THE University of Limerick Creative Writing Festival will take place from May 3 to 6, the bank holiday weekend, hosting international Irish achievers in conversation with high profile writers.
Opening out the four days on campus, award winning novelists, Limerick writer Kevin Barry and Julian Gough will read on the evening of May 3, at 7.30 pm, at the University Concert Hall.
The following day, writer and UL professor Joseph O’Connor will be in conversation with Marian Keyes on the evening of Friday 4 at University Concert Hall and next, with Bob Geldof on Saturday 5.
Novelist and columnist Marian Keyes was born in Limerick in 1963 and began writing in 1993. Her first novel ‘Watermelon’ was published in Ireland in 1995 where it was an immediate success. Twelve novels and four non-fiction books have followed, most recently, ‘The Break’.
Her books, several of which converted to screen, deal variously with modern ailments, including addiction, depression, domestic violence, the glass ceiling and serious illness, but always written with compassion, humour and hope.
From festival founder, Prof Eoin Devereux: “The highlight of The UL/ Frank McCourt Creative Writing Festival in association with Shannon Airport, will undoubtedly be Bob Geldof’s appearance on May 5.
“Humanitarian, bestselling memoirist, multiple award-winning songwriter, front-man of The Boomtown Rats, activist, philanthropist, producer/presenter of his recent internationally acclaimed and award-winning documentary on Yeats, Bob Geldof will be in conversation with Prof Joseph O’Connor, about music, creativity, activism, prose and poetry.
“Always provocative and always highly entertaining, the conversation with the Band Aid founder and writer of hits like ‘Rat Trap’ and ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’ is not to be missed!”
RTE Radio One’s ‘Sunday Miscellany’ will be recorded live before an audience at UL’s Irish World Academy of Music and Dance on Sunday 6 at noon, featuring Donal Ryan, Martin Dyar, Sarah Moore Fitzgerald and more.
Booking for all events at uch.ie or at Box Office, 061-331 549
