Oh, wow, Ian Rankin @ianrankin1.bsky.social comes to Bantry. It's getting better and better.😉 #Booksky 💙📚 #WestCork

As this year draws to a close we would like to wish everyone a peaceful Christmas & all good things for 2026. Thanks to everyone who joined us in 2025 to make it such a magical and memorable festival. We can't wait to do it all again in 2026 & we hope to see you there 📸 @dzjamkokarlis.bsky.social

WCLF wouldn't be possible without the support of our primary funders Arts Council of Ireland, Cork County Council & Fáilte Ireland as well as our many programming & venue partners & our media sponsors The Irish Examiner, all of whom teamed up with us in 2025. Thank you for being part of our family

Our #TwelveDaysOfChristmas has become a Baker's Dozen because you've all been very good this year and we can't keep this exciting news to our selves. Crime writer extraordinaire Ian Rankin is coming to WCLF 2026 with his latest John Rebus book Midnight and Blue

We've loved sharing our #TwelveDaysOfChristmas preview of authors coming to WCLF 2026. We cannot wait to meet all of these wonderful authors and so many more. Tune in tomorrow (Saturday) for a Baker's Dozen 13th announcement because we can't keep a secret!

Day 12 of #TwelveDaysOfChristmas WCLF2026 reveals. Margaret Busby is a pioneering publisher & cultural activist who founded Allison & Busby in the 1960s & became the UK’s first Black woman publisher. Her own collected writings, Part of the Story: Writings from Half a Century, will be out in March

Sarah Bowie is the 11th author we are announcing as part of our #TwelveDaysOfChristmas reveals of WCLF 2026 authors. Sarah is the Irish author and illustrator of the fabulous Nina Peanut series of middle grade graphic novels. The fourth Nina book Nina Peanut Major Drama Alert is coming out in May

Thanks @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social. Looking forward to seeing you in West Cork in July. Our full line-up will be announced on 1 April and people can follow our socials or sign up for our newsletter (link in bio) to be the first to hear news ❤️

Day Ten of our #TwelveDaysOfChristmas WCLF2026 reveals. Thanks to our partners Ambassade de France en Irlande/Embassy of France in Ireland, French author Nolwenn Le Blevennec @nleblevennec.bsky.social is coming to West Cork. Her novel Friends and Lovers is translated into English by Madeleine Rogers

2026 is already gearing up to be an incredible year in books and Image magazine has put together some of the gems from Irish and international authors www.image.ie/living/26-bo...

Our director Eimear combines her love of books and her love of Cork into a list of recent books for West Cork People. Clue: they are all books by authors living in Cork or from Cork. Lots of inspiration for Christmas presents and Christmas reading ❤️📚 online.flippingbook.com/view/7903684...

As a writer who started writing in my forties and who is published by a small but mighty indie press, I wasn't sure how I'd get on in the book world, but from day one libraries have been a great support, just like they were a great support to me all my life as a reader. Please support your library.

I'm so happy to be performing @wcorklitfest.bsky.social in July 2026 with the wonderful poets Imasha Costa and Daragh Fleming. Look forward to finding out who else is on the bill.

Day Nine of our #TwelveDaysOfChristmas with WCLF2026 authors. Leading fitness expert and West Cork resident Karl Henry will discuss his favourite walks around Ireland and the supreme benefits of walking. The Walking Effect was shortlisted for Lifestyle Book of the Year in the 2025 Irish Book Awards.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas (in our #TwelveDaysOfChristmas) my true love gave to me Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen. @emerthescreamer.bsky.social and Sarah will be back with a brand new novel Our Deadly Summer (@bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social May 2026) and they will join us at WCLF in July

Day 7 of our #TwelveDaysOfChristmas WCLF2026 reveals. We're very excited that Jenny Mitchell will join us next summer with a new anthology she is editing arising from her time as Cork City Library's Poet-in-the-Community. @jennymitchellgo.bsky.social will be joined by Daragh Fleming and Imasha Costa

Welcome to Day 6 of #TwelveDaysOfChristmas WCLF2026 reveals. @sachacoward.bsky.social is an historian who has run LGBTQ+ focused tours for museums, cemeteries, archives & cities around the world. Can't wait to hear Sacha talk about Queer As Folklore: The Hidden Queer History of Myths & Monsters

Day 5 of our #TwelveDaysOfChristmas sneak peek at WCLF 2026. We're so excited to announce that Nikita Gill will join us in July. @nikitagill.bsky.social is an Irish-Indian poet, playwright, illustrator, actor and all round superstar. She'll read from her novel in verse Hekate The Witch

Congratulations to Joseph O'Connor and all the team @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social. Winner of @irishbookawards.bsky.social Irish Book of the Year 2025

Welcome to the fourth day of our #TwelveDaysOfChristmas reveal of authors who are coming to WCLF 2026. We cannot wait to see Patrick Gale back in Bantry with his new novel Love Lane, which will be published by @tinderpress.bsky.social in March. Follow us or join e-newsletter at link in bio for news

Our sister festival West Cork Chamber Music Festival announced their fabulous 2026 line-up today. Priority booking from 28 Jan. Join @westcorkmusic.bsky.social in #Bantry from 26 June to 5 July 🎻🎼 www.westcorkmusic.ie/chamber-musi...

Confessions of a Shopaholic novelist Sophie Kinsella dies aged 55

Laureate for Irish Fiction Éilís Ní Dhuibhne will join us at WCLF in July. We're delighted to announce this on Day 3 of our #12DaysOfChristmas. In 'The Island of Imagination: A Literary Tour of Ireland' Éilís will be joined by two very special Cork literary guests. @artscouncilireland.bsky.social

Along with our fellow @westcorkmusic.bsky.social festivals West Cork Chamber and Masters of Tradition, we are proud to bring €7.67m to the local economy. @ucc.ie research shows that for every €1 of public money we receive, €12.30 in economic impact was generated www.irishexaminer.com/business/eco...

Andrew Miller is our special announcement for Day Two of our #TwelveDaysOfChristmas. Andrew's novel The Land In Winter was shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize and he'll be joining us at WCLF in July. Follow us and join our newsletter for more news. @sceptrebooks.bsky.social

8th December always feels like the first day of Christmas. Welcome to our #12DaysOfChristmas where each day we reveal an WCLF2026 author. Jung Chang will join us with her memoir Fly, Wild Swans, the brilliant sequel to her bestselling Wild Swans. Follow for updates. Day 1 @harpercollins.bsky.social

A definite perk of the job is all the wonderful books that publishers and authors send us for consideration for WCLF. Here are some of the gems recently received (*not pictured, loads of PDFs, audiobooks etc) #FestivalPlanning #ChristmasReading

From tomorrow, 5th Dec #BookElves2025 will be on hand to recommend brilliant Irish books for all ages - from tots to teens. if you'd like a recommendation - ask away below. I'd be delighted to help! And I'll be posting some of my favourite Irish books of the year every day. #discoveririshkidsbooks

Cork Council Library & Arts Service ‘Writers Block’ invites applications from experienced writers in all genres, from scriptwriting to slam poetry, who want to engage with writers’ groups, individuals, community groups, schools & others interested in writing, in 2026 www.corkcoco.ie/en/news/cork...

Them’s Fighting Words with Roddy Doyle review: A fun portrait of 21st-century teenage creativity

Congratulations to Róisín Leggett Bohan @leggettbohan.bsky.social and Katie Hale @katiescribbles.bsky.social. Their chapbooks will be published next year and launched at the Cork International Poetry Festival in May @munsterlitcentre.bsky.social

In the latest episode of his Bookshelf podcast Ryan Tubridy talks about his favourite books of 2025 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb0y...

If you love a small press, check out these 100 notable small press books from 2025!

Huge congratulations to all the winners of this year's @irishbookawards.bsky.social #IrishWriters #ReadIrishBooks www.irishbookawards.ie/winners/

The WINNER of the 2025 Library Association of Ireland Author of the Year is... @elainefeeney.bsky.social #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 Eason Novel of the Year is... Nesting, Roisín O'Donnell (Scribner, @simonandschuster.bsky.social) #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 The Book Centre Crime Fiction Book of the Year, in association with The Irish Independent is... It Should Have Been You, @andreamara.bsky.social (Bantam) #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 @whsmithofficial.bsky.social Popular Fiction Book of the Year, in association with Ireland AM is... Paper Heart, Cecelia Ahern (Harper Fiction) #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 Gradam @loveleabhargaeilge.bsky.social Leabhar Ficsin Gaeilge na Bliana is... Bódléar, Darach Ó Scolaí (Leabhar Breac) #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year is... Show Me Where It Hurts, @cmgleeson.bsky.social (@sceptrebooks.bsky.social) #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 New Irish Writing Best Short Story, in association with the Irish Independent is... "All The Birch Trees Were Waving", Pádhraic Quinn #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 New Irish Writing Best Poetry, in association with the Irish Independent is... “There’s never a crowd at the poetry section”, Vincent Barton #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 An Post Bookshop of the Year is... @chaptersbookstore.bsky.social #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 International Education Services Teen & Young Adult Book of the Year, in honour of John Treacy is... Solo, @grainneobrien.bsky.social (Little Island Books) #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 @specsaversie.bsky.social Children’s Book of the Year - Senior is... Animalopedia, Kathi and John Burke (Gill Books) #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 @specsaversie.bsky.social Children’s Book of the Year - Junior is... Run Home, Little Fox, Tom McCaughren & @erikamcgann.bsky.social, Illustrated by @shannonbergin.bsky.social (@theobrienpress.bsky.social) #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 The Last Word Listeners’ Choice Award is... The Ghosts of Rome, Joseph O'Connor (Harvill) #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 Dubray Biography of the Year is... A Time for Truth: My Father Jason and My Search for Justice and Healing, Sarah Corbett Lynch (Hachette) #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 @Hodges_Figgis History Book of the Year is... Great Irish Wives, @nicolapierce.bsky.social (@theobrienpress.bsky.social) #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs

The WINNER of the 2025 Eason Sports Book of the Year is... Heart on My Sleeve, Andrew Porter, foreword by Richie Sadlier (Eriu Books) #APIBA #StoriesMakeUs