Chapter closes as Hay bails for the Hinterland

Kells will not be hosting the Hay Literary Festival this summer, but will instead become home to the Hinterland Festival, an annual summer literature event.

With this new independent identity, the festival will extend its reach to include artists and writers from the regions and the hinterlands.
Kells has become a key stop on the literary map for some of Europe's and the world's greatest writers and artists - and will continue to be so, according to the organisers of the new festival.
The festival will continue to be run by a dedicated local committee who volunteer their time, including Myles Dungan who has done so much over the past four years, and will continue to programme a brilliant range of writers, artists, musicians, politicians and personalities to visit Co Meath each summer.
The Hinterland Festival will take place on 22nd to 25th June 2017.
Kells was home to a satellite festival of the Hay of Wye Literary Festival in Wales for the past four years, but Ger Gaughran who was Kells Hay Festival Director explains that while they will still be part of the Hay family, they will now become a stand alone event next summer.
“The close relationship between Kells and the Hay Festival has been vital over the past four years in building the Festival to current international standards. In 2017, as the Festival enters its fifth year, the timing felt right to progress as a stand-alone event.
“Kells has benefited enormously from support and mentoring from the international Hay Festival legacy and brand, and the Festival Committee remain close collaborators and great friends with the ever-supportive family at Hay, and those collaborations are set to continue on specific events.”
Geraldine explains that what has been done in Kells is quite different to other satellite Hay events which take place around the worl in places such as Spain, Peru and Mexico.
“Those satellite festivals are programmed by Hay, but we are very lucky to have a great team where and we have been doing a lot of it ourselves,” Ger points out.
“This allows us to grow and expand. The town of Kells has demonstrated its ability to build on its literary legacy, and this new development means there is potential to bring greater depth to the Festival, making sure it serves the needs and interests of its local community as well as the important visitors.
“New thinking has always been a festival feature, with events such as the Type Trail. The commitment by local business owners to creating astonishing literary themed displays in shop windows has become an annual creative endeavour.”