Mayo literary festival set to celebrate tenth year next month

Mayo's literary enthusiasts are set to converge on Castlebar for one of the staples of the year in October, as the tenth edition of the Wild Atlantic Words festival takes to the stage next month.

The festival has been running since 2016, and has earned rave reviews for the feast of literature by those who have attended over the years.

Each year, attendees have noted the wide array of poetry, prose, fiction, literary interviews, and everything in between across the seven days.

Among the famous faces gracing the event will be Conor Niland, Ireland's top-ranked tennis player for several years. Niland has played on the highest stages, including in the main draw of Wimbledon and the US Open, as well as coming through the same academy as Serena Williams and defeating Roger Federer.

He also has many links to the Mayo Sporting sphere, as his father, Ray, was a footballer with Castlebar Mitchels and the Mayo footballers.

His book, titled 'The Racket', was chosen as the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 2024.

Other well-known authors in the sphere will take to the stage over the week.

Castlebar native Eimear McBride, who wrote the award-winning novel 'A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing', will present the Short Story Awards and will also discuss her work in conversation with Jarlath Killene, a professor of English at Trinity College.

Brian Dornan will speak on the history of Mayo's Wild Atlantic Islands, while Sarah Butler, Fiona Neary, and Paraic Horkan are among the guests.