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Rostrevor Literary Festival on November 4 will be headlined by Ireland’s Professor of poetry Paul Muldoon. Muldoon is recognised as one of the great northern poets alongside Seamus Heaney and Michael Longley and he will be flying in from the United States especially for this seventh annual Rostrevor Festival.
He comes originally from county Armagh but has been lecturing and living in the United States over the past few decades.
Paul, a former radio and television producer for the BBC in Belfast, has taught at Princeton University for 35 years.
The Pulitzer prize winner is the author of fifteen collections of poetry and his next book entitled `Joy in Service on Rue Tagore’ is due to be published next year.
Well known broadcaster and journalist Stephen Walker will launch his biography of Nobel Laureate John Hume entitled `The Persuader’ which is just out now published by Gill Books.
He is the author of three other books and has reported on the politics of Northern Ireland for over 30 years including covering the Troubles, the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, and Brexit for the BBC.
The morning section of the Festival will be devoted to the environment and will be opened by John Barry, a political activist and Professor of Green Political Economy in the Centre for Sustainability, Equality and Climate Action at Queen’s University.
Other authors include Eoghan Daltun who is a sculpture conservator, a high nature value farmer, a rewilder and author of award winning book `An Irish Atlantic Rainforest;’ and Anne Madden, a former Irish News and Belfast Telegraph journalist, who has worked for walking and cycling charity Sustrans for nine years, and has written a historical fiction novel set in Donegal and the US called `The Wilderness Way’ which is due to be published by Harper/Collins next month.
This year the programmealso includes a special section on the environment.There will be a round table discussion chaired by folk musician Colum Sands on the environmental challenges and opportunities facing the island of Ireland followed by a question and answer slot.
Also on the Festival programme will be Csilla Toldy, a Hungarian writer and translator based in Rostrevor, whose new book `Bed Table Door’ has just been published; and Pallavi Padma-Uday who is a writer, journalist and business historian based in Belfast and has a collection of poetry published entitled `Orisons in the Dark.’
Catherine Dunne will also speak at Festival. She is the author of twelve published novels, several essays and one work of non-fiction. Her book entitled `An Unconsidered People’ documents the lived experience of some half a million Irish immigrants to Britain in the 1950s.
There will also be music from local musician and singer Rose Brennan.
Festival lead organiser William Graham said: ``This seventh annual event promises to be one of our most exciting yet.
``We are bringing together a diverse range of writers and poets from north and south and of course world famous Irish poet Paul Muldoon.
``And significantly this year for the first time we will devote half of the festival to environmental writers.
“I would like to thank my co-organisers Jane Kelly and Csilla Toldy for the huge amount of work they have put into making this festival happen, year on year."
The Festival is supported and sponsored by Newry, Mourne and Down Council.
Tickets available to book online through Ticket Tailor or can be reserved by contacting William Graham at wkg1951@gmail.com
Other festival events happening the weekend of November 4 include on the Saturday evening 4 November at 8pm at Crawford’s Bar, Rostrevor folk singer Tommy Sands will host a special event entitled `Remembering Seamus Heaney’. Tickets available from the Rostrevor Inn.
On Sunday 5 November folk singer Matthew McGrath will chair an event entitled `Take the Mic’… bring a poem, a story or a song. All welcome.
