Former Laureate for fiction, Anne Enright, and the current Laureate, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, as well as novelists Hugo Hamilton and Caoilinn Hughes are among the guests at the 20th Ennis Book Club Festival, taking place from Friday to Sunday, March 6 to Sunday 8 , with events and activities for book lovers of all ages.

The festival will open on March 6 at noon, with The Hare’s Corner – Making Space for Nature. This book, spearheaded by the Burrenbeo nature trust, charts a quiet, hopeful revolution, where people are restoring habitats and reconnecting with the land.

At 2pm, environmental campaigner, John Gibbons will discuss the state of Irish farming and agriculture with environmental consultant Féidhlim Harty, and offer solutions for a sustainable future.

Love & Change – New LGBTQ+ Writing features  Seán Hewitt, Chloe Michelle Howarth and Nicola Dinan in conversation with Jackie Lynam, while in Poetry 2026 at the de Valera Library, Karen J McDonnell, Erin Fornoff and Molly Twomey will discuss their work.

Also on Friday, Wendy Erskine, Oona Frawley and Oisín Fagan will be in conversation with Aoife Barry at The Temple Gate Hotel, discussing New Perspectives on Writing.

The annual Clare-based Writers’ event in St Columba’s Church will feature Karen Fitzgibbon, Joe Queally and Michael McTigue in conversation with writer and actor Diarmuid de Faoite.

The festival’s formal opening will be at 7pm in the Súil Gallery, followed by a session in Glór at 8pm, with Michael Harding, Edel Coffey and Anna Carey in conversation with Declan Hughes.

On Saturday, Hugo Hamilton will be in conversation with Éilís Ní Dhuibhne at 10am in St Columba’s, followed by Festival favourite Ten Books You Should Read. That’s at 11.30am with Bryan Dobson and Cecelia Ahern, moderated by broadcaster and journalist, Ciana Campbell.

Another festival favourite, Debut Novelists, will feature Elaine Garvey, Shane Tivenan and Claire Gleeson in conversation with Eoin Devereux, in Glór.  The Beyond Borders Book Club showcasing great writing from countries beyond Ireland and will have Cecilia Brizuela, Aneta Stepien and Mercedes Verona in conversation with poet Sarah Clancy at the Temple Gate.

A discussion on Climate Fiction will include Abi Daré, who won the 2025 inaugural Climate Fiction Prize, and Caoilinn Hughes, a New York Times Editor’s Choice author, chatting with editor of The Moth, Will Govan, at 4pm. Journalist and  campaigner, the late Nell McCafferty, will be remembered at an event in Glór with Rosita Sweetman, Muire McCallion, (Nell’s niece) and Ailbhe Smyth.

Historical fiction will be explored too, with authors Andrew Miller, Sarah Waters and Nuala O’Connor in conversation with Juliana Adelman in The Temple Gate.

Anne Enright will be in Glór at 8pm on Saturday, to discuss her work with Niamh Campbell.

Sunday’s events will include RTÉ’s Sunday Miscellany, broadcasting from Glór.

The Literary Lunch, featuring Dr Marie Cassidy in conversation with fellow crime novelist Catherine Kirwan, will be in The Old Ground Hotel.

Other events over the weekend will include the literary quiz Books ‘n’ Buns on Saturday morning, and walking tours with Jane O’Brien.

Events for children and teenagers will include Alex Dunne in conversation with Sarah Moore Fitzgerald for primary school goers and a talk on the work of Seamus Heaney for Leaving Cert cycle students with Gillian Chute. They’re in Glór.

On Saturday, the Festival will host an interactive writing workshop with Alex Dunne and Laura Keohane for children age 9-12.

Poetry workshops with Gráinne O’Brien, who won the An Post Teen & Young Adult Book of the Year 2025, will take place in the De Valera Library, Ennis, and Seán Lemass Library, Shannon.

As the festival prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary in March, its Artistic Director Martina Durac praised its founders.

“When a passionate group of book lovers first started dreaming of a way to bring book clubs together with writers, they lit a hopeful spark. “Since then, we’ve welcomed writers and readers from all over the world.”

Thanking those early volunteers, she added that the festival continued  to build on their work.

■ More details and booking for this year’s festival at:  www.ennisbookclubfestival.com.

Pictured: Ireland’s Laureate for Fiction, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne is among the writers taking part in the festival. PHOTO: VINCENT HOBAN.