Meet the Writers

Here you find listings of the writers who are will appear at our 2026 festival. Our 2026 festival will run from 10-17 July 2026. Priority booking for WCLF Festival Friends will open at 10am on 7 April. General booking for workshops will open at 10am on 7 April and for all other events at 10am on 14 April
Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe

Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe

Interviewer

Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe is a poet, pacifist and fabulist. She is the author of the critically-acclaimed poetry collection Auguries of a…

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Claire Adam

Claire Adam

Fiction, Irish Writing, Professional Development

Claire Adam grew up in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean – but spent many summers in west Cork (Lough…

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Damien B. Donnelly

Damien B. Donnelly

Interviewer, LGBTQIA+, Professional Development

Damien B. Donnelly is Head of Programming at the Irish Writers Centre, having spent 25 years in Paris, London and Amsterdam…

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Tareq Baconi

Tareq Baconi

LGBTQI+, Memoir, Non-Fiction

Tareq Baconi is a Palestinian writer, scholar, and activist. He is the grandson of refugees from Jerusalem and Haifa and…

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Niamh Bagnell

Niamh Bagnell

Cork, Irish Writing

Niamh Bagnell mainly writes short stories, dabbling in poetry and parody songwriting at times. She has been published in the…

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John Banville

John Banville

Fiction, Irish Writing

John Banville is a novelist, screenwriter, playwright and book reviewer. He worked in journalism for many years, and was literary editor at The Irish Times from 1988 to 2000. He is a regular contributor to The New…

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Alice Barry

Alice Barry

Cork, Irish Language, Theatre

Alice Barry, a native of Cork, has established herself as a versatile figure in the realms of writing, acting, producing, and directing….

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Sara Baume

Sara Baume

Cork, Irish Writing, Non-Fiction, Visual Arts

Sara Baume is the author of the novels Spill Simmer Falter Wither, A Line Made by Walking and Seven Steeples,…

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Sarah Bowie

Sarah Bowie

Children, Illustrator, Irish Writing

Sarah Bowie is an Irish writer and illustrator. She is also an arts educator and runs workshops in schools on…

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Meet the Writers

Arts Council - funding literature
Fáilte Ireland
Wild Atlantic Way
CCC Library & Arts Service
Cork County Council
Pure Cork
Creative Places West Cork Islands
Irish Examiner
Maritime Hotel