Limerick
Literary
Festival

The Limerick Literary Festival in Honour of Kate O'Brien, began in 1984 to mark the tenth anniversary of the death of Limerick-born writer Kate O'Brien. The event continues to celebrate the life and works of the author, while attracting prominent participants from home and abroad. It is an inspiring mix of both discourse and discussion.

February
24th - 26th
2023

Taking place this year at No.2 Pery Square and the Belltable, festival highlights include an interview with Bill Whelan discussing his recently released memoir The Road to Riverdance. Other guests include celebrated bilingual poet and writer Doireann Ní Ghríofa, acclaimed author Donal Ryan, French author and Le Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman winner Maylis Besserie, memoirist Sean Hewitt, novelist Claire-Louise Bennett and crime writer Casey King.

Once again, the Kate O'Brien Award will be presented on the Sunday of the festival. The three shortlisted writers, Sheila Armstrong for her short story collection How to Gut a Fish, Olivia Fitzsimons for her novel The Quiet Whispers Never Stop and Emilie Pine for her novel Ruth and Pen, will talk about and read from their debut books.
Programme

Limerick is a city invigorated by literature. This is a city of stories and story-tellers. Like all good stories, it is a city in the midst of great change and the wonderful Limerick Literary Festival has helped propel that change into an international arena.

—Colum McCann, Author—

Venues

I want to thank you for the huge treat it was to be at the Festival, so buzzing with life, conversation, hospitality and above all the treat of having such terrific readers in the audience. I have never before experienced listeners so quick to understand a book. I felt amongst kindred spirits.

— Lyndall Gordon, Writer/Biographer—

The Limerick Literary Festival was such a rich, yet also wonderfully intimate, weekend. I participated in a busy event which provided me with a unique opportunity to challenge readers, and I was thoroughly honoured to receive the Kate O'Brien Award - such an important, encouraging accolade for a writer at the outset of her career.

— Sara Baume, Novelist—
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