Granard Booktown Festival

Granard Booktown Festival is a relatively new but rapidly growing cultural event in County Longford that aims to make Granard the country’s first official Book Town. Held annually over a spring weekend in April, it combines international, national and local literary voices in the heart of the north midlands.

Inspired by existing booktowns - most notably Wigtown in Scotland - Granard Booktown was founded by a committee of writers, artists, academics and local residents. Its co-founders John Connell (author) and Ronan O’Toole (festival producer), saw potential in Granard’s heritage, community, and setting to become a hub for literary tourism.The festival is part of a broader hope to boost the local economy, enrich cultural amenities in rural Longford, attract visitors, and connect local audiences with broader literary conversations. 

The festival spans several days, offering talks, readings, workshops and discussions. Authors from Ireland and abroad are invited; themes often include creativity, literature, culture, politics, environment, rural life.  Activities are held in various venues around Granard—library, community halls, possibly other heritage venues. Some events are free, others ticketed. There is emphasis on accessibility and involving the local community. Festival organisers are keen on inclusive programming. It also encourages local writers, artists, emerging talent.

The festival has been generously supported by a wide range of funding partners including The Arts Council of Ireland, Longford Arts, Creative Ireland Longford and Longford Tourism.