LITERATURE lovers will flock to North Clare on the last weekend in August as Ennistymon once again becomes a Book Town. 

For the eleventh year, the bustling town will become a reader’s paradise, with book shops popping up in vacant premises and taking over the Courthouse Gallery and Teach Cheoil. 

On offer at stalls and shops will be new, used and antiquarian books, fiction and nonfiction, for all age groups, including rare County Clare items, GAA histories, children’s books, and literary and light reads. 

“This year, our challenge has been to find empty shop units and that’s a great testament to how Ennistymon has flourished in recent years,” said organising committee member, Jon Heddon.

“Over the years, we’ve had seven or eight units annually that we would have used. Now, those premises have come back into use and it’s just great to see that.

“We will still be able to accommodate all of our regular booksellers, from all over Ireland, who just love coming to Ennistymon. We’ll have a Ukrainian bookseller who specialises in children’s books and a man who makes beautiful handmade notebooks. They’ll both be at the Courthouse Gallery.

“We’ll have all of the regular favourites like Charlie Byrne’s. Vinny [Browne] is from Ennistymon and he loves coming back and meeting people. Booksellers and readers look forward to coming to the town. It’s one of the highlights of the year. All tastes and budgets are catered for and we really do have something for everyone.”

In addition to the pop-up shops and stalls, the Festival will feature a number of author talks and book launches. Bookshops will be open from 10am to 5pm on the Saturday and Sunday, August 27 and 28. 

On Saturday, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, at Ennistymon Library, Jayne Shor will facilitate a ‘Wordscaping’ workshop. This is a guided exploration in gathering ideas and thoughts to shape, craft and sculpt into short poems and prose. More information is available from Jayne on 089-2213017.

On Saturday at 2pm, at The Salmon Bookshop Garden, Eddie Lenihan will be on hand to sign copies of his latest book, The Man in the Big House. 

The Festival will also celebrate a wonderful new book, The Art of Place: People and Landscapes of County Clare, edited by Peadar King and Anne Jones. Participants will include Peadar King, Jessie Lendennie, Sarah Clancy and Michael McGaughan.

Sunday will see the launch at 2pm at The Salmon Bookshop Garden of Sue Hubbard’s Swimming to Albania, with a reading by Salmon poets.