The event had its roots in the long-revered legacy of Ireland’s oldest literary festival, Listowel Writers’ Week. A visit by culture minister Patrick O’Donovan to the inaugural Listowel Literary Festival brought with it extra cheer in the form of a €25,000 cash injection for the event. Aimed specifically at literary events in the Listowel municipal district, an application by Kerry Writers’ Museum, in partnership with St John’s Theatre and Listowel Writers’ Week, secured €44,520 of the €60,000 funding pot for the new event — Listowel Literary Festival. “Because Writers’ Week had been in the doldrums, we were delinquent in regulatory matters. It will be marketed again as Writers’ Week.

Source: Irish Examiner February 03, 2026 11:40 UTC