21 March, 2025
Irish Writers Centre Festival Literary Tour 2025
In 2025, the Irish Writers Centre will tour the island of Ireland, bringing an exciting programme of literary events and creative writing workshops to the four provinces. This is the year for the Irish Writers Centre to broaden its reach, serving an all-island literary community with tuition, peer support and networking opportunities for writers at every stage of their journey.
You’ll find the Irish Writers Centre at some of Ireland’s top literary festivals including Cúirt International Festival of Literature (Galway), UL Creative Writing Festival (Limerick), Belfast Book Festival, West Cork Literary Festival (Bantry), Write by the Sea (Wexford) and Dublin Book Festival. Meet some of Ireland’s exciting writers at our festival showcases and explore topics that inspire and inform the contemporary literary landscape at our panel discussions. You might like to participate in a creative writing workshop, attend a seminar with an award-winning novelist or even try a new medium in your creative practice, like Zine making.
We are also thrilled to announce a new in-person initiative, Writers in the Regions, a series where esteemed Irish writers will deliver one-off creative writing workshops, including Mike McCormack in Galway, Sean O’Reilly in Sligo and Derry, and Kevin Barry in Leitrim. Further details and how to book will be announced soon.
Dates for your diary
April
Cúirt International Festival of Literature (Galway)
Tuesday 8th – Sunday 13th April 2025
including Writing Fiction for Beginners, a Creative Writing Seminar with Alan McMonagle and the Young Writer Delegates Showcase featuring emerging writers aged 18-26.
UL Creative Writing Festival (Limerick)
Wednesday 9th April 2025 – Saturday 12th April 2025
including An Island of Many Nations, a panel discussion with Afric McGlinchey, Cauvery Madhavan, Suad Aldarra and Tapasya Narang and The Word on the Street, a spoken word showcase featuring Cormac Mac Gearailt, Sheila Ryder, Lauren McNamara and Kev Kennedy. Book your ticket here.
June
Belfast Book Festival (Belfast)
Thursday 5th June 2025 – Thursday 12th June 2025
including the Irish Writers Centre Showcase, featuring writers from our New Voices: North and the Young Writer Delegates initiatives and an Irish Writers Centre Information Session which will include a panel discussion with former Irish Writers Centre alumni. More details to be announced.
July
West Cork Literary Festival (Bantry)
Friday 11th July 2025 – Friday 18th July 2025
including two panel discussions, a creative writing seminar, and a zine workshop. One panel discussion, Out on the Page, will discuss Queer visibility in literature and feature Liz Quirke, Chloe Michelle Howarth and Mark Ward. Other writers taking part in the Irish Writers Centre line-up include Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, Cauvery Madhaven, Ferdia Lennon, Catherine Gander, Raphael Olympio, Kemi George-Simpson, Jim Crickard and Shaunna Lee Lynch. More details to be announced.
September
Write by the Sea (Wexford)
Friday 26th September 2025 – Sunday 28th September 2025
including a zine workshop, panel discussions and a creative writing seminar with David Butler. More details to be announced.
November
Dublin Book Festival
Wednesday 5th November 2025 – Sunday 9th November 2025
including a creative writing seminar, a zine workshop, two creative writing workshops, and panel discussions, exploring topics such as ‘Writing the Body’. More details to be announced.
We would like to thank the Arts Council of Ireland, our festival partners and all participating writers for making the Irish Writers Centre Literary Festival Tour possible.
