James Joyce Statue
James Joyce Statue

Dublin’s Literature Festival Set to Begin

Actor and gourmand Stanley Tucci is one of several authors who will be part of a star line-up for Dublin's Literature Festival to take place from May 19th through the 28th in Dublin's Merrion Square.

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people walking with a bicycle in a park Dublin's literature festival
Photo courtesy of International Literature Festival Dublin Facebook.

Tucci will be there to discuss his book, “Taste: My Life Through Food.”

Other international authors include Monica Heisey, screenwriter on one of the best-loved comedy shows in recent years, “Schitt’s Creek,” who will chat about her debut novel “Really Good, Actually,” while Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse will discuss her powerful debut novel, “All Your Children, Scattered,” which deals with the aftermath of the 1994 genocide of the Tsutsi people in Rwanda and uncovers the disaster’s aftermath on three generations of survivors.

Irish and Irish-based literary talent taking part in this year’s festival includes a performance by Strange Boy, a hip-hop artists who marries traditional Irish arrangements with powerful social commentary.

Others include Niamh (Neeve) Mulvey and Joseph O’Connor who reflect on their lives and influences as writers; Roddy Doyle, who chats to 12-year-old Ukrainian Yeva Skalietska about her incredible diary detailing her experiences of the war in Ukraine; three of Ireland’s most beloved crime fiction writers, Catherine Ryan-Howard, Claire Allan and Jane Casey, and much more.

The festival is Ireland’s leading literary event, bringing together some of the world’s most talented writers to participate in readings, conversations, and debates. This year's festival program is the largest ever, with over 180 events that include a mix of authors, speakers, creatives and performers from over 28 countries.

Go on a Dublin Literary Pub Crawl 

While Tucci's talk is now sold out, there are other fun events going on that visitors to Dublin may be interested in.

It Takes a Village, Karl Geary & Elaine Feeney
May 20th, 4 p.m.

These two accomplished Irish writers discuss how to find your footing when home is not the house you grew up in, and family is not the people who lived there. Karl Geary is the author of “Juno Love Legs” and Elaine Feeney’s recently published novel is called “How to Build a Boat.”

You Don't Know What War Is: Yeva Skalietska & Roddy Doyle
May 21st, 1:15 p.m.

On Feb. 24, 2022, Yeva Skalietska awoke to the terrifying sound of shelling by the Russians in her home city of Kharkiv.
Skallietska speaks with one of Ireland’s most beloved writers, Roddy Doyle, about her book, “You Don’t Know What War Is: The Diary of a Young Girl from Ukraine.”

Between the Land and Stars: Nona Fernández & Renato Cisneros
May 20th, 6 p.m.

Two Latin American journalists who have their fingers on the pulse of Peru and Chili's complex history talk about their stunning, intricate accounts of life and death there, as they uncover some devastating home truths. Two Latin American journalists with their fingers on the pulse of the region’s complex history and reckoning with the shadowed and secret pasts of family and country.

Power Play: Mary Gaitskill
May 27th, 6 p.m.

Author of the short story, “The Secretary,” which was subsequently made into a movie starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader, Mary Gaitskill reflects on her career to date as she boldly explores the depths of the human experience. Gaitskill will talk with Irish novelist, short story writer, essayist, editor and screenwriter, Lisa McInerney.

Tickets to all of the festival events can be purchased on the ILFD website.

Read More: Literary Ireland: A Road Trip Through the Emerald Isle

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