Pictures: Book lovers and collectors descend on Graignamanagh for Town of Books

Crowds flocked to Graignamanagh all weekend long for this year’s Town of Books Festival.

The festival has become a real community event, with visitors and booksellers returning year after year, meeting one another and swapping stories. The festival highlights the rich literary heritage of Graignamanagh and creates a platform for local artists, authors, and book lovers to come together and share their passion for the written word.

This year’s programme included an artisan food and craft element at the Abbey Hall, literary events an outdoor cinema, face painting and Plein Air Art and much more. The three days brought together book enthusiasts, authors, and locals for a memorable celebration of literature, community, and culture.

The Town of Books Festival first graced thetown in 2003, and over the past two decades, it has grown from strength to strength, attracting boksellers, authors, avid readers, collectors and enthusiasts from all corners of Ireland and further afield.

This year’s milestone anniversary surpassed all expectations, delivering an exceptional programme of events. The lead sponsor for the Festival was Blacknight whose owner and CTO, Paul Kelly, hails from the town. Blacknight is also celebrating its 20th year in business, so it was a very fitting collaboration.

“This event has not only brought joy to our town but has also fostered a love for literature, encouraged creativity, and promoted the value of reading in our community,” said Mary Whelan, from the festival’s organising committee.

“We are extremely grateful for everyone’s support, especially the support of Kilkenny and Carlow County Councils — without their continued support we could not develop the festival. We would also like to thank most sincerely our local sponsors, volunteers and the owners of the premises who continue to support us each year.”

On the Sunday, the Eco Showboat team joined the festival for a special event combining love of literature and passion for the environment. A biodiversity walk was led by Eco Showboat co-founder Anne Cleary and local authority waters officer Ann Phelan along the Duiske River.

ULYSSES
Then, audiences were treated to a performance and talk on James Joyce’s Ulysses by the Eco Showboat navigator Denis Connolly and daughter Lotti Connolly, before enjoying a concert of folk music with harp, guitar and voice by Irish-Indian musicians Anna Tanvir and Maninder Singh.

To finish the day, the audience shared homemade food and refreshments combining Indian and Irish cuisines, lingering to chat about the day as the afternoon came to an end.