Listowel Writers' Week

Listowel is a town of about five thousand people that produced John B Keane, Bryan MacMahon, Maurice Walsh and Brendan Kennelly, which is a density of writers nobody has adequately explained. Writers' Week has run since 1971, making it the longest-established literary festival in Ireland, and it runs over five days around the end of May with readings, workshops, panel discussions and a set of literary competitions that have launched careers - the awards for unpublished work are taken seriously by publishers. The town's own writers remain part of it: John B Keane's pub on William Street is still run by the family and is one of the festival's centres of gravity. The scale is deliberately modest compared with the Dublin festivals, and the appeal is that writers and audience end up in the same small number of pubs afterwards, which does not happen at larger events.

What you actually see

• The readings and panels - across five days in a small town.
• The competitions - unpublished-work awards watched by publishers.
• John B Keane's pub - still family-run, and a festival hub.
• The scale - small enough that writers and audience share the same rooms.

When to go

Late May or early June, over five days. Book workshops early - places are limited. Accommodation in Listowel is modest and fills for the week.

Honest expectations

A small town with limited accommodation and few restaurants - many attendees stay in Tralee or Ballybunion. Workshops sell out. It is a talking-and-drinking festival more than a spectacle.

Nearby

Ballybunion is west on the coast; Tralee and the Kerry Writers' Museum are close.