Kildare County Council is delighted to confirm that Kildare Readers Festival will return to venues across the county from Monday, 2nd October to Sunday, 8th October 2023.


Absent Friend with John MacKenna: A Friendship with Leonard Cohen
 
Tue 3 Oct 2023 19:00 – 20:00
Athy Library 

Absent Friend is a book about a thirty year friendship between singer/songwriter Leonard Cohenand Irish writer John MacKenna. The book examines the roots of that friendship, which began with a first hearing of Cohen’s work when MacKenna was recovering from meningitis in his late teens. Fifteen years later the pair would meet for the first time and establish a friendship that lasted until Cohen’s death in 2016 and included their working together in Cohen’s last months on the requiem Between Your love and Mine.This event, as part of Kildare Readers’ Festival, has MacKenna reading from the book and talking about the friendship while singer Katie Jacqueswill perform some of Leonard Cohen’s songs.

Book your free ticket here.


In the White Country: Conversations with Murt Malone

 Tue 3 Oct 2023 19:30 – 20:30 
Newbridge Community Library

Murt (Martin) Malone will discuss his fiction writing inspired by the Middle East. Martin served five tours of duty with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and one with the United Nations Iran–Iraq Military Observer Group. Martin has written four books of fiction inspired by this time; After Kafra, The Broken Cedar, Valley of the Peacock Angel, and his latest In the White Country, novella & stories, in addition to a memoir of his time in the army, called The Lebanon Diaries.

Book your free ticket here.

Introducing ‘Twiggy Woman’ with Oein DeBhairduin
 Tue 3 Oct 2023 19:00 – 20:00
Celbridge Community Library

From award-winning author Oein DeBhairduin, Twiggy Woman is a collection of ghost stories rooted in the oral tradition of the Irish Traveller community. These chilling tales, collected by Oein from Traveller folklore, are re-envisioned and retold for modern times. Oein’s style is lyrical and beautiful, his perspective is rich and unique, and his writing appeals to a wide range of readers of all ages, backgrounds and interests. In this exclusive preview of his new book, Oein will share some of his new work and discuss his unique style with Peadar Ó Guilín, fellow writer of curious stories.

Book your free ticket here.

Full Programme and Social Media

The full programme of events and participating venues for Kildare Readers Festival 2023 is available on https://www.kildarereadersfestival.ie and I will do more of these in-depth posts as we get closer to the festival.

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