Playwrights, musicians, poets and writers will descend on the North Clare village of Doolin tomorrow (Friday) for the launch of the inaugural Doolin Writer’s Weekend.
Famed throughout the decades for hosting some of the world’s most famous writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien, J.M. Synge, CS Lewis, George Bernard Shaw and Dylan Thomas, Doolin is this weekend hosting a series of workshops, lectures and readings by some of Ireland’s leading literary and arts figures.
Playwright and Director Peter Sheridan, Irish punk music pioneer Terri Hooley, and Steve Wall of The Walls & The Stunning are amongst the line-up of participants scheduled to take part in the festival which continues through Sunday.
Hosted by the Irish Writers' Centre and Hotel Doolin, the Weekend will also include the announcement of the winner of the 2013 Doolin Short Story Competition 2013, for which there is a prize fund of €1000.
Commenting on the background to the Festival, event organiser and Doolin Hotel General Manager, Donal Minihane said: “Doolin has a lengthy association with some of the world’s most famous writers and artists, each of whom spent time in the village and wider North Clare area. This weekend’s festival affords a great opportunity for aspiring writers as well as literary fans and published authors to get together and celebrate everything that is good about Irish literature.”
The Festival gets underway tomorrow (Friday 24th) May at 8pm with a Dooliner Beer & Local Cheese Reception followed by the Festival’s opening event featuring Terri Hooley speaking about his memoir, punk music and his newly-released cinema hit ‘Good Vibrations’. Hooley is a prominent figure in the Belfast music scene and founder of the Good Vibrations record shop and label, responsible for bands such as The Undertones, Rudi and The Outcasts. He is also the subject of a new film, entitled ‘Good Vibrations, which chronicles Hooley’s instrumental role in developing Belfast's punk-rock scene.
Friday night will also feature a talk from local writer Eddie Stack. Stack has received several accolades for his fiction, including an American Small Press of the Year Award, and a Top 100 Irish American Award. Recognised as an outstanding short story writer, he is the author of four books —The West; Out of the Blue; HEADS and Simple Twist of Fate. He is currently working on a book about the history and culture of Doolin. Eddie will talk about Doolin’s own bohemian poet & philosopher Francis McNamara.
Also taking place on Friday night is a Trad Session with 'Socks in the Frying Pan’ in Fitz's Bar, as well as the Doolin Writer’s Weekend 'Low Brow Literature Quiz'.
The Saturday 25th May programme of events commences from 10am to 1pm with a novel Writing Workshop with Collette Caddle, a Poetry Writing Workshop with Sarah Clancy and a Short Story Writing workshop with Mike McCormack
Chief soccer writer for Sportsnewsireland.com, Trevor Keane will be joined by Gaelic sports reporter Seamus King in hosting a Sports Writing Workshop from 2pm to 5pm on Saturday May 25th. John and Lisa from Doire Press present ‘Getting Published from a Publishers Point of View’ on the same day from 2pm to 4pm while The Clare Three Legged Stool Poets will give a poetry reading at the same time at the Doolin Cafe.
From 3pm to 5pm, local farmer Pat Sweeney will host a Cliffs of Moher Walk followed by a poetry recital at the world-famous visitor attraction.
Clare musician Steve Wall of The Walls and The Stunning hosts a songwriting workshop from 4.30-7.30pm.
From 8pm on Saturday, the marquee at Hotel Doolin will host ‘Two Plays and a Plate’ an evening of Theatre, Music and Food. Doonbeg Drama Group will open the evening with J.M. Sygne’s Tinker’s Wedding, followed by Peter Sheridan’s critically acclaimed one man show ‘Break a Leg.’ The night will finish with Quentin Cooper and Eoin O’Neil’s band ‘Fiddle Case.’
On Sunday May 26th, Mattie Shannon will host a Doolin historical trail walk and talk from 10am to 11am, followed by a ‘Bardic Brunch’ from 12pm to 2pm featuring traditional storytelling and music of the Burren with a brunch containing North Clare’s finest produce.
A Children's Storytelling session will be presented by Eddie Lenihan from 11am to 2pm and the Festival will conclude with an Afternoon Trad Session in Fitz's Bar.
Hotel Doolin is playing its part to boost tourism figures in County Clare by investing €100,000 in three separate events in Doolin during the coming months. The Doolin Writer’s Weekend, Doolin Folk Festival from June 14-16 2013 and the second annual Doolin Craft Beer Festival August from 23-25 August are expected to draw more 5,000 people to the small North Clare village.
Details regarding ticketed Doolin Writer’s Weekend events are available from www.doolinwritersweekend.com. Please contact Hotel Doolin at 065-7074111 or info@hoteldoolin.ie to book any of the events or workshops.
