The countdown continues for the organisers of the 30th Mountshannon Arts Festival which will take place from May 28th to June 1st this year.
Poetry and literature are one of the central pillars of the programme with this year’s anniversary event havingh the theme FLIGHT. Alongside music, visual art and a wide range of community events, the literary and poetry strand runs across the weekend with readings, workshops and spoken word in venues throughout the village.
Irish literature begins with the spoken word and still returns to it, while also living on the page in books that carry place, memory and rhythm. At Mountshannon, this moves naturally between poetry, story and performance, reflected in readings, spoken word and books alongside local voices and contemporary writing.
This is evident in this year’s wide-ranging programme. Colm Keegan, a Dublin-based poet and experienced workshop facilitator, leads a Poetry Masterclass (Sat 30 May, 10 to 12pm, An Cupán Café). He also performs with Lavie Olupona, a young poet and emerging voice, in Taking Flight in association with Poetry Ireland (Sat 30 May, 2pm, Anita’s), an exciting showcase of spoken word poetry.
Words in Flight, developed with Dagogo Hart, a Nigerian-Irish poet and theatre-maker, mural artist Kevin Bohan and students from Scariff Community College, is presented with a performance and mural unveiling (Sat 30 May, 12.30pm, Aistear Park), where Hart will perform a specially commissioned piece. June O’Sullivan presents The Sky Is Not Enough (Sat 30 May, 4pm, Anita’s), a historical novel based on aviator Sophie Peirce-Evans, and discusses the challenge of writing historical fiction about a real person.
On Sunday, Kevin Curran, an Irish novelist and educator known for contemporary fiction, appears in A Writer’s Life (Sun 31 May, 11am, Anita’s), discussing his latest work and what it means to be a writer, followed by a Writing Workshop (Sun 31 May, 3pm, An Cupán Café), an interactive, image-led introduction to the key elements of good writing. Portumna-based poet Noelle Lynskey shares from her highly acclaimed debut Featherweight as part of Poetry and Song (Mon 1 June, 12.30pm, St Caimin’s, Church of Ireland).
Local Interest Literature (Mon 1 June, 5pm, Anita’s) features M.A. Purcell, an East Clare crime writer, and Cormac Quinn, whose cosy crime debut is set on the shores of Lough Derg, in a reading and Q&A.
Poetry Day Ireland 2026, with the theme “Home”, falls on 28 May and is reflected in the Festival programme through the Céilí House event, where céilí dance and live traditional music are interspersed with short readings by local poets (Thu 28 May, 6pm, Hall).
More information on the website; Facebook and Instagram.
Mountshannon Arts is a community-based, volunteer-led organisation dedicated to fostering creativity, supporting local and visiting artists, and enriching cultural life in East Clare. Through the annual Mountshannon Arts Festival, public art projects such as the Mountshannon Art Trail, and year-round collaborations with schools, community groups and international partners, the organisation aims to make art accessible to all and to celebrate the unique spirit of Mountshannon, East Clare and Lough Derg.