The Library of Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, interior
Since 1994, the James Joyce Centre has been organizing the Bloomsday festival. Bloomsday is named after Leopold Bloom, a protagonist in James Joyce’s novel Ulysses. The celebrations in June include performances, readings, re-enactments, visits to places referenced in the novel, and dressing up like the characters.
Cúirt international Festival of Literature in Galway is one of Europe’s oldest book festivals, and a leading voice for literature both internationally and across Ireland. It brings together readers and writers to share new perspectives and to create a space for conversation, debate and reflection. Providing an international platform for new writing and fostering Ireland’s nation of readers, this festival launches new programs every year in April.
Since 1998, the ILFD invites writers, readers and publishers to engage in readings, debates, screenings, guided walks, events, podcasts and broadcasts. Fiction as well as non-fiction authors, poets, playwrights and screenwriters are welcome to take part in events for all ages. The International Literature Festival Dublin is an initiative of the Dublin City Council, funded by The Arts Council, held in May.
The Dalkey Book Festival is an annual literature festival held in Dalkey, County Dublin, Ireland, for four days in June. Although the festival started with a literary focus in 2010, it celebrates the arts in general, including theatre, film and comedy. It is also a festival of ideas, exploring the worlds of science, technology, current affairs, new politics and global trends.
The Writer’s Week is a Literary and Arts Festival, held in the town of Listowel in County Kerry from May to June. It promotes the writing of all genres and aims to create an environment where literature can be appreciated by a wide audience. Listowel Writers’ Week was founded in 1970 to foster new and exciting talent and to give aspiring writers the chance to make their way into the literary world, for example with creative writing workshops.
The An Post Irish Book Awards are a set of industry-recognition awards set up by a coalition of Irish booksellers in 2007. The winners are annually selected by readers, and libraries and bookshops showcase the best books of the year in the critical sales period of the fourth quarter. The promotion around the shortlists and winners aims to expand the audience of Irish literature nationally and internationally. The honored works are celebrated at an Awards Dinner.
The KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards are the leading annual children’s book awards in Ireland. Established in 1990, these awards identify, honor and promote excellence in books for young people by Irish authors and illustrators. KPMG sponsors the awards since 2020, thus there is a total prize fund of 16,000 EUR.
The Markievicz Award was established to honor Constance Markievicz as the first woman to be elected to parliament. It is awarded by the Arts Council of Ireland on behalf of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media, and is open via a public call to artists working in all arts genres supported by the Arts Council. The prize is endowed with 25,000 EUR and provides support to artists from all backgrounds and genres.
Established in 1995, the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award is an annual award for Irish authors. The winner is announced at the opening ceremony of the Listowel Writer’s Week. Endowed with 20,000 EUR, the award is the largest monetary prize for fiction available solely to Irish authors.
Established in 1971 by the Patrick Kavanagh Society, the Poetry Award is awarded to emerging poets living in Ireland or with Irish heritage. It honors a collection of 20 poems, not yet published, and aims to capture a diverse range of poetic voices. The writer of the winning entry receives 2,000 EUR in recognition of their achievement.
Established in 1996, the Dublin International Literary Award is the most valuable literary award of its kind. Presented annually, the honored works are nominated by libraries from cities around the world. The award is worth 100,000 EUR for a single work of international fiction written or a work of fiction translated into English. If a translated work wins, the prize money of 100,000 EUR is divided: 75,000 EUR to the winning author and 25,000 EUR to the translator.
Established in 2019, the Prix de Traduction du Centre Cultural Irlandais et de Literature Ireland was created for the promotion of Irish literature in the French language. The prize of 3,000 EUR is awarded to the translator of a work of fiction by an Irish author who is not yet well-known in France.
Literature Ireland’s translation grant programme allows international publishers to apply for a contribution towards the cost of the translator of a work of Irish literature from English or Irish into another language.
The Prix des Ambassadeurs de la Francophonie is awarded annually by ambassadors in Ireland whose countries are involved in the Francophonie. Literature Ireland coordinates the prize in cooperation with the French Embassy and awards a residency to the translator of the winning work. The prize honors an Irish writer whose work has recently been translated into French.
The Cill Rialaig Project, founded by Dr. Noelle Campbell Sharp, is a voluntary body whose main aim is to develop and maintain a retreat for artists, poets, writers, film makers and composers from Ireland and abroad. The city of Cill Rialaig includes Seven studios, which consists of a meeting house, a library and a utility space for artists who are thus able to live and work in self-catering individual house-studios.
The Tyrone Guthrie Centre promotes excellence and innovation in the arts by providing residential opportunities and workspaces for artists, designers, directors, critics, translators and others in the arts sector with a proven record of achievement. Applicants can work individually or as part of a collaboration and there is an international fee structure for applicants from across the world.
The Heinrich Böll Association invites writers and artists of all disciplines to this residency for a quiet and inspiring retreat. The Heinrich Böll Cottage is located on the outskirts of Dugort village on Achill Island, Mayo in Ireland. The Achill Heinrich Böll Association is dedicated to the memory of Heinrich Böll, who spent his holidays here with his family.
