Hinterland Festival 2022

Welcome to Hinterland Festival 2022 where we are delighted to be back in-person with a series of events running from 23 - 26 June 2022. You can browse all events and book tickets below, or view the programme schedule here.

Find out more about our Authors & Artists.

And be sure to check out our LitCrawl events and 'Other Things to Do' during the Festival

Download the programme here.

Ronan McGreevy

Sean Lemass: the Lost Memoir

Event  39 
Venue: The Red Chapel – O’Brien’s Supervalu Stage

He could be taciturn and enigmatic and, although his time as Taoiseach has been well raked over by others we have not heard much in the way of personal recollections from the man himself. Until now. Sean Lemass: the Lost Memoir contains 22 hours of interviews with one of Ireland’s few transformative political leaders. Historian and Irish Times journalist McGreevy offers an insight into one of the country’s most admired and consequential politicians.

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Ronan McGreevy

Fiona Sherlock

Murder by Numbers: Plotting the Perfect Crime

Event  40 
Venue: Kells Printing Works – Upstairs
How do you build a murder mystery that keeps readers guessing? In this lively and accessible workshop, crime writer Fiona Sherlock reveals the key ingredients of a classic whodunnit, from suspects and motives to planting clues and twists. Participants will try practical exercises and begin constructing their own mystery.
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Fiona Sherlock

Toteally Kells Printing Works!

Event  41 
Venue: Kells Printing Works – Downstairs

Hear the fascinating story of the newly restored Victorian Printing Presses. Print your own personalised Tote Bag on the Albion Beam Press – the collection’s oldest press dating from 1832!

Ages 18+
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Toteally Kells Printing Works!

Ciarán Wallace

Meath and the Irish Revolution 1912-23

Event  42 
Venue: Courthouse – Meath County Council Stage

Part of the Four Courts Press series on the War of Independence and the Civil War in every county in Ireland. The research and the writing of Meath and the Irish Revolution 1912-23 was entrusted to Ciarán Wallace, Deputy Director of the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland who looks at the upheaval of these revolutionary years in the county, for the activists and volunteers, and the majority who tried to get on with daily life.

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Ciarán Wallace

Marie Cassidy

Deadly Truth

Event  43 
Venue: Church of Ireland – The Jane Barrett Stage

Former State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy reflects on fifteen years at the heart of some of Ireland’s most complex murder investigations and the evolution of forensic science. She explores how a lifetime studying real cases, evidence & human stories has provided the narrative fuel for her transition into crime fiction including her latest novel Deadly Evidence.

Marie will be in conversation with Deirdre Hurley.

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Marie Cassidy

Martin Doyle

Interviews with Irish Writers 1991-2025

Event  44 
Venue: Eureka House – Tinnitus Clinic Stage

Martin Doyle, as Books Editor of The Irish Times, has interviewed many of the most talented and successful of Irish writers. In A Hosting: Interviews with Irish Writers 1991-2025 (Lilliput Press, April 2026), he chats with, among others Sally Rooney, Claire Keegan, Roddy Doyle, Colm Tóibín, Claire Kilroy, and Donal Ryan. Martin will be in conversation with Myles Dungan.

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Martin Doyle

Mary Coughlan in Concert

Event  45 
Venue: Church of Ireland – The Jane Barrett Stage

Mary Cloughlan is Ireland’s greatest jazz and blues singer and, according to Hot Press, ‘one of our most openly raw performers’. Her career is fast approaching its 40th year and her legendary performances are as compelling as ever. She is Ireland’s chanteuse par excellence. Excuse our French!

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Mary Coughlan in Concert

TypeTrail Walking Tour

Event  46 
Venue: Church of Ireland

Meet at the Church gates (Market Street end) and join the TypeTrail curator, Mark Smith, as he guides you around Kells to showcase, debate and discuss this year’s TypeTrail exhibits. These artistic interpretations of the theme “Process”, explore the journey behind creativity - highlighting the thinking, experimentation and craftsmanship that underpins design.

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TypeTrail Walking Tour

John Donohoe

Dot Tubridy and the Kennedys

Event  47 
Venue: Courthouse – Meath County Council Stage

As a close friend of the Kennedy family, Dot Tubridy became an extended member of the powerful American political dynasty, attending gatherings and celebrations, receiving invitations to all the major events throughout their political careers, and becoming their main contact in their ancestral homeland. Journalist John Donohoe looks at the enduring relationship between the socialite and the Camelot clan.

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John Donohoe

Alan Bradley

Event  48 
Venue: Eureka House – Tinnitus Clinic Stage

Join the author of 'Unmasking Samantha Cookes: The Many Lives of a Serial Fraudster' for a conversation on the evolution of a remarkable investigation across media. From the RTÉ podcast The Real Carrie Jade to the documentary Bad Nanny, this event explores the craft of long-form storytelling and the new revelations uncovered while bringing this extraordinary story to the page. Alan will be in conversation with Cabrina Conaty.

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Alan Bradley

Eoin O’Brien

Mimi the Dancing Bee

Event  49 
Venue: The Red Chapel – O’Brien’s Supervalu Stage
Join author Eoin O’Brien in this un-bee-lievably interactive workshop, where you can explore the buzzing life of Mimi the Dancing Bee. Mimi is a tiny bee with a tiny voice, but she knows just how to make herself be heard by the hive! Sing and dance along to Mimi’s groovy beat
Ages 3+
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Eoin O’Brien

Louise Nealon

Everything that is beautiful

Event  50 
Venue: Courthouse – Meath County Council Stage

The number 1 international bestselling, award-winning author of Snowflake returns with a luminous portrait of two families riven by one great secret. Told through the perspectives of three very different women, Everything That Is Beautiful unfolds the story of one complicated family in startlingly honest and witty prose. Louise will be in conversation with Gerry Foley.

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Louise Nealon

Sarah Breen & Emer McLysaght

Our Deadly Summer

Event  51 
Venue: Kenlis Suite – Headfort Arms Hotel

Bestselling duo Sarah Breen and Emer McLysaght, creators of the beloved Aisling series, join us to discuss their latest novel Our Deadly Summer, a sharply funny and heartfelt story of friendship, young women and the secrets that bind them. Drawing on more than twenty years of their own enduring friendship, Breen and McLysaght will talk about writing together, revisiting the early noughties, and crafting a tale that blends nostalgia, humour and a darkly compelling mystery. Sarah and Emer will be in conversation with Deirdre Hurley.

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Sarah Breen & Emer McLysaght

Dearbhla Mescal

Finding Joy

Event  52 
Venue: Eureka House – Tinnitus Clinic Stage

A poetry lover, a curator of joy, a wise woman with a deep sense of compassion (and mother of a cinema superstar) Dearbhla Mescal encourages her followers online to find the joy in everyday life and celebrate the little things. Now in her first book, Finding Joy, Dearbhla shares her own practice of finding joy in a beautiful and uplifting collection of thoughts, recollections and poems. Dearbhla will be in conversation with Cabrina Conaty.

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Dearbhla Mescal

Gerry Daly

Puffling and the Stormy Sea

Event  53 
Venue: The Red Chapel – O’Brien’s Supervalu Stage

Join author and illustrator Gerry Daly for an animal adventure of bravery and discovery in the woods from Gerry’s new book What’s That Spooky Sound? Plus even more fun with the wildlife of the Skellig Islands. Help the little puffling get back home in Puffling and the Stormy Sea, the latest of the bestselling Puffling picture book series. Children will love this draw-along session with puppets and interactive storytelling.

Ages 4-8
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Gerry Daly

Abdallah Ahmad

Literary reflections by an Arab poet in Ireland

Event  54 
Venue: Kells Printing Works – Upstairs

Exploring the journey between two languages and cultures, from the edges of exile and questions of identity, Abdallah Ahmad reflects on how fear and solitude can transform into possibilities for belonging and meaning. Through poetry and storytelling, everyday challenges become sources of reflection, creativity, and a wider human dialogue between cultures.

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Abdallah Ahmad

Owen Gilhooly-Miles

The American Songbook

Event  55 
Venue: Headfort House

As part of our celebration of America 250 leading operatic baritone Owen Gilhooly-Miles, in the beautiful surroundings of Headfort House, takes us through more than 200 years of the best of American music, from some of the great folksongs and popular melodies, to the Broadway musical and Hollywood theme songs.

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Owen Gilhooly-Miles

Treasure Hunt

Awarding of Prizes & Certificates

Event  56 
Venue: The Red Chapel – O’Brien’s Supervalu Stage
On all weekend, answer sheets in the box-office or festival bookshops.
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Glen Patterson

Behind the Northern Bank Job

Event  57 
Venue: Courthouse – Meath County Council Stage

Glen Patterson discusses his gripping account of the 2004 Northern Bank robbery, a heist that shook Northern Ireland and remains one of its most audacious unsolved crimes. A leading Belfast novelist, screenwriter and co-writer of Good Vibrations, Patterson brings sharp insight, wit and deep local knowledge to a story that still reverberates. Glen will be in conversation with Sophie Grenham.

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Glen Patterson

Miriam O’Callaghan

Life, Work, Everything

Event  58 
Venue: Church of Ireland – The Jane Barrett Stage

Life, Work, Everything is the title of Miriam O’Callaghan’s Number 1 bestselling biography and you can expect nothing less as she joins us to talk about the experiences that carried her from current affairs reporting to becoming one of RTÉ’s most trusted broadcasters. She reflects on the defining interviews, pivotal moments and unexpected turns that shaped her life on and off air. Miriam will be in conversation with Eileen Dunne.

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Miriam O’Callaghan