West Cork Literary Festival

Congratulations to Joseph O'Connor and all the team @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social. Winner of @irishbookawards.bsky.social Irish Book of the Year 2025

Photo of author Patrick Gale

Front cover of Patrick Gale's forthcoming novel Love Lane

Welcome to the fourth day of our #TwelveDaysOfChristmas reveal of authors who are coming to WCLF 2026. We cannot wait to see Patrick Gale back in Bantry with his new novel Love Lane, which will be published by @tinderpress.bsky.social in March. Follow us or join e-newsletter at link in bio for news

West Cork Chamber Music Festival Programme 2026 | West Cork Music Choose events from dawn to dusk from the world-class West Cork Chamber Music festival programme (June 26- July 5 2026)

Our sister festival West Cork Chamber Music Festival announced their fabulous 2026 line-up today. Priority booking from 28 Jan. Join @westcorkmusic.bsky.social in #Bantry from 26 June to 5 July 🎻🎼
www.westcorkmusic.ie/chamber-musi...

Confessions of a Shopaholic novelist Sophie Kinsella dies aged 55 The ‘queen of romantic comedy’ has died 18 months after announcing her brain cancer diagnosis Madeleine Wickham, known for writing the bestselling novel Confessions of a Shopaholic under her pen name Sophie Kinsella, has died aged 55. Wickham, dubbed “the queen of romantic comedy” by novelist Jojo Moyes, wrote more than 30 books for adults, children and teenagers, which have sold more than 45m copies. Continue reading...

Confessions of a Shopaholic novelist Sophie Kinsella dies aged 55

Photo of Laureate for Irish Fiction Éilís Ní Dhuibhne

Laureate for Irish Fiction Éilís Ní Dhuibhne will join us at WCLF in July. We're delighted to announce this on Day 3 of our #12DaysOfChristmas. In 'The Island of Imagination: A Literary Tour of Ireland' Éilís will be joined by two very special Cork literary guests. @artscouncilireland.bsky.social

Three West Cork festivals brought in €7.67m for local economy New report shows economic impact of West Cork Chamber Music Festival, West Cork Literary Festival, and Masters of Tradition

Along with our fellow @westcorkmusic.bsky.social festivals West Cork Chamber and Masters of Tradition, we are proud to bring €7.67m to the local economy. @ucc.ie research shows that for every €1 of public money we receive, €12.30 in economic impact was generated
www.irishexaminer.com/business/eco...

Photo of author Andrew Miller

Front cover of Andrew Miller's novel The Land in Winter

Andrew Miller is our special announcement for Day Two of our #TwelveDaysOfChristmas. Andrew's novel The Land In Winter was shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize and he'll be joining us at WCLF in July. Follow us and join our newsletter for more news. @sceptrebooks.bsky.social

Photo of author Jung Chang. Author photo is by Zhang Xiaohong

Front cover of Jung Chang's book Fly, Wild Swans

8th December always feels like the first day of Christmas. Welcome to our #12DaysOfChristmas where each day we reveal an WCLF2026 author. Jung Chang will join us with her memoir Fly, Wild Swans, the brilliant sequel to her bestselling Wild Swans. Follow for updates. Day 1 @harpercollins.bsky.social

I know! Where to start....

Two bundles of books, some recently published, some due for publication in 2026. Licthenberg by Tom O’Connell, published by Temple Dark. Land by Maggie O’Farrell, due to be published in June 2026 by Tinder Press. The Woman in the Water by Henrietta McKervey, due to be published in March 2026 by Hachette Ireland. Hungry by Katriona O’Sullivan, due to be published in April 2026 by Hachette Ireland. Good People by Patmeena Sabit, due to be published in February 2026 by Virago. Miriam, Life, Work, Everything by Miriam O’Callaghan, published by Penguin Sandycove. Deep Burn by Brendan Mac Evilly, published by Marrowbone Books. Few and Far Between by Jan Carson, due to be published in April 2026 by Doubleday. The Wax Child by Olga Ravn, published by Viking. The Lock-Keeper’s Wife, by John MacKenna, due to be published in February 2026 by Lilliput. Prestige Drama by Séamas O’Reilly, due to be published in April 2026 by Fleet. A Beautiful Loan by Mary Costello, due to be published in March 2026 by Canongate. Insect Portraits by Lisa Clancy, published by Mayo Books Press. Frog Routes, Polka-Dot Newts and Other Treasures of Irish Nature by Anja Murray, published by Gill.

A definite perk of the job is all the wonderful books that publishers and authors send us for consideration for WCLF. Here are some of the gems recently received (*not pictured, loads of PDFs, audiobooks etc) #FestivalPlanning #ChristmasReading

From tomorrow, 5th Dec #BookElves2025 will be on hand to recommend brilliant Irish books for all ages - from tots to teens.
if you'd like a recommendation - ask away below. I'd be delighted to help!
And I'll be posting some of my favourite Irish books of the year every day. #discoveririshkidsbooks

Cork County Council Library and Arts Service Call for Applications from Writers for its New Programme ‘Writers Block’ is a creative writing programme delivered by Cork County Council Library and Arts Service that brings communities together through the written word. The programme will bring together a...

Cork Council Library & Arts Service ‘Writers Block’ invites applications from experienced writers in all genres, from scriptwriting to slam poetry, who want to engage with writers’ groups, individuals, community groups, schools & others interested in writing, in 2026
www.corkcoco.ie/en/news/cork...

Them’s Fighting Words with Roddy Doyle review: A fun portrait of 21st-century teenage creativity Television: The good work done by Fighting Words on the north side of Dublin is celebrated in this agreeable, if at times workmanlike, documentary

Them’s Fighting Words with Roddy Doyle review: A fun portrait of 21st-century teenage creativity

Congratulations to Róisín Leggett Bohan @leggettbohan.bsky.social and Katie Hale @katiescribbles.bsky.social. Their chapbooks will be published next year and launched at the Cork International Poetry Festival in May @munsterlitcentre.bsky.social

YouTube video by NK Productions Ryan's Favourite Books of 2025

In the latest episode of his Bookshelf podcast Ryan Tubridy talks about his favourite books of 2025
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb0y...

100 Notable Small Press Books of 2025 The idea of 100 Notable Small Press Books was born November 2024, after The New York Times’s annual 100 Notable Books list featured eighty-two books from the Big Five publishing houses (Pengu…

If you love a small press, check out these 100 notable small press books from 2025!

Beckett's publisher and friend John Calder has written about him, I believe

Huge congratulations to all the winners of this year's @irishbookawards.bsky.social #IrishWriters #ReadIrishBooks
www.irishbookawards.ie/winners/

The WINNER of the 2025 Library Association of Ireland Author of the Year is...

@elainefeeney.bsky.social

#APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 Eason Novel of the Year is...

Nesting, Roisín O'Donnell (Scribner, @simonandschuster.bsky.social)

#APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 The Book Centre Crime Fiction Book of the Year, in association with The Irish Independent is...

It Should Have Been You, @andreamara.bsky.social (Bantam)

#APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 @whsmithofficial.bsky.social Popular Fiction Book of the Year, in association with Ireland AM is...

Paper Heart, Cecelia Ahern (Harper Fiction)

#APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 Gradam @loveleabhargaeilge.bsky.social Leabhar Ficsin Gaeilge na Bliana is...

Bódléar, Darach Ó Scolaí (Leabhar Breac)

#APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year is...

Show Me Where It Hurts, @cmgleeson.bsky.social (@sceptrebooks.bsky.social)

#APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 New Irish Writing Best Short Story, in association with the Irish Independent is...

"All The Birch Trees Were Waving", Pádhraic Quinn

#APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 New Irish Writing Best Poetry, in association with the Irish Independent is...

“There’s never a crowd at the poetry section”, Vincent Barton

#APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 An Post Bookshop of the Year is...

@chaptersbookstore.bsky.social

#APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 International Education Services Teen & Young Adult Book of the Year, in honour of John Treacy is...

Solo, @grainneobrien.bsky.social (Little Island Books)

#APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 @specsaversie.bsky.social Children’s Book of the Year - Senior is...

Animalopedia, Kathi and John Burke (Gill Books)

#APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 @specsaversie.bsky.social Children’s Book of the Year - Junior is...

Run Home, Little Fox, Tom McCaughren & @erikamcgann.bsky.social, Illustrated by @shannonbergin.bsky.social (@theobrienpress.bsky.social)

#APIBA #StoriesMakeUs