Kerry literary festival ‘deeply appreciates' €25,000 award funding
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Patrick O'Donovan, visited Listowel during the festival meet with organisers and festivalgoers at St John's Theatre for a special event.
As part of his visit, Minister O'Donovan announced a funding award of €25,000 to Listowel Writers' Week in recognition of its enduring contribution to literature and community engagement.
He said the Listowel Writers' Week team work seamlessly to combine local literary life with overseas writers of renown. The minister added that such a system succeeds in bringing people together to enjoy the written word in all its forms.
'I am always heartened by the level of community participation and support involved in making this event happen on the ground, and I commend all those involved,' said Minister O'Donovan.
The Chairman of Listowel Writers' Week Ned O'Sullivan warmly welcomed the minister's remarks and financial support, adding that the organisers of Ireland's oldest festival are truly grateful for the ongoing support of Listowel Writers' Week.
'This magnificent funding award recognises the importance of our work. Minister O'Donovan's encouragement for the arts and engagement with communities like ours is deeply appreciated and helps sustain our efforts year after year,' he said.
The 2025 Listowel Literary Festival was a collaborative initiative with Kerry Writers' Museum, and St John's Theatre & Arts Centre. The festival concluded on Sunday with the organisers satisfied that this year's festival was a huge success with numbers up on many events.
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Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
Ireland's oldest literary festival adds another memorable chapter to its illustrious story
Listowel town was buzzing with the energy and excitement of another hugely successful festival as people from near and far enjoyed what is a unique celebration. This year's programme proved so popular that several events reached capacity well in advance – two of which had to be moved to larger venues due to unprecedented demand. These included the Frank Hayes Memorial Event, proudly sponsored by Kerry Group, and a powerful event called Memory and Forgetting with Fergal Keane and guests. Another standout moment came from nature writer Seán Ronayne, whose event Nature Boy captivated a full house, underscoring the appetite for stories rooted in our natural world. St John's Theatre also confirmed full houses for Sharon's Grave, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, and events featuring Jimmy Murphy and Eoghan Harris. A number of events had to be moved to larger venues due to soaring ticket demand. "Listowel was absolutely alive over the weekend. You could feel the sense of pride from the community as visitors filled the town for events, conversations, and connections,' said said Chairman Ned O'Sullivan. 'The support from Minister Patrick O'Donovan was a huge boost to the festival, and we're incredibly grateful for his recognition of the value Listowel Writers' Week brings, not just to Listowel but to the national cultural calendar. I would like to thank Kerry Writers' Museum and St John's Theatre for their collaboration for the Listowel Literary Festival this year,' Ned added. Listowel Writers' Week is nothing without the brilliant volunteers involved. Together, they imbue the energy, commitment, and generosity that makes the festival a success year after year. Festival Curator Márie Logue reflected on the remarkable public response saying she was 'absolutely thrilled' with the audiences this year. 'So many of our events were completely booked out, including the Frank Hayes Memorial Event, Brendan Begley's launch, and the Library's double launch on Friday which drew over 800 people,' she said, 'The crowd spilled out onto the street; library staff said they had never seen anything like it in their lives. Other sell-out events included Paul Durcan, Andy Irvine, and Francesca Simon,' Márie added.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Closure of Bray-Greystones cliff walk has ‘cost the economy €73m'
More than €73 million has been lost to the economy – equating to more than €50,000 a day – because of the continuing closure of the cliff walk between Bray and Greystones , Co Wicklow, economist Jim Power has said. Mr Power, an economic adviser to the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation and a financial commentator, estimated the loss to the economy included €21 million that would have gone to the Exchequer in taxes. The 7km cliff walk, developed in the 1840s as an access route for workers building the railway line, was, until its closure in February 2021, one of the most popular walks on Ireland's east coast. At its highest point it rises to about 100m above sea level. However, following the collapse of a section of boulder clay on the Greystones side and a rockfall further towards Bray, the walk was closed on a temporary basis. READ MORE Wicklow County Council put barriers at either end of the route and advertised an alternative walk, some of which was on the main Bray to Greystones road before climbing the head and emerging at a landmark cross overlooking Bray seafront. However, as time passed and the cliff walk remained closed, local traders expressed concern at the lack of business. 'The closure hit us immediately. I would say we were first in the firing line, and then it hit everyone else,' said Nigel Spendlove, who runs a coffee shop at Greystones harbour. Nigel Spendlove at Spendlove's coffee shop in Greystones. Photograph: Tim O'Brien Claire Cullen, who runs The Fat Fox cafe and cake shop on Trafalgar Road, Greystones, said the closure had cost her '500 customers a week. That is 2,000 customers a month – it is a lot for any business to take'.. Local group Friends of the Cliff Walk commissioned Mr Power to carry out an economic study of the economic cost of the closure. As part of the overall figure of €73 million, Mr Power estimated losses to local shops, restaurants and coffee shops at €4 million, based on yearly spending by walkers of €3.5 million. Speaking to The Irish Times, Mr Power said he had relied on Fáilte Ireland reports on visitor spending, figures for the numbers of people previously walking the cliff walk and his own interviews with businesses in the area among other sources. He said that according to Fáilte Ireland figures overseas visitors would typically spend €105 each a day, domestic visitors would be spending €92 daily and local walkers would spend about €10. He said recent analysis showed 10 per cent of visitors on the walk were from overseas, 40 per cent would be domestic visitors and the rest locals. Using official figures showing 350,000 visitors in the last year the walk was open, the annual spend was €18.4 million. With the walk now closed four years that loss amounted to €73 million overall, he said. He said the impact on the economies of Bray and Greystones has been 'very significant'. 'If we assume the average spend locally is €10 per visitor, the overall spend locally would be €3.5 million. This would support 77 jobs in tourism and hospitality in the local area. Assuming an average wage of €20,000, this would equate to a wage injection of €1.54 million into the local economy,' he said at the launch of his report on Tuesday in Greystones. Wicklow County Council said it was in the process of appointing consultants to advise 'short-term and long-term solutions to address the issues with sections of the walk that have already collapsed or are about to collapse'. The council said it had 'identified unsafe sections, reluctantly closed them, and signposted alternative routes around the collapsed sections of the cliff walk'. It said it was also working to identify funding for the work.
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Kerry literary festival ‘deeply appreciates' €25,000 award funding
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Patrick O'Donovan, visited Listowel during the festival meet with organisers and festivalgoers at St John's Theatre for a special event. As part of his visit, Minister O'Donovan announced a funding award of €25,000 to Listowel Writers' Week in recognition of its enduring contribution to literature and community engagement. He said the Listowel Writers' Week team work seamlessly to combine local literary life with overseas writers of renown. The minister added that such a system succeeds in bringing people together to enjoy the written word in all its forms. 'I am always heartened by the level of community participation and support involved in making this event happen on the ground, and I commend all those involved,' said Minister O'Donovan. The Chairman of Listowel Writers' Week Ned O'Sullivan warmly welcomed the minister's remarks and financial support, adding that the organisers of Ireland's oldest festival are truly grateful for the ongoing support of Listowel Writers' Week. 'This magnificent funding award recognises the importance of our work. Minister O'Donovan's encouragement for the arts and engagement with communities like ours is deeply appreciated and helps sustain our efforts year after year,' he said. The 2025 Listowel Literary Festival was a collaborative initiative with Kerry Writers' Museum, and St John's Theatre & Arts Centre. The festival concluded on Sunday with the organisers satisfied that this year's festival was a huge success with numbers up on many events.
