Dingle Literary Festival serves up another feast for booklovers

The salty sea air blowing in from the Atlantic also whets the appetite for connection and conviviality, and there was plenty of both at this year’s event, which took place last weekend. 

The festival featured a wide range of readings, panels, discussions and workshops in various locations. 

The Gaeltacht setting gives proceedings a distinctively Irish bias, with a slate of events as Gaeilge; it was also heartening to hear our native language being spoken on the streets and in the establishments of the town.

The Kingdom gave a royal welcome to Roddy Doyle at the opening night event at the Dingle Skellig Hotel, as the Dublin author discussed his latest bestselling book The Women Behind the Door in front of a sell-out crowd. 

He charmed the audience with his trademark dry wit, speaking about the enduring appeal of his work, and how people who weren’t even born when The Snapper was published can recite it off by heart. 

The many fans of his work have more to look forward to as he told the audience he is working on his 14th novel, set in the 1980s.

The sea view from the windows of the hotel provided a suitable backdrop for a fascinating discussion on climate, connection and our shared future featuring children’s author Oliver Jeffers and surfer and social ecologist Easkey Britton. 

They spoke compellingly about everything from the ocean’s power as a unifying force and how it is vital not to give into apathy when it comes to the climate crisis. 

Broadcaster and moderator Seán Mac an tSíthigh brought some bilingual input to the discussion, sharing a memorable anecdote about the curative powers of frog slime. 

Jeffers used a memorable analogy to highlight how creativity has a huge role to play in how we move forward: “Art is not the icing on the cake, it’s not even the cake, it’s the table the cake sits on.” 

Art was also on the menu in An Díseart, a cultural centre which houses a chapel adorned by Harry Clarke stained glass windows. 

It was the location for another sold-out event, this time with Rónán Hession, whose first novel Leonard and Hungry Paul became a huge word-of-mouth hit for indie publishers Bluemoose Press. 

He discussed the different approach he took to his latest book Ghost Mountain and an appreciative audience also learned how his editor is his publisher’s mother-in-law and also a former professional wrestler. 

Hession’s down-to-earth presence belies a soaring talent, and it was testament to him that I managed to largely keep my gaze away from those windows. 

At all of the events I attended, it was a joy to see people giving their undivided attention to the authors and discussions and not a glowing smartphone screen in sight.

As events drew to a close on Sunday, tributes were paid to founder and director Sheila O’Reilly who handed over the reins to a new team. The foundations of the festival’s success can be seen everywhere in what is a huge community and volunteer effort. 

As the people of Dingle know, build it and they will come.