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seasonal · Friday 21 August 2026 · Various 
Graiguenamanagh Town of Books Festival
At Graiguenamanagh Town Centre · Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny
At Graiguenamanagh Town Centre · Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny
Every August, Graiguenamanagh does something unusual: it turns its medieval streets over to books. The Town of Books Festival draws more than 25 independent booksellers into the town centre for a long weekend of browsing, author conversations, workshops and live music along the River Barrow. It suits book lovers of every kind - from people hunting out of-print paperbacks to parents looking for something to keep children reading through the summer. The festival is reckoned to be the busiest weekend of the year in Graiguenamanagh, and the atmosphere along the quays and laneways reflects that.
The booksellers spread through the town centre with stock ranging from new titles and children’s books through to second-hand and antiquarian volumes. There is genuinely something across every genre and age group - crime fiction, fantasy, local history, illustrated children’s books and specialist titles all appear in a typical year.
Author events and readings are woven through the programme. The 2026 festival features Dan O’Sullivan, a retired Detective Garda whose crime novels draw on nearly four decades of real casework, and David Looby, a journalist and author whose psychological thriller A Billion Sharp Pieces is one of the headliner discussions. Also on the bill are C.M. Neary, whose dyslexia-friendly fantasy series makes for an inclusive offering for younger readers, and Tina Fitzgerald, whose children’s stories include Arid the Honeypot Ant.
Poetry, art workshops and live music fill the gaps between the bookstalls. Food vendors set up alongside, so there is no need to leave the town centre between sessions. The festival runs across Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd August 2026 and forms part of National Heritage Week (15-23 August 2026).
Graiguenamanagh sits on the River Barrow in the south of Co. Kilkenny, about 20 km from Kilkenny city via the R705 and R712. From Carlow town it is roughly 17 km to the south-west. There is no direct rail connection to the village itself - the nearest stations are Bagenalstown (Muine Bheag) and Kilkenny, from which you would need onward transport. During festival weekend, on-street parking in the town centre fills quickly; arriving early or parking on the outskirts of the village and walking in is the sensible approach.
The town is worth a couple of extra hours beyond the festival itself. Duiske Abbey, a restored 13th-century Cistercian church, stands right in the centre and is free to visit. The Barrow towpath runs north and south from the town, offering easy riverside walking with no traffic. There is more to see in Graiguenamanagh and across Co. Kilkenny.
Heading to Graiguenamanagh Town Centre in Graiguenamanagh? Kilkenny has plenty more to see. Read the Graiguenamanagh area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.