West Cork Literary Festival Programme

2010
‘This year we celebrate the written word in its many disciplines, from
long fiction to short, poetry to travel writing, journalism to humour,
and even that old and dying art form: the diary. Alongside well-known
and garlanded speakers, we will feature a new generation of authors,
from Ireland and beyond.’
Denyse Woods, Artistic Director
Booking / Information: tel: +353 (0)27 55987 e-mail: info@westcorkliteraryfestival.ie www.westcorkliteraryfestival.ie
Cover Image: Heather and Grass (Detail), Sarah Walker Design: Stuart Coughlan edit+
Bantry / Sunday 4 – Saturday 10 July
readings / workshops / seminars / children’s events / photography / music
LIBRARY & ARTS SERVICES

A warm welcome to the 2010 West Cork Literary Festival
One afternoon during the festival last year, I was leaving the hotel when
I was almost mown down by hundreds – literally – of children piling
into one of the readings. In these techno-times, it was an uplifting
sight: reading is alive and well in this country, and I am delighted to
be involved in a festival which has a dedicated children’s programme.
May they come in their droves in 2010 also!
This year we celebrate the written word in its many disciplines,
from long fiction to short, poetry to travel writing, journalism to
humour, and even that old and dying art form: the diary. Alongside
well-known and garlanded speakers, we will feature a new generation
of authors, from Ireland and beyond. Our comprehensive workshop
programme aims to meet the needs of all aspiring authors whether
young, beginner or proficient. The launch of the JG Farrell Fiction
Prize is a reminder of West Cork’s extraordinary literary heritage of
which this festival is now part.
The West Cork Literary Festival has come into the new decade
in rude good health, thanks to my predecessors, Sinead Collins,
Clem Cairns and Lorraine Bacchus, as well as the Library Service,
the team at West Cork Music and the people of Bantry. In creating
this programme, I have also had the help of authors, publicists, agents
and publishers whom I would like to thank for their forbearance!
The continued support of the Arts Council, Fáilte Ireland and Cork
County Library and Arts Service is gratefully acknowledged, especially
in these straitened times, as is the assistance of the friends of the
festival and our wonderful volunteers. Finally, thanks to all those who
have undertaken to travel to Bantry – from near and far – to take part
in this year’s events, whether to read, listen or learn. Enjoy!
Denyse Woods, Artistic Director
Cork County Library and Arts Service has been centrally involved
with the West Cork Literary Festival – now widely regarded as
one of Ireland’s major literary events – since its inception twelve
years ago. The heart and soul of the festival, we like to think, is
Bantry Library which hosts readings and workshops each day of
the festival and from where the festival was first developed.
Cork County Library and Arts Service strive to encourage
the appreciation and enjoyment of literature and reading, and
our involvement in the development of this festival reflects
this policy. The library again this year has an entertaining and
captivating programme of events to suit everyone. All events in
the library are free and allow people of all ages the opportunity to
participate in the festival in the familiar surroundings of the local
library.
In her first year as the festival’s Artistic Director, Denyse
Woods has produced a spectacular programme which combines
emerging talented writers with established literary stars.
We hope that this festival will build on the success of previous
years and will continue to strengthen Bantry’s reputation as one
of Ireland’s important cultural destinations. We would like to
thank everyone involved in the festival, our partners West Cork
Music, our own staff, local businesses and the many volunteers
who will give so much of their time to make this event a success.
We hope that everyone who attends the festival, authors and
participants alike, will have an exciting, rewarding and enjoyable
experience.
Cork County Library and Arts Service
Cork County Library & Arts Service

Sunday 4 July
Exhibition
The Face of Irish Literature
The West Cork Literary Festivals of 2008 & 2009
There will be an exhibition of photographs by the renowned
photographer Michael Thorsnes in Bantry Library. Michael is
Photographer for the 2010 West Cork Literary Festival and his
work for each day will be shown during the Bedtime Story in
the Maritime Hotel every night.
At the peak of a career as a nationally-recognized trial lawyer,
Michael Thorsnes left the practice of law to pursue related
interests in poetry and professional photography. He was
designated as Poet Laureate of, and served as photographer
for, the John Kerry Presidential campaign. He has previously
lectured and was one of the judges in the Fish Publishing
International Poetry Prize. His work as a photographer has
carried him to twenty-two countries in the last three years.
Sunday 4 July
20.00 / Bantry Library, Bridge Street
OFFICIAL Opening of the 12 th
West Cork Literary Festival
Wine reception. Everyone is welcome.
The J G Farrell Fiction Award
The inaugural J G Farrell Fiction Award will be presented during
the Opening of the Twelfth West Cork Literary Festival. This
award is for the best novel-in-progress by a writer resident in
Munster. The winner receives a place on the Fiction workshop
which takes place during the festival and accommodation at the
Maritime Hotel. The adjudicator is award-winning novelist Peter
Cunningham. For application details see under Workshops.
J.G. Farrell, the Booker prizewinner, was born in Liverpool in
1935 and died at the early age of 44 when swept into the sea
while fishing from rocks near his home in Kilcrohane, West
Cork. Farrell first came to public attention with the award of
the Faber Prize in 1971 for Troubles, the first of his historical
Trilogy, set in Ireland after the First World War. Troubles has
subsequently been televised by the BBC, and at the time of
printing is longlisted for the unique 2010 ‘Lost’ Man Booker
Prize. The Siege of Krishnapur, Farrell’s view of the Indian
Mutiny of 1857, carried off the Booker in 1973. In 2008 The
Siege of Krishnapur was shortlisted for the fortieth anniversary
‘Best of Booker’ public vote.
22.45 / Maritime Hotel – free
BEDTIME STORY
The first of the week’s series of nightly stories, followed by open
mike for music, poetry and readings. The photography for the
day will also be shown.

Monday 5 July
11.00 Morning Reading / Bantry Bookshop – free
Phil Young & James Lawless
Phil Young will be reading from her first novel In a Place Apart.
Native of Dunmanway, Phil has published short stories, articles
and a biography of children's author Patricia Lynch. She has
featured several times on Sunday Miscellany.
James Lawless will be reading from his new novel The Avenue.
James has published two previous novels Peeling Oranges in 2007
and For Love of Anna in 2009 and a meditation on modern
poetry Clearing the Tangled Wood. He won the Cecil Day Lewis
Play Award in 2005 for What Are Neighbours For?
13.00 Lunchtime Reading / Bantry Library – free
Sue Leonard & Brian O'Connell
Sue Leonard will read from her book Keys to the Cage – How
People Cope with Depression (New Island Books, 2010).
Sue Leonard, a former nurse, is a health journalist. She writes
for the Irish Independent, the Irish Examiner and others.
Brian O'Connell will read from Wasted which details his own
and Ireland's relationship with alcohol.
Brian O'Connell, a regular on television and radio, is a
journalist whose work has appeared in the Irish Times and
several international publications. Wasted reached number 5 in
Joe Duffy's Liveline Listener's Choice Books of 2009.
Left to right: Sue Leonard, Brian O'Connell and Eileen Battersby
14.30 Afternoon Seminar / Maritime Hotel – €18
Eileen Battersby - Second Readings
Why do we read? Why do we re-read? Why do some novels live
in the imagination and summon us back time and again? Why
do Wuthering Heights, The Lord of the Rings and Black Beauty
continue to wield their spells? What can Waugh and Camus
teach us about ourselves? These are the questions that shape the
journeys undertaken in Second Readings, a collection revisiting
the international literary canon.
Expanding on Eileen Battersby's series on classic books
which appeared in The Irish Times, this collection now includes
informative, at times irreverent, portraits of the men and
women who wrote them.
Eileen Battersby is the Irish Times Literary Correspondent. She
has won the National Arts Journalist of the Year Award four
times.

Monday 5 July
14.30 Afternoon Seminar / St Brendan's School Hall – €18
The Poetry Journey
with Peter Sirr & James Harpur
Publishing poetry is like dropping a rose petal down the Grand
Canyon and waiting for the echo. Why does someone decide
to make poetry the centre of their lives? Where do poets get
their inspiration and how do they sustain themselves on the
poetic journey? Peter Sirr and James Harpur, award-winning
poets, talk about what drew them to poetry and the themes that
continue to inspire them.
Peter Sirr works in Dublin as a freelance writer and translator.
His most recent collection of poems is The Thing is (Gallery
Press). He is a member of Aosdána.
A winner of the British National Poetry Competition, James
Harpur won the 2009 Michael Hartnett award with his book
The Dark Age (Anvil Press).
14.30 Afternoon Reading / Maritime Hotel – €5
John Boyne
The Irish inaugural reading of Noah Barleywater Runs Away,
John’s follow-up to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
John Boyne was born in Dublin in 1971. The author of seven
novels, his work has been translated into over 40 languages. His
novel The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas sold over 5 million copies
and was made into a feature film.
‘John Boyne brings a completely fresh eye to the most important
stories’. Colum McCann
17.00 Afternoon Reading / Maritime Hotel – free
Felix Cheong
Top: Peter Sirr, Above: Felix Cheong (left), John Boyne (right) photo Mark Condren.
Felix Cheong will be reading from his latest collection of poetry
Sudden in Youth: New & Selected Poems.
Felix Cheong is a Singaporean poet and the author of four
collections of poetry, two teen detective novels and a non-fiction
anthology of interviews. He has also written two plays.

Monday 5 July
18.30 The Mariner Restaurant - free
Enda Wyley & James Harpur
Enda Wyley will read from her four collections of poetry.
Enda Wyley is a poet and children's writer. She has published
four collections of poetry. Her most recent To Wake to This was
published by Dedalus Press in 2009. She is currently Co-writerin-residence
at Marino Institute of Education.
James Harpur will read new and old poems including from The
Dark Age (Anvil Press), winner of the 2009 Michael Hartnett
award.
James Harpur's poems range from nature studies to love, death
and the search for spiritual meaning in a secular world. His
readings have been described as sonorous and penetrative with
a music that lingers on.
Left: Enda Wyley, right: James Harpur
20.30 Evening Event / Maritime Hotel – €15
An Evening with Eavan Boland
Introduced by Mary Dorcey
Eavan Boland is one of the most important poets in
contemporary Irish literature.
Born in Dublin, her father was a diplomat and her mother was
an expressionist painter. Her collections include Against Love
Poetry, which was a New York Times Notable Book of 2001.
Also, The Lost Land (1998), An Origin Like Water: Collected
Poems 1967-1987 (1996), In a Time of Violence (1994), Outside
History: Selected Poems 1980-1990 (1990). Her most recent
book is New Collected Poems (2008 Norton & Carcanet).
22.45 Bedtime Story / Maritime Hotel – free
Bedtime story followed by open mike.
Eavan Boland

Tuesday 6 July
11.00 Morning Reading / Bantry Bookshop – free
Alan Monaghan
Alan Monaghan will be reading from The Soldier's Song.
Alan Monaghan was born in Dublin in 1970 and started
writing at an early age. He was first short-listed for the Hennessy
Awards in 1995 with his short story, Rosary, and then again in
2002 with The Soldier's Song, which won the emerging fiction
prize as well as the overall Hennessy New Irish Writing Award.
13.00 Lunchtime Reading / Bantry Library – free
Alex Barclay & Nuala Ní Chonchúir
Alex Barclay will be reading from Blood Runs Cold and Time
of Death.
Alex Barclay is the best-selling author of three crime novels.
Her debut, Darkhouse, published to great acclaim in 2005,
introduced NYPD Detective, Joe Lucchesi. Her latest novel,
Time of Death, will be released in May 2010. Alex Barclay’s
work is published in eighteen languages.
14.30 Afternoon Seminar / Maritime Hotel – €18
The State and the State of Writers in
Singapore
Felix Cheong will introduce the seminar by discussing the
State’s interference in the arts, particularly in writing. He will
focus on the uneasy relationship between writers in Singapore
with the state. In the past, several playwrights were detained
under the Internal Security Act for possible leftwing leanings,
while gay writers have been denied a grant. However, things are
improving and Felix will talk about the current state of play.
Felix Cheong is the author of six books, including four
collections of poetry, two teen detective novels and a nonfiction
anthology of interviews. He was nominated for the
Singapore Literature Prize and, in 2000, received the National
Arts Council’s Young Artist of the Year for Literature Award.
He completed his Masters of Philosophy in Creative Writing
at the University of Queensland in 2002 and is currently an
adjunct lecturer and freelance reporter.
Nuala Ní Chonchúir will be reading from her first novel You.
Nuala Ní Chonchúir is an award-winning fiction writer and
poet. She is fiction editor of Horizon Review. Her collection of
short fiction Nude was published in 2009. The Irish Times called
it ‘a memorable achievement’. You is published by New Island.
Alex Barclay (left), Nuala Ní Chonchúir (right)

Tuesday 6 July
14.30 Afternoon Seminar / Maritime Hotel – €18
Tony Humphreys
Society’s Seven Best-Kept Secrets
Relationship, relationship, relationship lies at the heart of
a mature society. All relationships are couple relationships
whether this, for example, is a parent with a child or a manager
with an employee, and there are always three relationships
present - two of these concern the inner relationship with self
of each of the partners in the couple and the third relationship
is the outer one between the two individuals involved. There
are several unconscious defences – ‘secrets’ – that block the
emergence of mature relationships both within an individual
and between individuals and a mature society. The presentation
will explore these best kept ‘secrets’ and what needs to happen
for these hidden truths to be lived out in relationships.
Dr. Tony Humphreys is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist,
author and speaker. He has become Ireland’s most influential
psychologist and is a specialist lecturer on education,
relationships and self-realisation in University Colleges, Cork
and Limerick. He is a Senior Fellow at National College of
Ireland, Dublin and is a regular guest lecturer nationally and
internationally. He is the author of twelve best-selling books
including The Power of ‘Negative’Thinking; Self-Esteem, the Key to
Your Child’s Future; Work and Worth, take back your life; Myself,
My Partner; Leaving The Nest; Whose Life Are You Living and All
About Children.
Tony Humphreys (left), Enda Wyley (right)
14.30 Children’s Workshop / St Brendan's School Hall - €15
Word Power with Enda Wyley
Writing Workshop for 8-12 years
A fun workshop and reading for young writers with children's
author and poet Enda Wyley. Children will write their own
work, read established writers and leave with a great insight into
the world of literature and the power of words. Enda will also
read from and talk about her own children's books.
Course participants must bring notebooks and pens.
Enda Wyley is a poet and children's writer. She has published
four collections of poetry. Her most recent To Wake to This
was published by Dedalus Press. Her children's books include
Boo and Bear, The Silver Notebook and I Won't Go to China! all
published by O’Brien Press. With the children's writer Siobhan
Parkinson, she is currently Writer-in-residence at Marino
Institute of Education.

Tuesday 6 July
John Boyne
17.00 Afternoon Reading / Bantry Library – free
John Boyne
John Boyne will be reading from his novel,The House of Special Purpose.
John Boyne was born in Dublin in 1971. The author of seven novels, his work has
been translated into over 40 languages and won several literary awards including
two Irish Book Awards and the Spanish Que Leer Award for Best International
Novel of 2007. His novel The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas sold over five million
copies worldwide, topped the New York Times Bestseller List and was made into
a Miramax feature film. His second children’s book, Noah Barleywater Runs Away,
will be published in October 2010 and a new adult novel, The Absolutist, will
follow in 2011.
18.30 The Mariner Restaurant - free
Kathleen Kenny & Rosemary Canavan
Kathleen Kenny lives and writes in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. She is currently working
on a novel and putting the finishing touches to her third collection of poetry. Her
work appears in many magazines and anthologies. Kathleen has also published
several poetry collections including: Goosetales and Other Flights (Koo Press, 2007);
Firesprung (Red Squirrel Press, 2008); Keening with Spittal Tongues (Red Squirrel
Press, 2009).
Rosemary Canavan was born in Scotland, brought up in County Antrim, and now
lives in County Cork. Identity, landscape and change are the themes of her current
collection, Trucker’s Moll, published last year by Salmon Poetry. Her first collection
of poetry, The Island, was based around her experience of teaching at Spike Island
Prison. She has also been writer-in-residence for County Kerry, and poetry editor
of the journal Southword.

Tuesday 6 July
20.30 Evening Event / Maritime Hotel – €15
An Evening with Margaret DraBBLe
Introduced by Sue Leonard
Margaret Drabble will be reading from her new book The Pattern
in the Carpet, an original and often very moving personal history
about remembrance and growing older; about the importance
of childhood play; and how we rearrange objects into new
patterns to make sense of our past and ornament our present.
Margaret Drabble is a novelist, biographer and critic. She was
born in Sheffield in 1939 and went to a Quaker boarding school
in York and then Newnham College, Cambridge. She has
written many highly acclaimed novels including The Millstone,
Jerusalem the Golden, winner of the James Tait Black Memorial
Prize (for fiction); The Needle's Eye;The Radiant Way, A Natural
Curiosity and The Gates of Ivory which form a trilogy of novels
set in the 1980's and most recently, The Sea Lady. She has also
written biographies and screenplays and is the editor of The
Oxford Companion to English Literature. She received the E.M.
Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters
in 1973 and was awarded the CBE in 1980. She is married
to the biographer, Michael Holroyd and lives in London and
Somerset. In 2008 she was made a DBE.
22.45 Bedtime Story / Maritime Hotel – free
Bedtime story with open mike.
Margaret Drabble

Wednesday 7 July
11.00 Morning Reading / Bantry Bookshop – free
Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy will be reading from his novel Peeler.
Kevin McCarthy was born in Suffolk, where his father was
stationed with the US Air Force. He served in the Air Force
himself before studying at Boston College and University
College Dublin. In 2005 he was awarded the Fingal County
Council Arts Bursary for Fiction Writing. He lives in North
County Dublin. Peeler is his first novel.
13.00 Lunchtime Reading / Bantry Library – free
Hugo Hamilton
Hugo Hamilton will be reading from Hand in the Fire.
Hugo Hamilton is the best-selling author of The Speckled People,
a German-Irish memoir of growing up in Dublin. It won the
prestigious Prix Femina Etranger in France, as well as the Berto
Prize in Italy, and appeared on the New York Times notable
books list. His second memoir The Sailor in the Wardrobe
has also been praised as an ‘enchanting piece of work’ (Terry
Eagleton). He is also the acclaimed author of seven novels
and one collection of short stories, all of which reflect on the
increasingly compelling issues of cultural divisions, belonging
and identity. Hugo Hamilton lives in Dublin.
14.30 Afternoon Seminar / Maritime Hotel – €18
Brian Dillon
Hypochondria: The Art of Illness
Hypochondria is an ancient name for a malady that is always
fretfully new: the fear of disease and the experience of one's
body as alien and unpredictable. In his new book, Tormented
Hope: Nine Hypochondriac Lives, Brian Dillon explores the real
and imagined worlds of some well-known sufferers: Charlotte
Brontë, Charles Darwin, Glenn Gould, Andy Warhol and
Michael Jackson among them. Join Dillon as he unravels the
connections between real and imagined illness, irrational fear
and rational concern.
Brian Dillon is the author of Tormented Hope: Nine
Hypochondriac Lives, and a memoir, In the Dark Room, which
won the Irish Book Award for non-fiction in 2006. He writes
regularly on art, books and culture for the Irish Times, Guardian,
Times Literary Supplement and others. He lives in Canterbury,
where he is a Research Fellow at the University of Kent.
Left: Hugo Hamilton Right: Brian Dillon
10

Wednesday 7 July
14.30 Afternoon Seminar / St Brendan's School Hall – €18
Writing for the Environment
Manchán Magan & Damien Enright
How does a travel writer defend himself against crimes against
the ozone layer? How does he square the environmental
decimation that flagrant promotion of international travel
entails with his conscience? Manchán Magan, Irish Times Travel
columnist, grapples with this thorny conundrum.
Writing about nature can be inspiring, satisfying, edifying and
hazardous. In twenty years of writing a weekly Nature Column
for the Irish Examiner, Damien Enright has had some alarming
encounters, not least when he took issue with public or private
disregard for the environment.
Manchán Magan is a writer, and documentary maker. His travel
programmes for TG4 explored remote cultures from China to
South America. He has written six books including Angels &
Rabies (Brandon, 2006) and Truck Fever (Brandon, 2008). His
first novel Oddballs: a novel of Affections (Brandon) is due Sept
2010. He writes the Magan’s World column for the Irish Times.
Damien Enright is an enthusiastic and, at times, outspoken,
nature columnist for The Irish Examiner. He has written eight
walking guides to West Cork and Kerry; A Place Near Heaven
- A year in West Cork; and Munster in Ireland County by County.
He has published poetry in Poetry Ireland and written and
presented environmental programmes on RTÉ television.
Clockwise from top left: Manchán Magan, Anthony Horowitz (photo Des Willie), Damien Enright.
14.30 Afternoon Reading / Maritime Hotel – €5
An Afternoon with Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz is a children’s author, screenwriter and
journalist and is probably one of the UK’s most prolific and
successful writers. He has written over 50 books including the
best-selling teen spy series Alex Rider and the supernatural Power
of Five series. His television works include Collision, the awardwinning
Foyle’s War, Midsomer Murders and Poirot. Anthony was
singled out in 2007 by then Education Secretary Alan Johnson
as the not-so-secret weapon to get boys reading.
11

Wednesday 7 July
17.00 St Brendan's Church – free
2010 Fish Anthology Launch & Awards
The launch brings together from around the world the winners
of the annual Fish Literary Prizes, as selected this year by Ronan
Bennett (short story), Matthew Sweeney (poetry), and John
Hegley and Simon Munnery (flash fiction). Each of the winning
authors present will read an excerpt from their work. This is the
15 th year of the Fish Anthology.
17.00 Children's Workshop / Bantry Library - free
Maddie Stewart
In these workshops Maddie employs rhyming stories and poems
which children enjoy bringing to life, clapping out a rhythm,
acting out parts or joining in with words. This reading is suitable
for children from 5 - 7 years old.
Maddie Stewart was born in Belfast and has published five
childrens’ books, most recently Hal’s Sleepover.
18.30 The Mariner Restaurant – free
Leanne O'Sullivan & Nell Regan
Leanne O'Sullivan will be reading from her second book, The
Hag of Beara, and new work.
Leanne O’Sullivan has published two collections of poetry, both
from Bloodaxe, Waiting for My Clothes (2004) and Cailleach;
The Hag of Beara (2009). In 2009 she was awarded the Ireland
Chair of Poetry Bursary Award, nominated by Professor Michael
Longley.
Nell Regan will be reading from Preparing for Spring and new
work.
Nell Regan's debut collection of poetry Preparing for Spring
(Arlen House) was recipient of the 2007 Dublin City Literature
Bursary. She has just returned from a reading tour supported by
Culture Ireland. She lives and teaches in Dublin.
Left to right: Ronan Bennett, Maddie Stewart, Leanne O'Sullivan and Nell Regan
12

Wednesday 7 July
20.30 Evening Event / Maritime Hotel – €15
Left: Tim Mackintosh-Smith, photo: Jamie Wightman
An Evening with Tim Mackintosh-Smith
Introduced by Denyse Woods
Tim Mackintosh-Smith is an Arabist, traveller and writer. For
the last twenty-eight years, his home has been the Yemeni capital,
Sana'a.His first book, Yemen: Travels in Dictionary Land, won the
1998 Thomas Cook/Daily Telegraph Travel Book Award.
Considered by many to be the best travel writer of his
generation, his three books to date are New York Times Notable
Books.
For over a decade Tim has been following and writing about the
14th-century Moroccan judge and social climber Ibn Battutah of
Tangier, who out-travelled Marco Polo by a factor of three. Tim's
first two books on Ibn Battutah, the best-selling Travels with a
Tangerine and The Hall of a Thousand Columns, are about to be
joined by a third – Landfalls.
Tim also presented a BBC documentary series on Ibn
Battutah's travels. Here he will reveal in words and pictures
some of the stranger survivals from the Moroccan's 650-year-old
book.
‘Mackintosh-Smith seems incapable of writing a dull sentence, and
in him the scholar, the linguist and the story-teller swap hats with
marvellous speed …’ New York Times
22.45 Bedtime Story / Maritime Hotel - free
Bedtime story with open mike.
13

Thursday 8 July
11.00 Morning Reading / Bantry Bookshop – free
Yvonne Cassidy & Fiachra Sheridan
Yvonne Cassidy will be reading from The Other Boy.
Yvonne Cassidy was born in 1974 and grew up in Dalkey, Co Dublin. She has written journalism,
short stories, television scripts and is a regular reviewer for the UK magazine The Tablet. She is
currently working on her second novel What Might Have Been Me. She also runs her own marketing
consultancy. The Other Boy is Yvonne's first novel.
Fiachra Sheridan will be reading from The Runners.
Fiachra Sheridan is a member of one of Ireland's best-known literary families and was born in
Dublin in 1974. He grew up in Ballybough, in Dublin's north inner city, where he is now a Maths
teacher. He is married to Denise and has one child, Xabi. He has had two plays performed. The
Runners, published by New Island in 2009, is his first novel.
Top: Yvonne Cassidy Below: Simon Mawer, photoConnie Bonello
13.00 Lunchtime Reading / Bantry Library – free
Simon Mawer
Simon Mawer will be reading from The Glass Room and other works.
Simon Mawer took a degree in biology and worked as a biology teacher for many years. His debut,
Chimera (1989) won the McKitterick Prize for first novels. Mendel's Dwarf (1997), reached the
last ten of the Booker Prize and was a New York Times Book to Remember for 1998. The Gospel of
Judas, The Fall (winner of the 2003 Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature) and Swimming
to Ithaca followed. In 2009 The Glass Room, his tenth book and eighth novel was shortlisted for
the Man Booker Prize. Simon Mawer is married and has two children. He has lived in Italy for the
past thirty years.
14

Thursday 8 July
14.30 Afternoon Seminar / Maritime Hotel – €18
The Editing Process
from Submission to Publication
Patricia Deevy, Hazel Orme & Marie Rejte
Patricia Deevy is Editorial Director at Penguin Ireland where she
has a wide commissioning brief. She has published authors as
diverse as Matt Cooper, Sinead Moriarty, Eddie Hobbs, George
Hook, Amy Huberman and Gerry Stembridge. Before joining
Penguin’s Irish operation, in 2002, Patricia was a journalist.
Maria Rejt has been a Publishing Director at Pan Macmillan
for over ten years. She recently announced her new imprint
Mantle. During the course of her editorial career she has
discovered many bestselling authors including Minette Walters,
C J Sansom, Kathy Reichs, Kate Morton and Donna Leon.
Hazel Orme has worked in publishing for thirty years and
is currently a freelance editor and copyeditor, working with
several major publishing houses in the UK and Ireland. She
concluded her in-house career at Pan Macmillan as its editorial
services director.
14.30 Afternoon Seminar / Maritime Hotel – €18
Menopausal Palestine :
Women at the Edge
Suad Amiry
Palestine, menopausal? Can a women’s condition also afflict
a state-in-the-making? Suad Amiry’s irreverent, wacky,
unmistakably political account links the state of Palestine to the
lives of ten women. She recalls the social and political history
of Palestine ‘through the lives of my PLO women’s generation’, in
what can only be called a personal-political tour de force.
Suad Amiry is an architect, activist and writer. Growing up
between Amman, Damascus, Beirut and Cairo, Suad has been
living in Ramallah since 1981. She participated in the 1991–
1993 Israeli-Palestinian Peace negotiations in Washington.
Amiry won Italy’s prestigious Viareggio-Versilia Prize in 2004
and her first book, Sharon and My Mother-in-Law was longlisted
for the Lettre Ulysses Award for Reportage. Her most
recent books are Menopausal Palestine: Women at the Edge, and
Nothing to Lose but Your Life.
Left to right:
Patricia Deevy,
Hazel Orme,
Marie Rejte,
Suad Amiry.
15

Thursday 8 July
17.00 Afternoon Reading / Bantry Library – free
Peter Cunningham & Martin Malone
Peter Cunningham will be reading from The Sea and the Silence
and from his new novel, Capital Sins.
Peter Cunningham Born in Waterford, Peter is the author of
the widely acclaimed Monument novels. His new novel, Capital
Sins, is a darkly satirical novel set during the collapse of the
Celtic Tiger. He is a member of Aosdána.
Martin Malone will be reading from his collection of short
stories The Mango War.
Martin Malone is an award-winning novelist and short story
writer. He is the author of four novels, a memoir, a collection of
short stories and several radio plays. He is a former soldier who
has served six tours of duty abroad. He has a Masters degree in
the Philosophy of Creative Writing from Trinity College.
18.30 The Mariner Restaurant – free
Owen O'Neill
Owen O'Neill will be reading from his poetry book Volcano
Dancing and new work.
Owen O'Neill is an award-winning writer, comedian, actor and
director. His book of poetry Volcano Dancing was published in
2005. His short film The Basket Case won the Best Short at
this year’s Fantaspoa Film Festival in Brazil and Best Short at
the Boston Film Festival in 2009. He has won three Fringe
Firsts at the Edinburgh Festival for his one-man plays and has
currently adapted The Shawshank Redemption for the stage. It
ran at Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre for six weeks in 2009 before
transferring to the West End Theatre where it ran for three
months to critical acclaim.
16
Left to right: Peter Cunningham, Martin Malone and Owen O’Neill.

Thursday 8 July
20.30 Evening Event / Maritime Hotel – €15
An Evening with Michael PaLIn
Introduced by Brian O'Connell
Michael Palin established his reputation with Monty Python’s
Flying Circus and Ripping Yarns. His work also includes several
films with Monty Python, as well as The Missionary, A Private
Function, an award-winning performance as the hapless Ken in
A Fish Called Wanda, American Friends and Fierce Creatures.
His television credits include two films for the BBC’s Great
Railway Journeys, the plays East of Ipswich and Number 27, and
Alan Bleasdale’s GBH. He has written books to accompany his
seven very successful travel series Around the World in 80 Days,
Pole to Pole, Full Circle, Hemingway Adventure, Sahara, Himalaya
and New Europe. He is also the author of a number of children’s
stories, the play The Weekend and the novel Hemingway’s Chair.
In 2006 the first volume of his diaries, 1969–1979: The
Python Years, spent many weeks on the bestseller lists, as have
his travel books. In 2008 he filmed Around the World in 20
Years a programme celebrating his first travel series, Around the
World in 80 Days. The second volume of his diaries, 1980-1988:
Halfway to Hollywood will be published in paperback in July
2010.
22.45 Bedtime Story / Maritime Hotel – free
Bedtime story with open mike
Left: Michael Palin, photo: John Swannell
17

Sunday 4 - Saturday 10 July
18
Date Time Event Venue
Sun 4 July 20.00 Opening of the 12th West Cork Literary Festival Library
22.45 Bedtime Story Maritime Hotel
Mon 5 July 11.00 Morning Reading – Phil Young & James Lawless Bookshop
13.00 Reading – Sue Leonard & Brian O'Connell Library
14.30 Children's Reading - John Boyne Maritime Hotel
14.30 Second Readings - Eileen Battersby Maritime Hotel
14.30 The Poetry Journey with Peter Sirr & James Harpur St Brendan’s School Hall
17.00 Afternoon Reading - Felix Cheong Maritime Hotel
18.30 Poetry Reading - Enda Wyley & James Harpur Mariner Restaurant
20.30 An Evening with Eavan Boland Maritime Hotel
22.45 Bedtime Story Maritime Hotel
Tue 6 July 11.00 Morning Reading – Alan Monaghan Bookshop
13.00 Reading - Alex Barclay & Nuala Ni Chonchuir Library
14.30 The State and State of Writers in Singapore- Felix Cheong Maritime Hotel
14.30 Society's Seven Best-Kept Secrets - Tony Humphreys Maritime Hotel
14.30 Children's Workshop -Word Power St Brendan's School Hall
17.00 Afternoon Reading – John Boyne Library
18.30 Poetry Reading- Kathleen Kenny & Rosemary Canavan Mariner Restaurant
20.30 An Evening with Margaret Drabble Maritime Hotel
22.45 Bedtime Story Maritime Hotel
Wed 7 July 11.00 Morning Reading – Kevin McCarthy Bookshop
13.00 Reading – Hugo Hamilton Library
14.30 Hypochondria : The Art of Illness - Brian Dillon Maritime Hotel
14.30 Children’s Reading – Anthony Horowitz Maritime Hotel
14.30 Writing for the Environment St Brendan's School Hall
17.00 Book Launch – Fish Anthology St Brendan's Church

17.00 Children's Workshop - Maddie Stewart Library
18.30 Poetry Reading – Leanne O'Sullivan & Nell Regan Mariner Restaurant
20.30 An Evening with Tim Mackintosh-Smith Maritime Hotel
22.45 Bedtime Story Maritime Hotel
Thur 8 July 11.00 Morning Reading – Yvonne Cassidy & Fiachra Sheridan Bookshop
13.00 Reading – Simon Mawer Library
14.30 The Editing Process panel discussion Maritime Hotel
14.30 Women at the Edge - Suad Amiry Maritime Hotel
17.00 Afternoon Reading – Peter Cunningham & Martin Malone Library
18.30 Poetry Reading - Owen O'Neill Mariner Restaurant
20.30 An Evening with Michael Palin Maritime Hotel
22.45 Bedtime Story Maritime Hotel
Fri 9 July 11.00 Morning Reading – Mark Macauley Bookshop
13.00 Reading – Philip Ó Ceallaigh Library
14.30 Masterclass in Travel Writing - Tim Mackintosh-Smith Maritime Hotel
14.30 Haunting Cries – Karen Coleman Maritime Hotel
17.00 Afternoon Reading – Suad Amiry Library
18.30 Irish Poets: A New Generation Mariner Restaurant
20.30 Fay Weldon in conversation with Sue Leonard Maritime Hotel
22.45 Music with Niwel Tsumbu Maritime Hotel
Sat 10 July 11.00 Morning Reading - Greg Baxter & Richard Halperin Library
13.00 Reading – Shane Hegarty Library
14.30 Cut the Crap : Self-Editing with Philip Ó Ceallaigh Maritime Hotel
14.30 Research with Simon Mawer & Tim Severin Maritime Hotel
16.30 Literary Tea with Carol Drinkwater Bantry House
18.30 Poetry Reading - Immigrant Writers Mariner Restaurant
20.30 How Did I Get Here? Poetry Performance St Brendan's Church
19
Photos © 2010 Danielle Delaney

Friday 9 July
11.00 Morning Reading / Bantry Bookshop – free
Mark Macauley
Mark Macauley will read from The House of Slamming Doors.
Mark Macauley was born in 1956 and raised on the edge of
the Wicklow Mountains. He lives between London and Africa.
He makes documentaries and writes screenplays. This is his
first novel.
14.30 Afternoon Seminar / Maritime Hotel – €18
Masterclass in Travel Writing
with Tim Mackintosh Smith
Tim will speak about the art of travel writing and will share
some of the secrets - and the pitfalls - of literary wandering.
He also asks where travel writing is heading next . . . the end
of the road? Probably not: it's been around since long before
they thought of novels. And no; they don't pay your expenses.
Tim invites participants to bring their own travellers' tales, for
discussion and revision. see page 13 for biography
13.00 Lunchtime Reading / Bantry Library – free
Philip Ó Ceallaigh
Philip Ó Ceallaigh will read from The Pleasant Light of Day.
Philip Ó Ceallaigh is a native of County Waterford and
currently lives in Bucharest. His first collection of stories, Notes
from a Turkish Whorehouse, won the Glen Dimplex New Writers
Award for fiction and was shortlisted for the Frank O'Connor
International Short Story Award. Philip won the Rooney Prize,
which is awarded annually to an Irish writer under forty, in
2006.
Mark Macauley (left), Philip Ó Ceallaigh (right)
20

Friday 9 July
14.30 Afternoon Seminar / Maritime Hotel – €18
Haunting Cries - Karen Coleman
Karen Coleman will talk about her book Haunting Cries,
in which people who were sent as children to industrial and
reformatory schools speak about their incarceration, the
physical, sexual and psychological abuse they suffered at the
hands of religious orders, and how it affected their lives. The
book also investigates the roles the Irish State and Irish society
played in their incarceration.
Karen Coleman is an award-winning broadcaster, journalist
and author. She has worked in Irish and international media
for nearly twenty years including a ten year stint with the BBC.
Karen presents the Wide Angle radio show on Newstalk 106-
108. Karen’s television work has included the production and
presentation of a series of investigative programmes for TV3.
Karen Coleman
17.00 Afternoon Reading / Bantry Library – free
Suad Amiry
Suad Amiry will read from her latest publication Nothing to Lose
but Your Life, a tense and riveting account of how, disguised as
a man, she crossed the Israeli border illegally with young male
workers who, having become jobless as a result of the Separation
Wall, risk everything to find work. See page 15 for biography
18.30 The Mariner Restaurant – free
Irish Poets: A New Generation
Marie Coveney is from Cork and is a graduate of the Crawford
College of Art and Design and has exhibited in Ireland, Sweden
and France.
Liam Duffy comes from Galway.
Emer Fallon is from Ballyferriter. Her work was selected for The
Guardian's monthly workshop series and has been shortlisted
for several prizes.
Denise Garvey, from Galway, is a member of the Advanced
Poetry Class at Galway Arts Centre.
Billy Ramsell is from Cork. His first book of poems, Complicated
Pleasures, was published by Dedalus in 2007.
Curated by John and Hilary Wakeman of THE SHOp
magazine.
21

Friday 9 July
20.30 Evening Event / Maritime Hotel – €15
Fay Weldon
in conversation with Sue Leonard
Fay Weldon is a novelist, playwright and screenwriter. Brought up in New Zealand,
she was the creator of the slogan 'Go to work on an egg', wrote the first ever episode of
Upstairs Downstairs and is currently Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University.
She read Economics and Psychology, worked briefly for the Foreign Office and then as a
journalist, before a successful career as an advertising copywriter.
Her work includes over twenty novels – her first, The Fat Woman's Joke, was published
in 1967 – five collections of short stories, several children's books, non-fiction books
and a number of plays for television, radio and stage. Much of her fiction explores issues
surrounding women's relationships with men, children, parents and each other.
Her latest novel is Chalcot Crescent which The Times describe as ‘a potent brew of social
comment, dystopian satire, vicious comedy and vintage Weldon wisdom’.
Fay Weldon (top), Niwel Tsumbu
22.45 Maritime Hotel – free
Niwel Tsumbu with Peter Eirdei [bass]
Niwel Tsumbu is a Congolese jazz guitarist. He was born in 1982 in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (ex Zaire). He moved to Ireland in 2004 and quickly established
himself on the Irish music scene. He has performed at the Cork and Bray Jazz Festivals,
the Festival of World Cultures in Dun Laoghaire and the Cork Spiegeltent. His Big Bang
Symphony performed by the Clear Sky Ensemble received rave reviews at the Dublin
Fringe Festival and the Cork Midsummer Festival.
‘Antidotes to the recession don't come much more potent than this’. Irish Times
22

Saturday 10 July
11.00 Morning Reading / Bantry Library – Free
Greg Baxter & Richard Halperin
Greg Baxter will read from A Preparation for Death.
Greg Baxter is the author of A Preparation for Death, a memoir.
He has published short stories and essays in numerous journals
including the Dublin Review. He is the creator of the Creative
Writing Workshops at Some Blind Alleys. He regularly reviews
for the Irish Times.
Richard Halperin will read from Anniversary, his debut collection.
Richard Halperin is an Irish/US poet living in Paris. His poetry
has been published in The SHOp, Cyphers, The Stony Thursday
Book, Ropes and Poetry Ireland Review. He was The Stinging Fly's
Featured Poet last summer.
13.00 Afternoon Reading / Bantry Library – Free
Shane Hegarty
Shane Hegarty, author of The Irish (and Other Foreigners), will
present a fun and informative presentation about 10,000 years
of outsiders coming to Ireland - from the first people to the
Poles.
Shane Hegarty is a journalist with The Irish Times and is coauthor
of The Irish Times Book of the 1916 Rising.
14.30 Afternoon Seminar / Maritime Hotel – €18
Cut the Crap: Self-Editing
with Philip Ó Ceallaigh
During this seminar Philip Ó Ceallaigh will discuss the
generalities and the specifics of writing fiction, and offer some
straight talking from one who has edited and been edited,
with the emphasis on self-editing, self-criticism, and rewriting,
balanced with concrete examples. Philip will read work in
advance by those students who feel his take on things might
be useful.
Philip Ó Ceallaigh’s first collection of stories, Notes from a
Turkish Whorehouse, established him as one of the most vital
and distinctive new voices in fiction. The Pleasant Light of Day
confirms his enormous talent and presses brilliantly into new
territory. Whether he is imagining a father and son walking the
streets of Cairo or concocting a hilarious parody of a certain
wildly popular inspirational author from Brazil, Philip Ó
Ceallaigh is a writer who demands to be read.
Philip Ó Ceallaigh
Greg Baxter
23

Saturday 10 July
14.30 Afternoon Seminar / Maritime Hotel – €18
Tim Severin
Research
with Simon Mawer & Tim Severin
Simon Mawer will discuss methods of research,
from the internet to field research, and how to utilise
your findings. He will explain how, having compiled
mountains of notes we must finally rely on memory
and trust that research will inform our writing rather
than dominate it.
Tim Severin will discuss the background research for
his current Hector Lynch series of historical novels,
as well as his VIKING trilogy, and how he tries to
interweave the research with his own voyages in
replicas of historic vessels.
Simon Mawer is the author of Chimera (1989),
Mendel's Dwarf (1997), The Gospel of Judas, The Fall,
Swimming to Ithaca andThe Glass Room, which was
shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Further details
on page 14.
Tim Severin is an acclaimed adventure writer and
explorer. Born in 1940, he has made a career of retracing
the storied journeys of mythical and historical figures.
Author of the bestselling VIKING trilogy his current
series of historical novels is PIRATE, the Adventures of
Hector Lynch. His award-winning documentary films
and BBC documentary series are collected under the
title Time Traveller. He lives in County Cork.
16.30 Bantry House – €20
with complimentary tea, cake and sandwiches
Literary Tea with Carol Drinkwater
Introduced by Alannah Hopkin
Come and join actress and novelist Carol Drinkwater for
afternoon tea in Bantry House. Carol will read from her
new book Return to the Olive Farm. This is the story of how
Carol and her husband Michel deal with the unavoidable
disappointments and inevitable responsibilities that come with
running an organic farm.
Familiar to Irish audiences for her role as Helen Herriot in the
BBC series All Creatures Great and Small, Carol Drinkwater is
an accomplished novelist, and has achieved bestselling status
with her much-loved memoirs, The Olive Farm series. She is
currently working with UNESCO on a documentary inspired
by her travel books The Olive Route and The Olive Tree.
‘Drinkwater is a rare writer
who tackles other people
brilliantly ... Vibrant,
intoxicating and heartwarming.’
Sunday Express
Carol Drinkwater
24

Saturday 10 July
18.30 The Mariner Restaurant – free
Immigrant Writers
Readings by poets collected in Landing Places: Immigrant Poets
in Ireland (Dedalus Press, 2010).
Oritsegbemi Emmanuel Jakpa was born in Warri, Nigeria
and now lives in Ireland. He was nominated for the 2009
Pushcart Prize by The Swarthmore Literary Review, The Taylor
Trust and Jack Magazine. His work has appeared in over 200
publications.
Panchali Mukherji was born in Calcutta, India and educated
in New Delhi, Calcutta and the USA.Panchali now resides in
Dublin and is writing her first collection of poetry as well as a
book of poems for children.
Landa Wo is an Angolan French poet who lives in France having
previously lived in Ireland, Gabon, Congo and England. A poet
in exile, Landa Wo writes mainly in French and English with the
heart oriented to the unknown, dreamed and surely idealized
land of Angola. Landa Wo has won numerous poetry awards.
20.30 Evening Event / St Brendan’s Church – €15
How Did I Get Here?
A Stage Performance of Poems from the Heart
How Did I Get Here? is the one-woman show based on Liz
Cowley’s wonderfully poignant poems. Starring Cyrena Hayes
Byrne this dramatised stage performance, How Did I Get Here?
promises one hour of wicked, bittersweet wit. It charts the
pleasures, conflicts and frustrations of our daily lives from love
found (or lost) to children and career conflicts.
Liz Cowley has enjoyed a long career as an advertising
copywriter. However, she has always loved writing poems,
which are primarily for and about women. Her first collection,
A Red Dress, came out in 2008 and went to the top spot on
Amazon for humorous verse and was then turned into a show
in Dublin. Her second collection, ‘What am I Doing Here?’ is
just out.
‘... her poems speak straight to the heart ... I recognised myself in it.
I think you will, too.’ Joanna Lumley
Panchali Mukherji (left) Landa Wo (right)
Liz Cowley (left), Cyrena Hayes Byrne (right)
25

Fiction with Peter Cunningham
Workshops
BOOKINGS: +353 (0) 27 55987
book online: www.westcorkliteraryfestival.ie
Max 15 participants per workshop.
€175 for five days
All workshops run concurrently
at Ardscoil Phobal, Chapel Street, Bantry.
9.30-12.30, Monday 5 – Friday 9 July
* Applicants for the J G Farrell Fiction Award should forward
the first chapter of their novel to the West Cork Literary Festival
office, 13 Glengarriff Road, Bantry, Co Cork
or to info@westcorkliteraryfestival.ie by 28 May 2010. The
winner will receive a place on the Fiction workshop during the
festival and a week’s accommodation in the 4 star Maritime
Hotel. This competition is limited to writers resident in
Munster.
Outlining a writer's perspective on producing a novel this
course will be of interest to aspiring novelists, agents, editors
and publishers. Exploring how a novel works and the pitfalls
first-time novelists encounter, Peter Cunningham will describe
his experience of the process and apply that knowledge to
the needs of the group. The course will explore the value of
such commonly-held perceptions as ‘writer’s inspiration’, the
imperative of a good start or opening, the arc of time involved in
the novel-writing process and the value of re-writing. Working
with an agent, submitting a book or outline, getting published,
the book market and the marketing of books will also be
discussed. The writing of participants will, where possible, be
analysed and examined.
Peter Cunningham was born in Waterford and is the author
of the widely-acclaimed Monument novels. Set in a fictional
landscape these stories, beginning with Tapes of the River Delta,
are about Irish people and their lives and loves from the late
19 th century to the present day. Cunningham’s best-selling
novel, The Taoiseach, laid bare the corruption at the heart of
contemporary Irish politics and was greeted with both acclaim
and controversy. His new book, Capital Sins, is a darkly satirical
novel set during the collapse of the Celtic Tiger. He is a member
of Aosdána.
26

Workshops
Short Fiction with Nuala Ní Chonchúir
This workshop is suitable for the first-time writer as well as those who have been writing for a while.
The class provides a structured guide to writing short fiction; topics covered will include character,
style, dialogue, 'show don’t tell', setting and language use. Participants will receive a daily handout
and will workshop stories submitted in advance (up to 3000 words). There will be plenty of time
for discussion about such topics as writing competitions and publishing opportunities
Nuala Ní Chonchúir was born in 1970 and lives in County Galway. An award-winning fiction
writer and poet, her third short fiction collection Nude was published by Salt in September 2009.
The Irish Times called it ‘a memorable achievement’. She is one of four winners of the 2009 Templar
Poetry Pamphlet competition. Her pamphlet Portrait of the Artist with a Red Car was published
November 2009; a full collection The Juno Charm is due November 2010. Nuala’s novel You will
be published by New Island in 2010. She received an Arts Council Bursary in 2009 and is fiction
editor of Horizon Review.
Freelance Journalism with Sue Leonard
Journalism isn’t just about writing – it is more varied, social and a whole lot more fun. In this
workshop, Sue and the course participants will discuss how to access ideas, how to pitch them to
editors, and how to manage deadlines. The course will cover research, structure and the writing of
articles. In class, participants will practise editing, interviewing and writing with clarity. They will
be encouraged to complete at least one article during the week. Please bring pen and pads and if you
have a laptop and/or a recording device, these will be useful – but are not essential.
Sue Leonard is a full-time freelance journalist who has published over 2,000 feature articles and has
given a series of lectures on journalism. She writes for The Irish Independent, The Irish Examiner, The
Evening Herald and Books Ireland. Her book, Keys to the Cage will be published by New Island in
May 2010. Born in Oxford, she now lives in County Wicklow.
Nuala Ní Chonchúir (top), Sue Leonard.
27

Workshops
Poetry with Leanne O'SuLLIvan
This workshop is for those who would like to begin to write
poetry or those who would like to develop poems that they have
already started. The main aim is to encourage and support new
writers through lively and fun discussion, exercise-based and
free writing and by telling stories and by listening to each other
to find out what makes a poem as effective as possible.
Leanne O'Sullivan was born in 1983 and comes from the
Beara peninsula in West Cork. She received an MA in English
from University College, Cork in 2006. The winner of several
of Ireland's poetry competitions, including the Seacat/Poetry
Ireland, Davoren Hanna and RTÉ Rattlebag Poetry Slam, she
has published two collections, both from Bloodaxe, Waiting
for My Clothes (2004) and Cailleach; The Hag of Beara (2009).
In 2009 she was awarded the Ireland Chair of Poetry Bursary
Award, nominated by Professor Michael Longley.
Writing Crime with Alex Barclay
The workshop will deal with characterisation, location, plot,
pace, creating suspense and writing a synopsis and cover letter.
If participants have already started working on a novel, they are
more than welcome to bring it with them. If they are too shy to
read out loud, that is no problem (Alex Barclay used to be that
person!). Alex would be happy to read their work privately.
Alex Barclay is the best-selling author of three crime novels. Her
debut novel, Darkhouse, was published to great acclaim in 2005,
making the Sunday Times bestseller list and going to number
one in the Irish charts. Darkhouse introduced NYPD Detective,
Joe Lucchesi, who featured again in the sequel, The Caller. Alex’s
third novel, Blood Runs Cold, featuring FBI Special Agent Ren
Bryce, was the winner of the 2009 TV3 Crime Fiction Award
at the Irish Book Awards. Her latest novel, Time of Death, will
be released in May, 2010. Alex Barclay’s work is published in
eighteen languages. She is published by Harper Collins.
Leanne O'Sullivan (left), Alex Barclay
28

Workshops
Celine Kiernan
The Graphic & Fantasy Novel
with Celine kIernan
This course will combine the basic elements
of fantasy writing (character development,
world building etc) with an understanding
of the graphic novel format. Attendees
will learn how to translate ideas into script
format, how to distill dialogue to its essence,
and how to think visually. There is no need to
be an artist, but there will be some practical
work so that writers can get their hands dirty
and understand paneling and flow and compression of ideas,
concepts which often don't register until one starts drawing or
physically mapping out a page. Some supplies will be available
for the art days (A3 paper and pencils) but to get the best out
of the ‘art’ sections, attendees might want to bring an eraser, a
soft pencil, a ruler, a sharpener, and perhaps some black markers
or pens.
Celine Kiernan trained at the Sullivan Bluth Studios, her career
as a classical feature character animator spanned over seventeen
years. Celine wrote her first novel aged eleven and hasn’t
stopped writing or drawing since. She has a peculiar weakness
for graphic novels since, like animation, they combine the two
things she loves the most: drawing and storytelling.
Her trilogy of fantasy novels The Poison Throne, The Crowded
Shadows and The Rebel Prince has been sold for translation in six
languages. Her fourth novel (an intense stand alone supernatural
tale of ghostly possession) is due out in 2011.
Owen O'Neill
Poetry: Writing & Performing
with Owen O'NeILL
Charles Bukowski once said that poetry only comes to life when
read aloud. Reading poetry to an audience, however, even for the
most experienced writers, can be a nerve-jangling proposition.
In this workshop, writer, comedian and actor Owen will
help writers of all levels get the best from their work. On the
writing side he will address structure, pacing and humour. On
performing, he will focus on confidence, clarity and projection.
It will be an interactive, hands-on informal process with a lot of
laughs along the way.
Owen O'Neill is an award-winning writer, comedian, actor and
director. His book of poetry Volcano Dancing was published in
2005. His short film The Basket Case won the Best Short at
this year’s Fantaspoa Film Festival in Brazil and Best Short at
the Boston Film Festival in 2009. He has won three Fringe
firsts at the Edinburgh festival for his one-man plays and has
currently adapted The Shawshank Redemption for the stage. It
ran at Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre for six weeks in 2009 before
transferring to the West End where it ran for three months to
critical acclaim.
29

Workshops
Catherine Dunne
Julie Feeney
Writing for Women with Catherine Dunne
Finding yourself in a hole, at the bottom of a hole, in almost total
solitude, and discovering that only writing can save you.
Marguerite Duras, Writing (Cambridge, 1993)
Where is the story? The story is in the dark. That is why inspiration
is thought of as coming in flashes. Going into a narrative – into the
narrative process – is a dark road. You can’t see your way ahead.
Margaret Atwood, Negotiating with the Dead (Cambridge
University Press, 2002)
During the course, we’ll be looking at ways to find your story
and listen to it; understand the characters you create; develop
your unique voice; keep going when the going gets tough.
Catherine Dunne is the author of seven novels. In the Beginning,
A Name for Himself, The Walled Garden, (broadcast on RTÉ
Radio) Another Kind of Life, and most recently, Set in Stone.
Her eighth novel, Missing Julia, will be published by Macmillan
in 2010. In addition to her fiction, Catherine Dunne has also
published An Unconsidered People, a social history documenting
the experiences of Irish immigrants in London in the 1950s.
Catherine has facilitated writing workshops for, among others,
The Writers’ Centre in Dublin, Writers’ Week at Listowel, The
Seanchaí Centre and The Arvon Foundation in the UK. She
has appeared at numerous literary festivals in Italy, Denmark,
Ireland and Edinburgh.
Song Writing with Julie Feeney
This workshop will explore the development of music and words
in song composition. Participants will fully compose and fully
perform newly-created songs over the duration of workshop.
Julie Feeney is a producer, composer, orchestrator, singer,
conductor, performer and instrumentalist; she first made her
mark on the international music scene by winning the Choice
Music Prize with her debut album 13 songs which has sold
15,000 copies. She later orchestrated the album for the 65-
piece Ulster Orchestra. She has toured and recorded all over
the world as a professional choral singer with the National
Chamber Choir and Anuna. She has composed for the Crash
Ensemble, Icebreaker, and for the Ulster Orchestra; as well as
writing for contemporary dance and theatre productions. She
has also worked as a model and as a performance artist. She
lectured in music education for three years.
Julie’s classical training combines with her feel for traditional
Irish music and an openness to all areas of the arts in order to
produce music that is touched by a singular magic. For her
extraordinary second album Pages, Julie sang, composed and
produced the songs in their entirety and conducted the Irish
Chamber Orchestra on all of the instrumental music. Her video
for Impossibly Beautiful won the IMTV award. Julie headlines at
the National Concert Hall in May.
30

Workshops
Writing for the Stage
with Ursula Rani Sarma
This workshop is designed to provide the participants with
some useful playwriting tools. Ursula will be focusing on the
areas which tend to cause difficulty for the solitary playwright
working alone such as: moving from initial concept to first
draft; developing and/or re-writing a script; how to know when
your play is finished; and what to do with a completed script.
This workshop will also include a session dealing with the
practicalities of being a playwright such as: securing an agent;
sending your work to companies; and producing your own
work. Participants will be required to write and develop their
own work during the session to ensure that they can continue
to do so after the workshop has finished.
Ursula Rani Sarma is a writer from the West of Ireland who
has written extensively for stage, radio and screen. Her awardwinning
plays have been translated, performed and published
both at home and abroad. Some of her plays include Touched,
Blue, Gift, Orpheus Road, Birdsong, The Spider Men and The
Magic Tree. She has received many awards including: Irish
and British Arts Council Awards, an Irish Times ESB Theatre
Award and an Edinburgh Fringe Festival Award. Recently, The
Traverse Theatre produced Ursula’s new play The Dark Things in
October 2009 to critical acclaim and her episode of Raw aired
on RTÉ 1 in February 2010. Ursula's plays are produced by
Oberon Books and Faber and Faber and her poetry is included
in anthologies published by Arlen House and Dedalus.
Bound to be Read
with Jonathan WILLIams
Between the writer who creates in relative solitude and the
reader who encounters the published text in relative seclusion,
there is a ferment of activity -- literary agents, publishers,
editors, designers, publicists, marketers, printers, booksellers,
reviewers. What should aspiring writers know about these
various responsibilities that will help them see their work into
print?
This course proffers advice on the presentation of your writing,
on how to approach writers' agents and book publishers, the
editing process, effective ways of promoting your published
book, establishing a presence in a highly competitive and
crowded marketplace. Most literary forms will be considered:
prose fiction (novels and short stories), poetry, memoir, travel
writing, books on current affairs, history, popular psychology,
humour, sport, cookery, gardening, and other miscellaneous
genres.
Jonathan Williams was born and raised in Briton Ferry, Wales.
For the past 24 years he has been a literary agent in Dublin, after
working as a writers’ agent in Canada the previous six years. He
founded and runs the Poets’ Corner venture on the DART. He
lectures on the Aspects of Publishing for postgraduate courses
at NUI Galway and TCD.
Jonathan Williams
Ursula Rani Sarma
31

Storytelling with Liz Weir
Children’s
Festival
BOOKINGS: +353 (0) 27 55987
book online : www.westcorkliteraryfestival.ie
Daily Children’s Readings
See the main programme for details of the afternoon readings
with Anthony Horowitz, John Boyne, Enda Wyley and Maddie
Stewart.
Children’s Workshops
Max. 15 participants per workshop
The Children’s Workshops have been timed to enable parents
to attend their own Workshops while leaving their children in a
safe and creative environment.
Age Range: 7 –12 / €100
Time: 09.15 – 12.15pm / Monday 5 – Friday 9 July
Venue: St Brendan's School Hall
This is YOUR chance to be a storyteller. Over five sessions Liz
Weir till give you tips on creating and telling exciting stories.
You'll learn lots of new tales and have the chance to tell stories
in front of an audience at the end of the week.
Liz Weir is a professional storyteller who works with all age
groups promoting the traditional art for which Ireland is world
famous. A children's librarian by training, she now travels
the world telling stories to adults and children, organising
workshops on storytelling, and speaking at courses for parents,
teachers and librarians. Her wealth of stories is drawn from both
the oral and written traditions. She is the author of two story
collections Boom Chicka Boom and Here There and Everywhere
published by The O'Brien Press.
Liz Weir
32

Children’s Workshops
Don Conroy
Children’s Workshop with Don Conroy
Age Range: 5 - 10 / €70
Time: 2.30pm – 3.30pm / Wednesday 7 to Friday 9 July
Venue: St Brendan's School Hall
This interactive workshop is a must for children from five to
ten years old. These hour-long session mix how-to-draw with
storytelling and lots of fun.
Don Conroy is a man of many talents - a writer, a television
presenter, a naturalist, an environmentalist and a working
artist. He is best known to the young people of Ireland for
his appearances as Uncle Don to Dustin, Socky and Zig &
Zag on RTÉ's The Den and a TV series of his own - Paint for
Fun. He has a weekly show on RTÉ 2 called The Art of Don.
Don studied at the National College of Art and then worked
as designer and illustrator for advertising agencies as well as in
the theatre. Don is the author of many books for children and
young adults. He travels the country promoting the message of
art and conservation.
Getting into Character, Page to Stage
A Creative Writing and Drama Workshop
Age Range: 8 - 12 / Free workshop, limited to 15 participants
Time: 10.00am – 12.00noon / Wednesday 7 to Friday 9 July
Venue: Bantry Library
At the heart of any memorable story lie great characters. From
swachbuckling pirates, to magical boy wizards, talking cats to
singing mermaids; these characters capture our imagination and
bring stories to life. But how are such characters created? In
this workshop we will explore character and story through a
combination of drama techniques and guided exercises. Starting
with with the world of fairytale, we will explore heroes, villains,
and monsters and what makes them interesting/funny/scary?
We will use games to create and develop our own characters and
scenarios! We will practise our storytelling skills and hone our
knack for canny plot twists with a fun ‘never-ending story’. By
the end of the week we will have our very own mini-play full of
fun characters everyone can believe in!
Maire T Robinson works in The Irish Writers´ Centre where
she facilitates creative writing workshops. She also organises
The Lonely Voice: Short Story Introductions, a monthly reading
promoting the work of emerging fitction writers.
Bridget Deevy holds a Masters Degree in Drama and Theatre.
In 2007 she formed the theatre company Three P’s in a Pod with
two others and performed at the Edinburgh Festival. Recently
she has been working with young people, giving drama
workshops in schools around Dublin.
33

This new service will save you 600km
driving on a round trip and connects
directly on arrival in Cork to the N28
and on arrival in Swansea to the M4.
We are delighted to offer a special fare
for those travelling for the
West Cork Literary Festival.
In order to avail of this rate,
please call:
+ 353 21 4378892
or email:
info@fastnetline.com
M. Casual & Sport
M. Casual & Sport
Clothing Shop
Wolfe Tone Square,Bantry
wishes every success to the
West Cork Literary Festival
34

Festival Books on Sale
• Book Ordering
• Stationery
• Gift Books
• Book Tokens
William Street
Bantry, Co. Cork
Tel (027) 55946
www.bantrybookshop.com
The perfect venue for all your private parties and
functions, offering an unrivalled atmosphere and a
variety of options to suit your needs.
027 52501
36

ters of Tradi
dition
09
On Line Booking Booking opens JuLY 2010 [t]: 027 52788
Lo Call 1850 788 789 www.westcorkmusic.ie
37

Acknowledgements
Artistic Director: Denyse Woods
Cork County Council Arts Officer: Ian McDonagh
CEO of West Cork Music: Francis Humphrys
Board of West Cork Music: John Fraher [chair], Simon Aspell,
Paule Cotter, Seamus Crimmins, Ruth Flanagan, Jeremy Gilbert,
Mary Hegarty, John Horgan, Mary O’Mahony, Fergus Sheil.
Events Manager: Fiona O'Sullivan
Marketing Manager: Sara O'Donovan
Finance and Box Office Manager: Grace O'Mahony
Office Administrator: Sharon O'Donovan
Festival Intern: Carol Kennedy
Graphic Design: Stuart Coughlan at edit+
Bantry Librarian: Noel O'Mahony
Bantry Library staff: Breda Collins, Margo Collins & Una Goyvaerts
The West Cork Literary Festival would like to thank Simon
Tiptaft of the Maritime Hotel, Joan O’Shea and Margaret O’Neill
of Bantry Bookshop, Sophie Shelswell-White of Bantry House,
Denis O’Sullivan, Principal of Ardscoil Phobal, Yvonne Beamish,
Principal of St Brendan’s National School, Canon Paul Willoughby
of St Brendan’s Church, Stephen and Gillian O’Donovan of the
Mariner Restaurant, Tina Pisco and the festival volunteers.
Literary Festival Sponsors: Monica Sullivan, Lavinia Greacan,
Chuck Kruger, Ann Deasy & Mark Foley, Jeremy & Diana Gilbert,
Paule Cotter, Jennifer Russell, Ramor Craigie, Sue Booth-Forbes,
Mary Holland, David & Verney Naylor, Helen & William Field.
The West Cork Literary Festival would like to thank Richard Farrell
for his generous sponsorship of the J G Farrell Fiction Award.
38

Booking Form
Name _ _________________________________________________________
Address _________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Phone __________________________________________________________
e.mail _ _________________________________________________________
Signature ________________________________________________________
Payment Options: (Please Tick)
Cheque/Postal Order
(Ireland Only – Payable To West Cork Literary Festival) ®
Credit/debit Card: Visa ® Mastercard ® Amex ® Laser ®
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Photo © 2010 Danielle Delaney
Expiry Date: _____________________________________________________
Return to:
West Cork Literary Festival
13 Glengarriff Road, Bantry, Co. Cork
www.westcorkliteraryfestival.ie
39

Booking Form tel: +353 (0)27 55987
Date Price Qty Total
WORKSHOPS
FICTION Peter Cunningham €175
SHORT FICTION Nuala Ní Chonchúir €175
FREELANCE JOURNALISM Sue Leonard €175
POETRY Leanne O'Sullivan €175
WRITING CRIME Alex Barclay €175
GRAPHIC FANTASY NOVEL Celine Kiernan €175
POETRY: WRITING & PERFORMING Owen O'Neill €175
WRITING FOR WOMEN Catherine Dunne €175
SONGWRITING Julie Feeney €175
WRITING FOR THE STAGE Ursula Rani Sarma €175
BOUND TO BE READ Jonathan Williams €175
CHILDREN'S WORKSHOPS
STORY TELLING Liz Weir €100
3 DAY CHILDREN'S WORKSHOP Don Conroy €70
GETTING INTO CHARACTER M. Robinson & B. Deevy FREE
AFTERNOON EVENTS
Mon 5 SECOND READINGS Eileen Battersby €18
Mon 5 POETRY JOURNEY James Harpur & Peter Sirr €18
Mon 5 JOHN BOYNE reading €5
Tues 6 THE STATE AND WRITERS IN SINGAPORE Felix Cheong €18
Events in the Library, Bookshop and The Mariner Restaurant are free
Date Price Qty Total
Tues 6 SOCIETY'S 7 BEST-KEPT SECRETS Tony Humphreys €18
Tues 6 WORD POWER- children's workshop - Enda Wyley €15
Wed 7 HYPOCHONDRIA : THE ART OF ILLNESS Brian Dillon €18
Wed 7 WRITING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT - Magan & Enright €18
Wed 7 ANTHONY HOROWITZ Children's reading €5
Thurs 8 THE EDITING PROCESS Deevy, Rejt, Orme €18
Thurs 8 WOMEN AT THE EDGE Suad Amiry €18
Fri 9 TRAVEL WRITING Tim Mackintosh Smith €18
Fri 9 HAUNTING CRIES Karen Coleman €18
Sat 10 LITERARY TEA Carol Drinkwater €20
Sat 10 RESEARCH Simon Mawer & Tim Severin €18
MAIN EVENING EVENTS
Mon 5 EAVAN BOLAND €15
Tue 6 MARGARET DRABBLE €15
Wed 7 TIM MACKINTOSH-SMITH €15
Thur 8 MICHAEL PALIN €15
Fri 9 FAY WELDON €15
Sat 10 HOW DID I GET HERE? POETRY PERFORMANCE €15
Sponsorship of the 2011 West Cork Literary Festival @ €60.00
Booking Fee €2.75
GRAND TOTAL
Book online at www.westcorkliteraryfestival.ie
40