The Cúirt International Festival of Literature is returning to Galway for its 39th year, filling its streets with literary galore as novelists, poets, writers, speakers and self-identified bookworms flock to the City of Tribes for the week. Cúirt is renowned for bringing a fresh influx of LGBTQ+ literary events each year and 2024 is no different as from Tuesday, April 23 until Sunday, April 28, there’s a jam-packed schedule of queer highlights not to be missed.
From a lesbian love story spanning decades to queer food writing and a bilingual storytelling event, we’ve put together a round-up of this year’s essential events for LGBTQ+ literature lovers.
Simon Costello and Miriam Gamble Book Launch
April 24 at 9pm
MacNeill’s Pub, The Hardiman Hotel
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We’re kicking things off with one for the poetry enthusiasts!
The Lifeboat Press is a Belfast-based independent publisher of poetry and non-fiction. Beginning as a series of readings on Dutch Barge, it has been publishing poetry pamphlets for almost a decade.
In this event, the Lifeboat Press will launch new work by Simon Costello and Miriam Gamble, who will also be reading.
Based in Co. Offaly, Simon Costello’s poetry has been featured in Queering the Green amongst several other publications and his debut poetry book Antichrist will be published in 2025. Miriam Gamble has published several works of poetry and is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Edinburgh.
Bryan Washington: Family Meal
April 26 at 7pm
The Mick Lally Theatre
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Bryan Washington is a writer from Houston. In this exciting event, he will be speaking about his second novel, Family Meal, which was published in 2023 and follows the intersecting lives of three queer men.
It charts the evolution of this band of friends as they face death, grief and secrets that threaten to break their bond. Navigating themes of food, love, sex and addiction, this novel is an ode to those who know us the longest and all the love and hurt they bring.
Washington will also be in conversation with Jess Murphy, Jennie Moran and Louise Kennedy to talk all things food and writing on April 27 for the Omnivore: Food, Writing and Art event at 1:30pm in the Mick Lally Theatre.
Katherine O’Donnell: Slant
April 27 at 5:30pm
The Mick Lally Theatre
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During this event, activist, academic and writer Katherine O’Donnell will speak about her debut novel, Slant, which focuses on the life of a Cork woman, spanning the decades from the 1980s AIDS crisis in America to the 2015 marriage referendum in Ireland.
Speaking to O’Donnell about the seminal lesbian love story is Paul Maddern, writer, educator and editor of the anthology, Queering the Green: Post-2000 Queer Irish Poetry.
Merging a tale of romance against a backdrop of wider historical and political queer milestones, this is a must-see event for anyone interested in a love story through a historical lens.
Poetry Reading: Joey Connolly, Abigail Parry and K Patrick
April 27 at 9pm
The Mick Lally Theatre
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Another one for the poets and poetry lovers. Three of the UK’s most exciting contemporary poets take to the stage to give readings and talk about their work which all tackle identity, albeit from different vantage points.
Topics covered include queer eroticism, ecology and intimacy and the failure of language to articulate experience. Poets include Joey Connolly, Abigail Parry and K Patrick.
In a time when poetry’s place in contemporary society has never been more contested, this event is essential for anyone who believes in the power of poetry to re-imagine the world.
Story Tellers: Oein DeBhairduin and Richard O’Leary
April 28 at 11:30am
An Taibhdhearc
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A round-up of Cúirt’s queer highlights simply would not be complete without a landmark Irish-language event. This compelling bilingual event merges history and oral storytelling with contemporary LGBTQ+ experience, perfect for both history aficionados and those passionate about Ireland’s rich storytelling roots.
It will feature Oein DeBhairduin, a writer, activist and educator who is passionate about preserving Traveller tales, sayings and retellings. Joining him will be Richard O’Leary, the homoseanchaí, creator and performer of the solo storytelling shows There’s a Bishop in my Bedroom and Border Fairies. At Cúirt, he will be performing a true fairy tale, Teenage Rebel in the GPO 1983, told in Irish with some English.
Debut Novels: Nicola Dinan and K Patrick
April 28 at 5pm
The Mick Lally Theatre
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Finally, two emerging authors will take to the Cúirt stage to introduce their debut novels. These queer stories of identity, self-expression, and gender are telling narratives free of tropes and stereotypes.
K Patrick’s Mrs S weaves a portrait of the butch experience considering everything from the contested terrain of butch bodies and desires to the societal constraints placed on butch identity.
Nicola Dinan’s Bellies is a queer love story spanning international borders and probes the shifts in Tom and Ming’s relationship as Ming transitions.
Nicola Dinan and K Patrick will be in conversation with Tara McEvoy.
You can book your place at any event featured in this round-up of Cúirt’s queer highlights at Cúirt.ie
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