Banville and Enright in stellar Leaves Festival line up in Laois

Internationally renowned writers are in the line for the Leaves Festival returns in 2023 with the organisers promising it will brings the best of Irish writing and music to Laois this November.

John Banville and Ann Enright are two of the headliners in the festival which takes place in the Dunamaise Arts Centre and branches of the Laois Library service and other venues.

The festival team is very excited to welcome Aingeala Flannery as its writer-in-residence.

Her novel The Amusements was the winner of the Kerry Group Novel of the Year Award at Listowel Writer’s Week this year and more recently was awarded the John McGahern Prize. Aingeala will be visiting schools, libraries and Portlaoise Prison. Her public event this year will be with Anne Enright – both interviewed by journalist Alex Clark.

The Amusements is also the Leaves Festival One County One Book for Laois.

St Peter's Church in Portlaoise is the place to be on Saturday, November 11 when famed writer John Banville and Laois native Andrea Carter will read and discuss their latest books with Portlaoise-based journalist John Drennan.

John Banville’s The Lockup is set in 1950s Dublin. In a lock-up garage in the city, the body of a young woman is discovered – an apparent suicide. But pathologist Dr Quirke and Detective Inspector Strafford soon suspect foul play.

Andrea Carter’s Death Writes begins in Early summer in Carter’s fictional Inishowen town of Glendara. The big news is that Gavin Featherstone, the peninsula’s bestselling but reclusive writer, has been persuaded to take part the town’s literary festival but he collapses and dies onstage.

Telling Stories featuring Aingeala Flannery, Anne Enright in conversation with Alex Clark is a highlight on Friday, November 10 in the Dunamaise where there'll be music with Laois singer Molly Donnery and Cathal Crowley.

In this unique event, the Leaves Festival writer-in-residence will discuss reading and writing fiction with award-winning novelist Anne Enright. Anne was the first Laureate for Irish Fiction and won the Man Booker Prize in 2007 for The Gathering.

Her most recent novel, The Wren had recently been published to rave reviews. Journalist Alex Clarke will chair the evening.
Molly Donnery is a critically acclaimed traditional Irish and contemporary singer. Best known for her vocals with the emerging band The Haar, Molly’s style combines the emotive storytelling of the tradition with modern techniques and improvisation.

Having recently graduated from Film and Theatre Studies in Trinity College Dublin, Molly is currently balancing life as a freelance film producer while working on her debut EP as a solo artist, which she is planning on releasing this coming winter.

Cathal Crowley is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and theatre-maker from Cork. Whilst studying Music and Psychology in Trinity College Dublin, he sang at major festivals.

The Spring of 2023 saw Cathal’s Dublin theatre debut in Smock Alley Theatre, with“The Wholly Divided Trinity Conspiracy of Queen Elizabeth (near Dublin)”, in which he co-wrote, directed and performed the lead role.

On Wednesday, November 8, the Dunamaise hosts an Invitation to the Kennedys with Emily Hourican. Hourican’s latest novel is inspired by real-life events in 1930s London society.

Kathleen ‘Kick’ Kennedy has recently arrived from Boston, and as the daughter of the US ambassador, she is at the centre of the most elite social circles. But when she falls for a duke-in-waiting, she realises there are plenty of people who think she doesn’t belong.

Lady Brigid Guinness has no interest in love, marriage or society connections. But her brother-in-law Chips Channon has other ideas.

There's sure to be local interest in an event at noon on Saturday November 11, when Abbeyleix native and broadcaster Ann Marie Kelly brings together a collection of voices of all ages to speak under the theme ‘Stand by me.’

Like Ann Marie’s previous successful Outdoor Spoken Word event ‘If the Walls had ears’, the audience will be invited to take part to share their own stories, if they wish.

Other highlights on the Leaves festival itinerary include:

• Award-winning novelist Donal Ryan with singer-songwriter musician Ultan Conlon
• Screen Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret?
• A comic book writing workshop with Colin O’Mahony

The festival runs from November 8 to 11 November 2023.For tickets or to check out the full programme of events see www.leavesfestival.ie or www.dunamaise.ie

Tickets can also be booked directly from Dunamaise Box Office, Tel: 057 8663355. The Leaves Festival 2023, is brought to you by Laois Arts Office, Laois County Library Service, Dunamaise Arts Centre and funded by Laois County Council, the Arts Council, Laois Partnership and Creative Ireland Laois.

The launch was attended by Jennifer Moore, Laois Arts Office; Angela McEvoy, Director of Arts, Heritage and Planning LCC; David O’Hara, Head of Planning LCC; Cormac Kinsella, Laois Leaves; Bernie Foran, Laois County Librarian; Cllr Paschal McEvoy, Cathaoirleach of LCC; Author Aingeala Flannery, MIchelle de Forge, Dunamaise Arts Centre Director; Muireann Ní Chonaill, Laois Arts Officer; David Broderick, Creative Ireland Laois; Joanna Bar, VIMAR Digital Marketing; Portlaoise Librarian Aoife Moore and Jan Smolorz, VIMAR Digital Marketing. Pic: Alf Harvey