Omagh Literary Festival: Honouring Benedict Kiely

The Omagh Literary Festival: Honouring Benedict Kiely is now in its eighteenth year and has previously welcomed writers and poets such as Frank Ormsby, Thomas Kilroy, Colum McCann, Patrick McCabe and Sarah Baume; hosted esteemed academics, from the likes of Queen’s University Belfast; and introduced popular theatrical productions.

Benedict Kiely is one of the most distinguished figures in Irish literature and is fondly known as the Bard of Omagh. Although his birthplace was near Dromore , he grew up in Omagh and attended the Christian Brothers Grammar school. He was a great story teller and a prolific writer with an informed humanism and great sense of history and place.

For those interested in developing their writing skills there will be, as part of the Omagh Literary Festival, a series of workshops. There will also be an exhibition which will run in conjunction with the festival and take inspiration from the local area. This year’s exhibition, entitled ‘An Enchanted Land’ takes its name from a short story, “An Enchanted Land” taken from Kiely’s short story anthology “A Journey to the Seven Streams”.

For full details of the Omagh Literary Festival events, competitions and workshops please visit kielyweekend.wordpress.com where you can also book tickets. You can also follow the Festival on Facebook or on Twitter for the latest details.