Literary Listings: June 2026

New for 2026, the Irish Writers Centre brings you a monthly round-up of literary events happening across the country, from book and magazine launches to panel discussions, festivals and lectures!

For a list of events happening in our own building at No. 19 Parnell Square, check out the dedicated Irish Writers Centre events page.

Have an event to share with us? Let us know at communications@irishwriterscentre.ie and where possible we’ll include in a following month’s listings.

Below, please find events coming up for the remainder of June:

 

Belfast

12: Beginnings on Purpose with Caoilinn Hughes (Seamus Heaney Centre)

17: Analysis of Shakespeare’s Othello and Much Ado About Nothing (Accidental Theatre)

17: From Elsewhere: Ciaran Carson and Jean Follain (Seamus Heaney Centre)

18: Launch of Neither Confirm Nor Deny by John Ware (No Alibis)

22: Seamus Heaney First Collection Poetry Prize Award Night (Seamus Heaney Centre)

23: Karen Solie: Reading and In-Conversation (Seamus Heaney Centre)

24: Analysis of Shakespeare’s King Lear and Taming of the Shrew (Accidental Theatre)

25: Launch of Selected Poems by Leontia Flynn (Seamus Heaney Centre)

26: Seamus Heaney Centre Poetry Summer School Showcase (Seamus Heaney Centre)

30: Launch of The Red Mouth by Sheila Armstrong (No Alibis)

 

Bellaghy

16: An Afternoon with Maggie O’Farrell (Seamus Heaney HomePlace)

18: Frank Ormsby in Conversation with Malachi O’Doherty (Seamus Heaney HomePlace)

 

Carrickfergus

3-20: Not-So-Secret Book Festival (Various)

 

Cork

10-17: West Cork Literary Festival (Various)

14: Isabelle Huppert Reads Maupassant (University College Cork)

18: An Evening with Maggie Farrell (St Luke’s)

20: Launch of One Good Day Literary Journal (Cork City Library)

26: Talk on Molly Keane by Thomas McCarthy (Doneraile Court)

 

Dublin

11-16: Bloomsday Festival (Various)

12: The Write Stuff (Chapters Bookstore)

14: Poetry Reading: Annelise Berghenti, Lily Blacksell, Rosamund Taylor (Books Upstairs)

15: An Evening with Maggie O’Farrell (Gate Theatre)

14: The Story of the Cure (Pavilion Theatre)

16: Beyond Blooming, An Open Page Reading Night (Irish Writers Centre)

16-17: An Evening with Ciara Mageean (1WML)

17: Launch of The Coast of Everything by Guillermo Stich (Hodges Figgis)

17: Launch of Irregular Army by Matt Kennard (The Whistleblower)

18-21: Dalkey Book Festival (Various)

18: Launch of Death before Detention by Alison Weatherby (Dubray Grafton Street)

18: Launch of Genocide by Fintan Drury (Hodges Figgis)

22: New Voices: A Celebration of Emerging Talents in Literature (Irish Writers Centre)

23: Max Lury and Ian Maleney discuss No Ghosts (Books Upstairs)

23: An Evening with Fintan Drury (Eason Dun Laoghaire)

25: Launch of From the Heart Literary Journal (Dun L Lexicon)

25: Patrick Freyne discusses Experts in a Dying Field (Books Upstairs)

26: Poem Presents: Poetry Night with Sheila Ryder, Damien Donnelly, Carla Beattie, Nicola Clare

26: An Evening with Lisa Jewell and Andrea Mara (Royal Irish Academy of Music)

28: Billy Ramsell discusses Render (Books Upstairs)

 

Galway

17: Kennys Bookshop Presents: Maggie O’Farrell in conversation (The Black Box)

21: Launch of The Dark Art of Darning by Moya Roddy (Brigit’s Garden)

 

Maynooth

18: Katriona O’Sullivan in conversation with Cian Byrne (Maynooth Bookshop)

 

Meath

25-28: Hinterland Festival of Literature & Arts

 

Newbridge

24-30: Gerard Manley Hopkins Festival (Newbridge College Theatre)

 

Waterford

16: Bloomsday Waterford (Various Locations)

 

Online

Lime Square Poets, based in Limerick, host a weekly online poetry reading on Thursday evenings