Over 3,500 flock to South Dublin County for Red Line Book Festival

By Mary Dennehy

THE story of the Red Line Book Festival came to a successful ending on Sunday, after more than 3,500 people visited South Dublin County for the five-day literary event.

Organised by South Dublin Libraries, the festival not only promotes local writers and authors, showcasing the talent across South Dublin County, but also attracts national and international authors, poets and speakers into the area – providing a unique and accessible programme of literary events that are open to people of all ages.

This year, more than 3,500 people attended 35 events across 12 venues, with some of the highlights including TEDx Tallaght, the Great Lucan Bake Off, short comedy plays by Anton Chekov in the Rathfarnham Castle, a workshop on the Art of Storytelling, and a visit to the Chocolate Factory in Walkinstown for a story-telling session themed around Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The festival’s inaugural short story competition, run in partnership with IT Tallaght, also received 134 entries from 14 countries, while the poetry competition, which was judged by acclaimed poet Micheal O’Loughlin, has 278 entries.

Each year, the vibrant festival continues to grow and develop to meet the needs and interests of people living in South Dublin County and beyond.

Speaking after the festival, Domitilla Fagan, co-ordinator of the Red Line Book Festival, said: “We are delighted with this year’s festival.

“The variety and quality of the programme has attracted over 3,000 people in five days, making the festival the biggest literary initiative in 2016 for South Dublin County.

“We have got some lovely feedback from the audiences who truly enjoyed the events, and the feedback of the authors participating in the festival has been also extremely positive.

“The festival is a great example of the collaboration of the local libraries, South Dublin County Council, venues and businesses, as they entice people to visit the area and attend the huge array of exceptional events.”

She added: “We would like to thank all of this year’s partners and media who supported the event and in particular The Echo for promoting the festival to their readers.

“We invite everyone to keep an eye on the festival website for our photo gallery and updates and don’t forget to like our FB page and follow us on Twitter.”