chilDren’s book festival
Saturday 29th April 2023, Lismore, Co. Waterford
Towers and Tales Children’s Book Festival 2023 welcomes you to Lismore Castle for another magical fun-filled day of reading, wonder and curiosity! Explore our digital programme, events listings and timetable to create your own jam-packed day of adventure.
Kathi Burke
Illustrator
Joseph CoeLho
Poet and Author
Aoife DoolEy
Illustrator and Author
Muireann Ní Chíobháin
Author
Robin Stevens
Author
Ed Vere
Author & Illustrator
Paddy DonneLLy
Author & Illustrator
Festival Exhibition
Beasts and Books
Friday 28th April - Friday 12th May 2023 | The Vault Café
We are honoured to share new artworks from illustrators Jennifer Farley and Olivia Golden.
Enter the imaginative realms of classic literature: Jennifer Farley's whimsical artworks explore some of the most beloved characters and iconic locations from timeless literary works.
Ireland has a rich history of seeking out strength and magic in the creatures that surround us for stories that both enthral and entertain. Olivia Golden's artworks celebrate those qualities with simple and striking textural compositions.
Olivia Golden is an illustrator based in Cork. She has illustrated over 30 books for children, including Cillian ag Comhaireamh (written by Siobhain Grogan) and Scéalta le hInsint don Ghealach (written by Caoimhe Nic Lochlainn) along with a variety of covers and books for adults. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally.
Jennifer Farley is an author, illustrator and designer from Dublin. Jennifer specialises in illustration for children’s books and maps. Her artwork is bright, colourful and sometimes a little bit humorous. She has illustrated 12 children’s books, 3 of which she wrote herself. Her most recent book is Scout’s Best Day Ever! A Doggy Adventure Around Ireland. Her book Shooting For the Stars: My Journey to Become Ireland’s First Astronaut was written by Norah Patten and won an An Post Irish Book Award.
Festival Programme
Festival TimetabLe
The Festival Hub
Festival Hub
TICKETED EVENTS
DUNGEON DOODLE
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Who dares to enter Lismore Castle’s dark and eerie dungeon? Join the Lismore Castle Arts Team to draw your own glow in the dark monsters, ghouls and ghosts on the walls of the castle’s creepiest place.
11 a.m., 12.30 p.m., 2 p.m. & 4 p.m. | Lismore Castle Dungeon | €5 | for age 6+
SKETCH AND STROLL
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Illustrators Olivia Golden and Jennifer Farley take you on a creative sketching journey around the magical Lismore Castle Gardens where you can discover the wonder of the petals, trees and grassy banks.
12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. & 3 p.m.|Lismore Castle Gardens | €5 | for age 6+
STORIES, SONGS & SILLINESS | PÁDRAIG WALLACE
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Join musician and super fan of books Pádraig Wallace on a musical adventure with stories, songs and silliness. Compose your very own diddle or dum and hear stories of famous musicians and song birds from the world of picture books.
1.30 p.m. | Lismore Library | €5 (Carers free) | for age 0-4
3 p.m. | Lismore Library | €5 (Carers free)| for age 4-7
Festival Hub
FREE EVENTS
ONLINE REGISTRATION
BOOK CLINIC | CHILDREN’S BOOKS IRELAND
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Are you a young reader? Looking for a new series to delve into? Feeling uninspired by your bookshelves at home? Do you need a prescription for a new read? Then pop along to the
Children’s Books Ireland Book Clinic where the Book Doctors will be ready to offer the best advice for young readers. Children will leave with a Reading Passport, and a prescription for their next read to take to their local bookshop or library. The Book Clinic is free but online registration is required - early booking is strongly advised. Please book one 15-minute slot per child.
12 p.m. - 4 p.m. | Castle Courtyard | Free Online Registration | All Ages
Hollow Earth: Art, Caves and The Subterranean Imaginary | The Glucksman
Hollow Earth: Art, Caves and The Subterranean Imaginary is a major thematic exhibition which brings together a wide range of responses to the image and idea of the cave. It includes painting, photography, sculpture, sound, installation and video, as well as archives and architectural models, stretching from 1960 to today, alongside works from the 18th and 19th centuries.
The exhibition runs at the Glucksman art museum in UCC from 7 April to 9 July 2023.
The First Ever Drawing!
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The earliest known artworks were drawn and painted on to the walls of caves more than 40,000 years ago!!! In this fun hands-on imaginative workshop we will be figuring out who made these drawings and what they looked like! Under the guidance of our talented facilitators, children will be using pencils, crayons and pastels to create large collaborative cave drawings.
10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. | Castle Courtyard | Free Online Registration | Age 5-8 years
Down in the Deep Dark Cave
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There is something about the dark that triggers our imagination! In this fun illustration workshop, we will be creating our own imaginative world down in a deep dark cave where fairies, goblins, ghouls and other mysterious cave creatures go about their business! Participants will learn simple illustration techniques that will help them to create their own characters and stories.
11 a.m. and 2 p.m. | Castle Courtyard | Free Online Registration | Age 9-12 years
Festival Hub
FREE ALL DAY EVENTS
BOOK SWAP | WATERFORD CITY AND COUNTY LIBRARY SERVICES
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Bring a book, pick a book! The library team will be on hand to help, and will be offering free library membership all day.
All Day Event | Castle Courtyard | Free
INSPIRATION STATION | LISMORE CASTLE ARTS
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Create your own crazy creature and join in our giant drawing adventure. Led by the Lismore Castle Arts Team, this will be a hub of creativity.
All Day Event | Gallery Lawn | Free
STORY TRAIL | A FIELD GUIDE TO LEAFLINGS
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“To see leaflings you need keen eyes, to hear them, sharp hearing and, most importantly, you need a mind that is still open to all the world’s possibilities.”
Welcome to the world of Leaflings, the secret guardians of the trees. Follow our inaugural story trail with A Field Guide to Leaflings created by Owen Churcher and Niamh Sharkey. On the story trail you will meet trees and leaflings from all over the world and learn how these tiny creatures protect trees, help manage their interactions, their cycles and tell their stories. Keep a special eye out for Flann, a pippin tree leafling along the way!
“A whimsical way to teach budding environmentalists about trees around the world.” Kirkus Review
All Day Event | Castle Gardens | Free | All Ages
BOOK SHOP | EASON
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Pick up a book from your favourite festival artist.
All Day Event | Mary Feeney’s Yard
THE ARTIST WALL | ED VERE
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Festival artists can be found at the doodle wall drawing during the day. Be inspired by Ed Vere's new picture book The Artist! Make your own mark and create your own characters on our giant doodle wall.
All Day Event | Woodshed | Free
KNOCK FOR A STORY
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The most intimate event of the festival. Only 6 people at a time enter the front porch and enjoy readings throughout the day from festival artists and some special guests.
All Day Event | Front porch | Free | 6+
CHILDVISION CAMP
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Come and join the Childvision team and learn a new way of experiencing the world.
Take part in fun games where you can ‘crack the code’ using Braille, complete puzzles while in the total darkness of a blindfold and enjoy sensory stories that will ignite your imagination.
All Day Event | Castle Courtyard | Free Event | All Ages
A SNAIL’S TALE | CAOIMHE DUNN & DOMINIC PALMER
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Taking inspiration from illustrations in medieval manuscripts, A Snail’s Tale tells an unforgettable, entertaining story of imaginary creatures once only found in monkish doodles ...
Sir Babosa, a knight errant and dashing dare-do-well takes to the road to explore, do good and find love for his snailly steed, Mishelle, who is quite unique - truly one in a million - as she is the only left-handed snail in all the land. Travelling a slimy path with his trusty travel scribe and hand-drawn-selfie artist, Isabeau, he records his daring deeds, acts of gallantry, and fabulous interactions with passers-by.
In exchange for help on their quest Sir Babosa and lsabeau – who often find themselves very lost – may gift you with a portrait of Mishelle, and if you are very lucky, a lovely, luscious lettuce.
Developed with Simon Thompson, with the support of Spraoi, funded through the Arts Council Project Award and Artlinks Bursary, A Snail's Tale was conceived and is performed by Caoimhe Dunn and Dominic Palmer.
12.30 p.m., 2 p.m. & 3 p.m. | Castle Courtyard & Gardens | Free Event | All Ages
The Songbirds Stage | Various Artists
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Local singers and musicians takeover the Stable Yard at the Festival Hub, for acoustic sets of original music and covers throughout the day.
All Day Event | Stable Yard
Captain Cormac | Cormac Mohally
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Ready, Steady, Hup, it’s time for some circus fun with the living legend Captain Cormac. A master at showing off, for as long as he can remember he’s been flaunting his skills to anyone and everyone. A juggling aficionado, a lover of all things Circus, and an all round good guy, Captain Cormac is on a mission from the Circus Gods; to share with the world his amazing tricks, and his out and out passion for Circus, whether the world wants it or not. All you need to do is clap, cheer, and if you’re lucky, help him achieve the greatest and most dangerous juggling trick in the universe.
1 p.m. & 3.30 p.m. | Castle Courtyard | Free | All Ages
Captain Cormac is a 30 minute circus juggling show for all ages followed by a “Circus Disco” for 40 minutes
Circus Disco | Cork Circus Factory
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We bring Juggling Balls, Clubs, Diablos, Flowerstick and Hula Hoops. We put on some uber cool disco music and encourage everyone to “try it out”. Nobody is too old or too young to try, and the way that you use the equipment is the absolutely perfect and correct way to use it, just have fun and play.
1.30 p.m. & 4.00 p.m. | Castle Courtyard | Free | All Ages