WELCOME TO

Ennis Book Club Festival

Each year, readers both from Ireland and further afield, come to Ennis to share the joy of reading. Our audiences include avid readers, those who haven’t had the time to pick up a book in some years, those with a keen interest in current affairs, those who are simply looking to be inspired…Our aim is to meet each of their different expectations!

Our 2025 festival will run from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th March 2025. We look forward to welcoming friends new and old to Ennis to share this with you all.

Upcoming Events

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Events 2025
Temple Gate Hotel

The Beyond Borders Book Club with Zainab Boladale and Sarah Clancy

Beyond Borders  is a chance to connect to narratives and perspectives from other places and represents a link in the

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Events 2025
De Valera Library, Ennis

Zine Making Workshop

Join Tiffany Glen and Caoilfhinn Geary of Limerick Zine Fest in this fun session on creating your own zine. Zines

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Events 2025
De Valera Library, Ennis & Edna O'Brien Library, Scariff

Fighting Words creative writing workshop

Fighting Words is delighted to bring a two-hour short story writing workshop to Clare Libraries for Teen Week 2025. Our

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Events 2025
De Valera Library, Ennis & Edna O'Brien Library, Scariff

Our Sun, the nearest star

Our Sun has been an object of mystery, awe and fear since the dawn of mankind. While considered a god

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Events 2025
De Valera Library, Ennis & Edna O'Brien Library, Scariff

Film Production for the big screen with Ronan Daly

Ronan Daly of West Clare Film will introduce secondary school students to the world of film making and its various

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Events 2025
Temple Gate Hotel

Andrew O’Hagan in conversation with Wendy Erskine

In his ambitious novel, Caledonian Road, Andrew O’Hagan takes us on a picaresque journey through a city and a life.

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Events 2025
glór

The Art of the Short Story with Cathy Sweeney, Maggie Armstrong and David Butler

Short stories have a distinctive place in the modern Irish literary tradition. Many of our best writers, both in English and

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Events 2025
glór

Ann Cleeves explores her work with Brian McGilloway

Award-winning author of the Shetland, Vera and Two Rivers novels, Ann Cleeves has written some of the most popular crime fiction of recent times. Fuelled

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Events 2025
Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis

Five books that could save your life

Sarah Harte, Irish Examiner columnist and writer, in conversation with Madeline Mc Aleer from Haven Horizons, Danielle Roberts from Reclaim

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Events 2025
De Valera Library, Ennis

Poetry and film with Pat Boran

In this interactive event, poet Pat Boran will combine text, photos and moving images and will read from his latest

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Events 2025
Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis

Clare-based writers – Tracy Fahey, Kitty Murphy and Eilís Haden-Storrie

Tracy Fahey is an award-winning Irish author. She has been a British Fantasy Award finalist in 2017, 2022, and 2024.

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Events 2025
glór

Festival weekend opening

Join us in the wonderful setting of glór foyer to celebrate the weekend opening of our 19th festival. The perfect

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Events 2025
De Valera Library, Ennis& Edna O'Brien Library, Scariff

Braids Take a Day with Zainab Boladale

Join author and TV journalist Zainab Boladale to celebrate her Young Adult debut novel, Braids Take A Day, published by

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Events 2025
Temple Gate Hotel

Joe Canning – sporting legend

One of the greatest hurlers Ireland has ever produced, Joe Canning is a sporting icon. His memoir, My Story, gives fantastic

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Events 2025
glór

Children’s Book Club Event – Shane Hegarty in conversation with Sarah Moore Fitzgerald

Shane Hegarty has been shortlisted for many awards for his books. Boot, about a small, round robot who wakes up one

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Events 2025
glór

A talk on the work of Derek Mahon

Derek Mahon, a celebrated Irish poet of the late 20th century, is renowned for illuminating ordinary life through masterful verse.

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Events 2025
glór

Ten Books You Should Read with Mark O’Halloran and Oliver Callan

This is one of the most popular events of the festival, where our audience gets to probe the minds of

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Events 2025
glór

Debut Novelists – Aimée Walsh, Patrick Holloway and Cathy Sweeney in conversation with Declan Hughes

With her first novel, Exile, Aimée Walsh opens out a world of unsettling possibilities and haunted territories, when the life

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Events 2025
glór

Remembering Edna O’Brien

A panel discussion celebrating the work of the legendary writer with Andrew O’Hagan, Danielle McLaughlin & Eoin McNamee in conversation

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Events 2025
glór

Ian McEwan in conversation with Seán Rocks

Ennis Book Club Festival is delighted to welcome Ian McEwan to the festival, to explore his many books and their

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Events 2025
Meeting at glór, Ennis

Walking tour of Ennis

Join Jane O’Brien for her award-winning walking tour of Ennis, exploring many of the town’s major sights and hidden gems.

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Events 2025
Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis

Books and Buns Quiz

Start your Saturday morning with our much-loved Books and Buns session—a delightful book club gathering that will put your literary

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Events 2025
Ennis Courthouse

Rónán Hession in conversation with Neil Hegarty

Rónán Hession is an Irish writer based in Dublin. His debut novel Leonard and Hungry Paul was published by Bluemoose

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Events 2025
Temple Gate Hotel

The Beyond Borders Book Club

This event offers the great discovery of writing from countries beyond Ireland, recommended by guests who have personal connections to

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Events 2025
glór, Ennis

Clare Youth Theatre present

Join the talented members of Clare Youth Theatre as they present an engaging event of classic drama and literature. The

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Events 2025
Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis

The Beyond Borders Writing Club Showcase

Beyond Borders Writing Club was inspired by the much loved Beyond Borders Book Club as a way to provide a

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Events 2025
Temple Gate Hotel

Ageing in Life and Literature

This panel event on ageing in life and literature will be a fascinating exploration of how aging is represented and

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Events 2025
De Valera Library, Ennis

Nicola’s Book Club

Nicola, an Irishwoman based in Brussels, has been running a world literature book club for 20 years, selecting works by

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Events 2025
glór studio

Children’s workshop with Shane Hegarty

There is so much fun and creativity in the room with a Shane Hegarty children’s workshop. There will be tall

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Events 2025
glór

Sunday Symposium: International Conflict in a Globalised World

Sally Hayden, Paulo Nunes dos Santos and Vincent Durac in conversation with Katie Hannon. The panel will examine the politics

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Events 2025
Sweet N Green Cafe

Hush Hour

Step into Hush Hour, a reading party that redefines social gatherings for book lovers. You are invited to bring your

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Events 2025
The Old Ground, Ennis

Literary Lunch – Two for the Road

This event will be fuelled by two engaging individuals coming from very different aspects of the book world, Cónal Creedon

About Us

The Ennis Book Club Festival aims to promote and celebrate reading. Each year, readers both from Ireland and further afield, come to Ennis to share the joy of reading. Our audiences include avid readers, those who haven’t had the time to pick up a book in some years, those with a keen interest in current affairs, those who are simply looking to be inspired.

Background

In 2007 a small group of local volunteers, in association with Clare County Library, identified the need for a new literary and social event to replace the demised Ennis October Arts Festival. Being members of a local Book Club the wish was to create a literary event that focused primarily on readers and book lovers.

Would you like to support the work of Ennis Book Club Festival?

You can make a donation at your discretion through our Donations page.

Principal Funders And Partners

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