Dalkey Book Festival (June 12 – 15th) returns to the charming Dublin coastal town for the fifteenth year, hosting a diverse lineup of leading literary figures and thought-leaders from across the globe.
The festival line up, carefully curated by festival director Sian Smyth includes historians, writers, political commentators and journalists for a four day celebration of books and literary appreciation. This year’s exciting line-up includes writers from all walks of life, from best-selling American author – and probably the most celebrated journalist of his generation – Michael Lewis (The Big Short, Moneyball, The Blind Side) to English author and illustrator Charlie Mackesy, creator of the longest running Sunday Times non-fiction number one of all time – The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. From broadcasters Mariella Frostrup and Andrea Catherwood to scientists Luke O’Neill and William Li, it promise four days of eclectic and interesting conversation in Dalkey.
Dalkey Book Festival is proud to partner with The Arts Council and this year welcomes two new sponsors, Visit Portugal and The Cliff House Hotel to help make this festival come to life. With more than one hundred speakers across eighty four events taking place over the four days in eleven locations around the town (including a church, a library, a town hall and a marquee which overlooks Dalkey Island), the Dalkey Book Festival offers visitors an unforgettable experience that not only celebrates the written word but gives a platform to share ideas and diverse opinions, foster creativity and encourage meaningful connections among its participants at each event. Over 20,000 travelled to Dalkey last year by foot, car, bike, DART and bus. Pre-sale tickets are on sale on April 23rd from 10am with general sale at 10am on April 25th. Log onto www.dalkeybookfestival.org for schedule and ticket information.
With all eyes on the brewing political and economic tensions both in Ireland and abroad, from President Donald Trump and his introduction of tariffs to speaking rights in the Dáil, we hear voices from well-known political enthusiasts such as Ed Luce, John Burn-Murdoch, Mehreen Khan and Pat Leahy, who will provide both timely and deep insights into the political sphere. With a focus still on war-torn corners of the world, the festival welcomes for the first time, Avi Shlaim, an Arab Jew who comes to Dalkey to ask the question, “Can you be an Arab Jew?”.
Dalkey Book Festival is excited to host some of the most inspirational and influential writers of our time such as Elif Shafak, the award-winning British-Turkish novelist and the most widely read female author in Turkey who in 2017 was chosen by Politico as one of the twelve people who would make the world a better place. Elif has said of the Dalkey Book Festival, “It’s a place where ideas matter”.
The festival also welcomes back Steven Pinker, one of the world’s most influential intellectuals and Professor of Psychology at Harvard. Pinker, an experimental psychologist who is interested in all aspects of language and mind, will be in conversation with Ireland’s favourite scientist, Luke O’Neill.
In terms of newcomers, Dalkey Book Festival welcomes for the first time Olesya Kromeychuk, a Ukranian-born historian, writer and advocate who brings a personal dimension to the history unfolding in eastern Europe. Paris- based FT journalist and author, Simon Kuper, one of the world’s leading writers on soccer and culture, will also be a guest speaker at this year’s festival.
With a special focus on Portugal, the festival welcomes Filipe Ribeiro de Meneses and rising star Afonso Cruz to highlight the literary heritage and culture of Portugal. From art to culture, from finance to urban design, Portugal is seen by many as the most happening country in Europe. Once the world’s most dominant maritime and economic power, the Portuguese Tiger is roaring again with many young Irish professionals flocking to Portugal. The festival will explore the story of this new Portugal and its culture.
Look out for history with Diarmaid Ferriter, Hallie Rubenhold, Christopher de Beallaigue and Maurice Casey, nature with Sean Ronayne, science with Steven Pinker, William Li, Luke O’Neill, Ruth Freeman and Ian Robertson, sport with Simon Kuper, Gordon D’Arcy, Mehreen Khan and Roddy Doyle and comedy with David O’Doherty, Colm O’Regan and Paul Howard.
Don’t miss the chance to engage with the most pressing global questions of the day, from unpicking Trump’s trade wars to violence in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine and threats to the stability of global order, the swing to the right in Europe, and the future of Irish politics. To confront these issues, Dalkey Book Festival is joined by Michael Lewis and others from the US as well as Katja Hoyer from Germany, Olesya Khromeychuk from Ukraine, Lionel Shriver and Robert Shrimsley of the Financial Times from the UK alongside Ed Luce and Simon Kuper, while from The Irish Times, Fintan O’Toole, Pat Leahy, Jennifer O’Connell, Patrick Freyne and David McWilliams will appear.
In a year when Ireland’s prodigious literary talent is being celebrated the world over, we are delighted to host Ireland’s finest writers Paul Muldoon, Colum McCann, Joseph O’Connor, Roddy Doyle, John Banville, Kevin Barry, Elaine Feeney, Wendy Erskine and Donal Ryan. Local legend Ross O’Carroll-Kelly drops into Dalkey with To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before; expect this one to sell out immediately if previous years at Dalkey are anything to go by!
Dalkey Book Festival also has a host of family-friendly events and workshops for children with Peter Donnelly, Sarah Webb, Jennifer Delaney, Aoife Dooley and more.
Founder and director of Dalkey Book Festival Sian Smyth said today, “This year’s festival promises a jam- packed and thought- provoking four days which I feel very confident will give everyone who attends plenty to think about. This is a festival for everyone – for those who love to read, for those who love to listen, for those who love to engage with like-minded individuals. What’s always great to see is all the conversation happening around the village pre and post events – there is a real buzz in Dalkey over the four days which is truly palpable. Ireland’s literary talent is being celebrated the world over, and in 2025 we are thrilled to be hosting many of our finest writers, including Paul Muldoon, Wendy Erskine, Joseph O’Neill, Roddy Doyle, John Banville, Colum McCann, Joseph O’Connor, Kevin Barry, Donal Ryan, and Elaine Feeney. We also have guests from right across the globe including Steven Pinker and Michael Lewis from the US, as well as Ukrainian historian Olesya Khromeychuk and German historian Katya Hoyer and much more – with a dash of history, science, theatre, poetry and comedy, there really is something for everyone”.
Fellow Dalkey Book Festival director David McWilliams added, “We are delighted to welcome speakers back to the heart of Dalkey as well as those who are coming to the Dalkey Book Festival for the first time. The festival IS the festival it is because of the people of Dalkey – residents and those who run bars and restaurants who are all so open to the event. In a survey commissioned by the Arts Council it estimated that the festival brings over 2 million euro of additional revenue directly into the local economy over the festival’s long weekend. We would like to thank all our partners, including in particular the Arts Council and our new festival partner, Visit Portugal, along with Cantor Fitzgerald, TCL, Financial Times Weekend, DLR County Council, Crownway, BoConcept, FIAT, The Cliff House Hotel and Wicklow Wolf for their support”.
Presale tickets for subscribers to the festival will be on sale from 10am the 23rd April, with general sale beginning at 10am on the 25th April. Tickets available from €15 at
“I love the fact that there’s such a fantastic range of speakers every year; I love the people who come to listen, who ask fantastic questions and I also love the whole feeling that the festival gives of everybody getting together, talking about the past, the present and the future . I love the people who organise it; these things are difficult to do and they take a lot of effort; Dalkey Book Festival is such a terrific enterprise and a very special event which is why I come back nearly every year” – Peter Frankopan.
Visit www.dalkeybookfestival.org for the full festival programme