Top class line-up as ‘Lunchtime in the Library’ in Carlow returns

CARLOW County Council’s Lunchtime in the Library series returns this November, bringing award-winning Irish authors to the library in the town for free talks and readings from their recently-published works.4

On 13 November, is Irish Times journalist Patrick Freyene, who will take to the library’s Shaw Room for some readings from his debut novel Experts in a dying field, which was recently nominated for the Last Word Listeners’ Choice Award at the Irish Book Awards.

The following week, on 20 November, Kildare author Louise Nealon, who won Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards in 2021 for her debut novel Snowflake, will speak about her writing journey and read from her second novel Everything that is beautiful.

In the final talk of the series on Friday 27 November, bestselling author, psychotherapist and inspirational speaker Avril Tierney from Portarlington, Co Laois will take to the library. Avril’s debut book Cancer, chaos and courage explores her own experience of living with stage 4 breast cancer and the profound challenges that face anyone diagnosed with cancer and other life-limiting or terminal conditions.

All talks will begin at 1pm and are free, but anyone interested is encouraged to reserve a place by emailing library@carlowcoco.ie.

The council’s executive librarian Dermot O’Leary said it was exciting to have such a high-quality line-up of speakers for this year’s series.

“We expect that the readers and writers of Carlow will be just as thrilled at the prospect of these free talks as we are,” Mr O’Leary said.