Cúirt International Festival of Literature facts for kids
The Cúirt International Festival of Literature is a fun yearly event held in Galway, Ireland. It celebrates books, poems, and stories. The word cúirt (pronounced koortch) comes from the Irish language and means "court." This festival has been happening every year since 1985.
Each April, the festival brings together writers from Ireland and all over the world. They share their work and ideas. You can enjoy many different events during the week. These include readings of poetry and fiction. There are also interesting discussions and poetry slams. New books are launched, and you can even take masterclasses. The festival also features music, theatre, and art. It started as a poetry festival. But now it includes many other types of creative writing and performances.
Many groups help make the festival possible. These include Údarás na Gaeltachta and the National University of Ireland, Galway. The Arts Council and Galway City Council also support it. Other sponsors are Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Fáilte Ireland, and Foras na Gaeilge.
Charlie Byrne's Bookshop sets up a special bookshop. It is inside the Town Hall Theatre every year during the festival.
History of the Festival
The first festival was called Cúirt Filíochta Idirnáisiúnta na Gaillimhe. This means "Galway's International Poetry Festival." It took place from March 12 to 15, 1986. Many famous writers attended. These included John Cooper Clarke, Paul Durcan, and Eavan Boland. The festival's founder, Fred Johnston, was also there.
By the 2010s, the festival started to include more diverse events. Things that were once small parts of the festival became main attractions.
The 2010 festival was special because it was the 25th anniversary. Writers like John Burnside and Joyce Carol Oates were there. However, a volcano in Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull, erupted. This caused problems for air travel. Many writers could not make it to Galway. They were stuck on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
The festival continued to grow in the following years. The 2011 festival was held from April 12 to 17. The 2012 festival took place from April 23 to 29. In 2013, the festival was held from April 23 to 28. A very special event happened that year. Famous poets Seamus Heaney and Michael Longley appeared together. This was one of Heaney's last public appearances before he passed away. Edna O'Brien also attended.
The 2014 festival happened from April 8 to 13. In 2017, the festival honored a French writer named Michel Déon. He loved Ireland and had recently passed away at 97 years old.
In 2018, many well-known authors took part. These included Sally Rooney, Daniel Woodrell, and Bernard MacLaverty.
In 2020, the festival faced a big challenge. The COVID-19 virus meant the festival could not happen in person. The organizers first postponed some events. Then, on April 6, they announced something new. Cúirt would become the world's first completely digital literary festival! Events were broadcast online for free. They still used traditional venues like the Town Hall Theatre. But people watched from home on YouTube.
Cúirt New Writing Prize
The Cúirt New Writing Prize is an award given at the festival. It celebrates new and exciting writers. Winners receive a cash prize of €500.
In 2012, Kevin O'Shea won for poetry. Eamon Kelly won for fiction. In 2013, Caoilinn Hughes won for three of her poems. Hugo Kelly won for his short story. The 2014 winners were Colm Scully for poetry and Philip Connor for fiction. Each received €500. There was also a Young Cúirt winner, Saffron Lily, who won €100.
