Red Line Book Festival attracts the top stars of literature and arts
By William O' Connor
A HOST of top Irish and international authors are set to descend on South Dublin as the Red Line Book Festival returns for an exciting eighth edition from October 8–14.
An initiative of South Dublin Libraries and Arts, Red Line Book Festival brings local, national and international authors, alongside talks, workshops, theatrical productions and creative writing competitions, to venues across South Dublin each October.
Familiar faces and exciting new voices are equally represented in the 2018 lineup, which features bestselling international writers, such as Peter F. Hamilton, Sophie Hannah and Andrew McMillan, together with top Irish talent like June Caldwell, Emilie Pine, Alison Spittle, Joe Duffy, Sarah Webb and Angela Nagle.
South Dublin County Council Chief Executive Danny McLoughlin said:
“Red Line Book Festival is a fantastic opportunity for the people of South Dublin to engage with the spoken, written, recited and performed word, right on their own doorstep.
“The richness and diversity of this year’s expanded programme secures the place of the Red Line Book Festival in the cultural calendar.”
The festival’s Digital Worlds strand delves into the often marvellous but sometimes murky world of technology. All-round creative powerhouse Alison Spittle hosts Internet Famous, a panel event with Tara Flynn, Aoife Dooley, Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen, while Angela Nagle will appear in conversation with Rob Doyle to discuss her controversial book Kill All Normies: The Online Culture Wars from Tumblr and 4chan to the Alt-Right and Trump.
The festival will also welcome Peter F. Hamilton, one of the world’s foremost science fiction writers, to discuss his extensive back-catalogue.
The Historic Heroines strand marks Votáil 100 – one hundred years of women’s suffrage in Ireland – with a number of events celebrating the role of women in history and politics, society and literature.
Victorian Mavericks sees Nuala O’Connor, Bernie McGill & Caroline Busher celebrating Victorian-era female characters who break the mold, Mná and the Law finds Justice Marie Baker & Constance Cassidy SC discussing women in politics, the law and their prominence in our history, while Mná na hÉireann explores the changing lives of women in Ireland over the past century, with contributions from leading historians Liz Gillis, Sinéad McCoole, Dr Kate O’Malley, as well as Joe Duffy.
Elsewhere, Magic in My Eyes: Hardy’s Poems of Love & Loss is a special collaboration between three actors and the Delmaine String Quartet, in the beautiful surrounds of Rathfarnham Castle, which explores one of the great romances in literary history – Thomas Hardy’s courtship of Emma Gifford.
The festival’s Poetic Licence strand celebrates poetry and new writing. Guardian First Book Award winner Andrew McMillan visits the festival to celebrate the launch of his new poetry collection, playtime, and Paul McVeigh, June Caldwell and Frankie Gaffney join Colm Keegan for This Voice: Writing & The Working Class.
There will also be a performance of the hit theatre show Take Off Your Cornflakes, starring Rose Henderson and Pat Nolan, plus a special Red Line Book Festival edition of the Rick O’Shea Book Club, with guests Senator Lynn Ruane, Declan Lynch and Tony O’Reilly.
