The Athlone Literary Festival attracted record numbers to its events this year. With the launch of a new poetry book by local author Desmond Egan, the start of the new Athlone Sunday Miscellany and the three workshops on creative writing, comedy writing and memoire writing all attracted a new audience to the festival. In addition this year the festival brought playwright and author Terence Frisby to visit the English classes in three secondary schools and this was a very popular event as Terence brought to life for the pupils of the Athlone Community College, St Joseph's Summerhill and St Aloysius what the evacuation meant to him and his family. The Festival committee would like to thank the English teachers and the schools for organising the sessions with the pupils and hope it inspires new creative writing in Athlone. "Organising a festival of this kind takes considerable work, outlined Chairman Jarlath Duffy, " and the committee worked tirelessly to bering some well known authors such as Claire Keegan, Desmond Egan, Terence Frisby and Michael D Higgins to the town while also giving a platform to wonderful and talented local authors at the Kilbeggan writers session, the Poetry Forum and the Sunday Miscellany."

This year the committee bestowed their first honorary membership on Mel O'Flynn for her contribution to the festival in particular and to the arts in general in Athlone.

Siobhan Bigley Mel O Flynn Michael D Higgins, Sabina Higgins

Mairead O Connor Catherine Ivers, Michael D Higgins, Emer O Connor

Terence Frisby with First and Second year pupils in St Josephs College Summerhill

Claire keegan

Mel O'Flynn and Pat Eaton

Michael D Higgins, Sabina Coyne and Mel O'Flynn

Terence Frisby visits St. Aloysius College, Athlone

Poet's Corner

Miscellany

Miscellany Audience Members