch | Galway City Distillary | FREE | ||
| Wed 19 | |||||
| 10:30 | Frames of Reference: Editing Poetry | Nun's Island | €10/8 | Tickets | |
| 13:00 | Poetry Reading with Vona Groarke, Rachael Allen and Will Harris | Nun's Island | €8/6 | Tickets | |
| 14:00 | Fiction Masterclass with Carmen Maria Machado | Aras NaGael | €25 | Tickets | |
| 15:30 | ROPES Launch | Nun's Island | FREE Ticketed |
Tickets | |
| 16:00 | Too Much of Nothing | Neachtains | €10 | Tickets | |
| 18:00 | Telling Tales: Emigrant Women in the 19th Century | Nun's Island | €10/8 | Tickets | |
| 20:30 | Haunting Fiction | Nun's Island | €12/10 | Tickets | |
| 21:30 | Lifeboat Pamphlet Launch | Festival Club | FREE | ||
| Thurs 20 | |||||
| 10:30 | Frames of Reference: Art Writing | Nun's Island | €10/8 | Tickets | |
| 12:00 | Kevin Higgins Memorial | Taibhdhearc | FREE Ticketed |
Tickets | |
| 13:00 | Debut Fiction: Maddie Mortimer, Luke Cassidy and Tice Cin | Nun's Island | €8/6 | Tickets | |
| 14:30 | New Writing Showcase | Taibhdhearc | FREE Ticketed |
Tickets | |
| 16:00 | Too Much of Nothing | Neachtains | €10 | Tickets | |
| 16:30 | Writing Collapse: Eco-poetry | Nun's Island | €8/6 | Tickets | |
| 18:00 | None of the Above: Travis Alabanza | Taibhdhearc | €12/10 | Tickets | |
| 19:00 | Fergus Cronin: Night Music | Galway City Distillary | FREE | ||
| 20:30 | Bodies of Work: Carmen Maria Machado | Taibhdhearc | €12/10 | Tickets | |
| Fri 21 | |||||
| 10:30 | Frames of Reference: Editing Fiction | Nun's Island | €10/8 | Tickets | |
| 12:00 | Lessons in Kindness: a workshop with Dani Gill | Coffeewerk & Press | TBC | Tickets | |
| 13:00 | Motherhood and Madness: Alice Kinsella and Jessica Traynor | Taibhdhearc | €10/8 | Tickets | |
| 13:30 | Young Writer Delegates Showcase | Charlie Byrnes | FREE | ||
| 15:00 | Suad Aldarra and Derek Owusu | Nun's Island | €8/6 | Tickets | |
| 15:30 | Dinnseanchas: Lore of Places | Taibhdhearc | €10/8 | Tickets | |
| 16:00 | Too Much of Nothing | Neachtains | €10 | Tickets | |
| 17:00 | How to Build a Boat Book Launch: Elaine Feeney | Kenny's | €10/8 | Tickets | |
| 17:30 | The Land, The Self: Memoir and Nature | Town Hall Theatre | €12/10 | Tickets | |
| 19:00 | Boxing Day with William Keohane | Nun's Island | €8/6 | Tickets | |
| 20:30 | Max Porter: Shy | Town Hall Theatre | €16/14 | Tickets | |
| Sat 22 | |||||
| 9:00 | Shore Lines: Blackrock Readings and Sea Swim | Diving Board | FREE | ||
| 11:00 | Making a Story World - Characters, with Mary Watson | Galway City Library | FREE Ticketed |
Tickets | |
| 11:00 | Kid's Story Time with Fearghas MacLochlainn | Charlie Byrnes | FREE | ||
| 11:30 | well I just kind of like it | Outset Gallery | €8/6 | Tickets | |
| 12:30 | Bay Views: Writers on Wild Swimming | Taibhdhearc | €10/8 | Tickets | |
| 13:00 | A Changing Climate: Writing, Activism and the Environment | Town Hall Theatre | €12/10 | Tickets | |
| 14:00 | Close to Home: Michael Magee | Nun's Island | €10/8 | Tickets | |
| 15:00 | The Wonderful World of YA | Taibhdhearc | €10/8 | Tickets | |
| 16:00 | Too Much of Nothing | Neachtains | €10 | Tickets | |
| 16:00 | Donal Ryan & Wendy Erskine | Town Hall Theatre | €12/10 | Tickets | |
| 18:30 | Poetry Reading with Eva Bourke, Tara Bergin and Padraig Regan | Taibhdhearc | €12/10 | Tickets | |
| 20:00 | Old God's Time: Sebastian Barry | Town Hall Theatre | €16/14 | Tickets | |
| Sun 23 | |||||
| 11:00 | The Raven's Nest: Sarah Thomas | Outset Gallery | €8/6 | Tickets | |
| 12:00 | Kid's Story Time | Charlie Byrnes | FREE | ||
| 12:00 | Common Decency is Nothing Special: Susannah Dickey and Nicole Flattery | Nun's Island | €10/8 | Tickets | |
| 14:30 | Poor Little Sick Girls: Ione Gamble | Nun's Island | €10/8 | Tickets | |
| 16:00 | Too Much of Nothing | Neachtains | €10 | Tickets | |
| 16:00 | Sentimental Garbage Podcast Live with Caroline O'Donoghue and Emer McLysaght | Town Hall Theatre | €12/10 | Tickets | |
| 17:00 | The Arts and Culture of Galway since 1820 | Nuns Island | FREE Ticketed |
Tickets | |
| 19:00 | An Evening with Anne Enright and Louise Kennedy | Town Hall Theatre | €16/14 | Tickets | |
For full details, please see the Cúirt website.