The Aspects Irish Literature Festival is a lovely wee five-day celebration of some of our finest writers in English.
The festival was launched at Nick’s Warehouse in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter yesterday with Ciarán Carson’s recital of Londubh Loch Lao/The Blackbird of Belfast Lough, a poem written in Irish by a monk in the 9th Century, among the highlights.
The 19th Aspects Irish Literature Festival returns to Bangor this September 2010 with new venues, new features, but the same ethos of presenting Irish writing at its very finest.
From 22-26 September authors including Nobel-Prize winning poet Seamus Heaney, the BBC’s Fergal Keane, Chris Binchy and explorer Jonathan Shackleton will inform, entertain, and stimulate the minds of all who come to North Down to hear their readings.
Innovations for 2010 include our stunning new Festival Marquee, in which Aspects will be hosting comedian Ardal O’Hanlon, musician Juliet Turner and Dublin-born journalist and television presenter Peter Snow, who will be talking about his latest book “To War with Wellington”. (Did you know that Snow was born in Dublin?)
Crime fiction is represented by the fearsome two-header of Alex Barclay and Declan Hughes being presented by Brian McGilloway.
Chef Danny Millar (from the BBC’s Great British Menu) will join two of Northern Ireland’s top chefs-siblings Nick Price (Nick’s Warehouse) and Sue Farmer (The Bay Tree) to discuss seasonal cooking, slow food and regional produce.
Mike Faulkner will take audiences on a magical journey round Strangford Lough with his new book, and Northern Ireland’s only full-time literary agency, The Feldsteins, will present a session on how to get published. Poetry comes from Siobhan Campbell, Katie Donovan, Ciaran Carson and Matthew Sweeney amongst others, and 1500 school children in North Down will be visited over September by authors, who’ll be presenting writing-classes on everything from fiction to blogging.
Adding to that will be the “Over to You” event-hosted by Malachi O’Doherty and including live music from Silhouette, it’s a chance for emerging authors to read from new work. Alongside all these events, Aspects will also be running dedicated writing workshops for adults and children alike, all housed in Bangor’s Carnegie Library.
Tickets will be available from Thursday 1stt July at www.aspectsfestival.co.uk
For general ticket enquires contact the Box Office on 02891 271200 or visit www.aspectsfestival.co.uk