Reader's festival returns to Kildare

The Kildare Readers Festival will return from Thursday 1 October to Sunday 11 October.

This free festival, held in venues across the county, is a celebration of books and ideas, bringing readers and writers together for inspiring conversations and unforgettable experiences.

The line-up includes a screening of the Irish sign language documentary A Quiet Love; an exploration of Landscapes, Recollection and Transformation with Miriam Mulcahy in conversation with Lesley Bond; Ten Books You Should Read with Louise Nealon and Katriona O’Sullivan; and our debut authors panel featuring Jennifer Bray, Djamel White, Edie May Hand and Patrick Freyne.

Foodies can enjoy Food, Family and Tradition, a conversation in cooking with Orla Drumgoole, Eva Pau and Graham Herterich.

Fiction fans can go behind the bestsellers with Sheila O’Flanagan, Carmel Harrington and Faith Hogan, while the ‘Perfect Crime’ will bring together John Banville, Edel Coffey, Patricia Gibney and Fiona Sherlock.

The Irish language is being celebrated with the return of An Tolg Liteartha with broadcaster Tristan Rosenstock interviewing the winners of the 2026 Oireachtas Publishing Awards.

Families and younger audiences are also well catered for, with a Puffin Rock children’s workshop and film screening, a Faerie Isle workshop with Síne Quinn and a Teen Comic Book Creation workshop led by Aoife Dooley.

This year, we are delighted to bring Ernie's @ Shackleton Experience to Kildare Readers Festival at Riverbank.

Visitors can enjoy traditional Irish food with a modern twist, prepared using locally sourced ingredients.

The full programme of events, booking information and participating venues is available on https://kildarecoco.ie/library/kildarereadersfestival. 

All events are free of charge, but booking is recommended.

Online bookings for events at Riverbank Arts Centre are subject to €1.50 booking fee per ticket. Tickets booked through the box office or by phone are not subject to this charge.