Anticipation Rising - Launch of Limerick Literary Festival Programme

 

Anticipation Rising

Launch of Limerick Literary Festival Programme

By Kieran Beville

Councillor Maria Donoghue

The Limerick Literary Festival in Honour of Kate O’Brien returns in 2026 with renewed confidence, ambition and warmth. Taking place from 27 February to 1 March at the Belltable on O’Connell Street, the Festival promises three days that celebrate literature not as an abstract pursuit, but as a living conversation between writers, readers and the city that inspired one of Ireland’s most distinctive literary voices.

The official programme launch took place on Monday, 12 January, when Councillor Maria Donoghue unveiled the 2026 schedule at O’Mahony’s Bookshop. The choice of venue is fitting. Independent bookshops have long acted as informal salons for literary communities, and O’Mahony’s has been a steadfast supporter of reading culture in Limerick for decades. From this modest but symbolic beginning, the Festival once again sets out to place Limerick firmly on the international literary map.

The Enduring Legacy of Kate O’Brien

At its heart, the Festival exists to honour Kate O’Brien, a writer whose work continues to challenge, comfort and provoke long after her lifetime. Born in Limerick in 1897, O’Brien wrote with fearless intelligence about women’s lives, personal freedom, faith, exile and desire. Her novels often caused controversy on publication, yet their emotional honesty and international perspective have secured her reputation as a pioneering Irish writer of the twentieth century. More than forty years after her death, her influence continues to resonate with new generations of readers and writers.

The origins of the Festival stretch back to 1984, when it began life as the Kate O’Brien Weekend, marking the tenth anniversary of her death. What started as a small commemorative gathering has since evolved into one of Ireland’s most respected literary festivals. While its scope has expanded significantly, its guiding principle has remained constant: to celebrate excellence in writing while remaining rooted in place, community and conversation. In this sense, the Festival mirrors O’Brien’s own work, which was both deeply personal and resolutely outward-looking.

 

Councillor Maria Donoghue

 

A Confident and Expansive Programme

The 2026 programme reflects this balance with confidence. Across three packed days, the Festival brings together novelists, poets, broadcasters, academics and readers in a series of conversations, performances and reflections that move fluidly between the literary and the lived. The emphasis is not simply on readings or formal lectures, but on encounters: between different genres, disciplines and experiences.

Poetry, Fiction and Imagination

The Festival opens on Friday afternoon (27 February) with a free event featuring poet Gustav Parker Hibbett in conversation with broadcaster and music journalist Niall MacMonagle. Hibbett’s work, known for its emotional candour and formal precision, has earned widespread acclaim in recent years. His appearance signals the Festival’s ongoing commitment to poetry as a vital and contemporary art form, capable of addressing the complexities of modern life with both lyricism and urgency.

 

Later that evening, the opening celebrations continue with a special event led by Laureate for Fiction Éilís Ní Dhuibhne. In conversation with Limerick writer Sarah Gilmartin, Ní Dhuibhne will reflect on storytelling, imagination and the role of fiction in shaping national and personal identity. This event forms part of The Island of Imagination – A Literary Tour of Ireland, marking Ní Dhuibhne’s Laureate year for 2025/2026. Combining words and music, the evening promises a relaxed yet thoughtful opening to the weekend, setting the tone for what follows.

International Voices and Irish Perspectives

Over the course of the Festival, audiences will encounter a rich mix of voices and perspectives. French novelist Muriel Barbery, whose work has captivated readers worldwide, appears alongside acclaimed Irish writers David Park, Eoin McNamee and Gráinne O’Brien. Each brings a distinctive approach to storytelling, from psychological depth to lyrical intensity, offering audiences insight into the craft of fiction across borders and traditions.

The programme also reaches beyond the literary world in the narrow sense. Professor of Psychiatry Veronica O’Keane joins the Festival line-up, highlighting the increasingly fertile intersections between literature, science and mental health. Her participation underscores the Festival’s belief that stories matter not only as art, but as tools for understanding the human mind and emotional experience.

Tradition, Performance and Festival Favourites

One of the enduring strengths of the Limerick Literary Festival is its respect for tradition alongside innovation. Long-standing favourites return in 2026, much to the delight of regular attendees. The Kate O’Brien Hour, a cornerstone of the programme, features a rehearsed stage reading of Distinguished Villa by the College Players. This theatrical interpretation offers audiences a fresh way of engaging with O’Brien’s work, allowing her words to live and breathe in performance rather than on the page alone.

Another much-loved event, Desert Island Books, invites guest speakers to share the books that have shaped their lives. Part confessional, part literary love letter, the format continues to charm audiences by revealing the reading histories that sit behind public personas.

Celebrating Emerging Women Writers

A central moment of the Festival is the presentation of the Kate O’Brien Award, which recognises a debut novel or short story collection by an Irish female author. In 2026, the Award carries an increased prize of €5,000, generously sponsored by Bill and Denise Whelan. More than a financial boost, the Award represents a public affirmation of new voices in Irish writing, echoing Kate O’Brien’s own commitment to women’s stories at a time when they were often marginalised.

Writing, Activism and Public Life

In addition to its core programme, the 2026 Festival includes a special event titled A Life of Her Own, dedicated to the memory and work of Maeve Kelly. Writer, feminist activist and advocate for the voiceless, Kelly played a significant role in Irish cultural and political life. This reflective event offers space to consider how writing can operate as a form of activism, and how personal conviction can shape both literary output and public engagement.

The Festival concludes with a high-profile appearance by broadcaster Miriam O’Callaghan, who will discuss her recently published autobiography. Known for her incisive interviewing style and long career in Irish media, O’Callaghan brings a different but complementary perspective to the weekend’s conversations, reminding audiences that storytelling takes many forms, from novels and poems to journalism and memoir.

An Inclusive Festival with a Cultural Purpose

Underlying the entire programme is a clear sense of purpose. The Limerick Literary Festival is not simply about assembling famous names, but about fostering a culture of reading and dialogue. It seeks to promote Limerick as a centre of literary excellence while remaining accessible and welcoming to all. Free events, intimate venues and a strong emphasis on discussion ensure that the Festival feels inclusive rather than intimidating.

This ethos is supported by a network of partners and funders who recognise the Festival’s cultural value. Support from the Arts Council, Limerick City and County Council, the Limerick Arts Office, the French Embassy in Ireland, RTÉ Supporting the Arts and O’Mahony’s Booksellers makes it possible to maintain both quality and accessibility. Their involvement reflects a shared belief in literature as a public good, capable of enriching civic life as well as individual imagination.

A Festival at Confident Maturity

As the 2026 Festival approaches, it is clear that the Limerick Literary Festival in Honour of Kate O’Brien has reached a moment of confident maturity. It honours its origins without being bound by them, embraces international voices while remaining deeply rooted in place, and celebrates literary excellence alongside emerging talent. In doing so, it continues to embody the spirit of Kate O’Brien herself: intellectually curious, boldly imaginative and unafraid to look beyond the horizon.

For three days at the end of February, Limerick will once again become a meeting place for stories — told, shared, questioned and cherished. In a world often marked by noise and haste, the Festival offers something quietly radical: time to listen, to reflect and to be changed by words.

As the Festival looks toward its 2026 edition, it does so with a clear sense of why it matters. In an age of constant distraction, the Festival insists on the value of attention — to language, to ideas, and to one another. It affirms that literature is not a luxury or a relic, but a living force that helps us understand who we are and how we might live more generously with others. By bringing together established international voices, emerging Irish writers and devoted readers, the Festival creates a space where stories are not merely consumed but actively shared and debated. Above all, it honours Kate O’Brien in the most meaningful way possible: not by freezing her work in the past, but by allowing its spirit of independence, curiosity and courage to inform the present. As audiences gather once more in Limerick’s theatres, bookshops and public spaces, the Festival stands as a reminder that cities, like books, are shaped by the stories they choose to tell — and that Limerick continues to tell its story with intelligence, imagination and heart.