Last May Bank Holiday we celebrated our tenth Towers and Tales Children’s Book Festival.

We were delighted to welcome you to Lismore Castle for another magical fun-filled day of reading, wonder and curiosity! We had a very exiting line-up for you this year with lots of exciting events. Keep an eye on our social media and website for more updates on next years festival!

Author

Author

Author & Illustrator

Author & Artist

Illustrator

Author & Illustrator

Author & Illustrator

Festival Exhibition

‘Little Irish Folklore Friends’

Friday 3rd May - Friday 17th May 2024 The Vault Café

Brian Fitzgerald

Our 2024 Festival Exhibition hosts the wonderful work of illustrator Brian Fitzgerald with prints from Little Irish Folklore Friends by Niamh Donnellan.You can visit The Vault Café during the festival weekend and for two weeks after to meet everyone’s favourite creatures from Irish folklore!

In this charmingly illustrated collection of rhyming stories these naughty little fairies, pucas and wisps learn to turn frowns upside down and go from frightening to fun! Join Liam the Leprechaun, Betty the Banshee and Padraig the Puca; Willow the Wisp, Fiadh the Fairy and Sean the Selkie for lots of bedtime giggles.

  • Brian is an award-winning, Irish illustrator who lives andworks in Dún Laoghaire. His earliest illustrations often featured the sheep and horses seen from his childhood home on the Curragh plains. Brian has worked continuously as an illustrator since graduating from NCAD in Dublin. From his first picture book commission in 2010, he was hooked and has focused on picture books ever since receiving international recognition (Inaugural winner of the International Silent Book in Bologna, 2014) for his award-winning book Bounce Bounce. In 2015 he met with Harriet Ziefert in New Jersey and has collaborated ever since, Be Thankful For Trees. Other collaborations include Gabriel Rosenstock An Eala Órga and Óró na Circíní agus scéalta eile ón Afraic, Usborne Atlas sticker picture books (2017), Lula Bell I don’t want to go to School (Little Tiger Press), with O’Brien Press;  Elena Browne You can do it Rosie, Éanna Ní Lamhna Wonders of the Wild (2023). With Futa Fata;  Amuigh Faoin Spéir, by Sadhbh Devlin, Gealach agus Grian by Muireann Ní Chíobháin and Jeanne Willis on The Bear Who Had Nothing to Wear (Scalllywag Press) and The Rattlin’ Bog (Barefoot Books). Brian’s first author illustrator book Bunny’s Most Fabulous Vacation Ever! releases May 2024 (Red Comet Press).

Festival Programme

Festival TimetabLe

The Festival Hub

Festival Hub

TICKETED EVENTS

DUNGEON DOODLE

  • 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

  • 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

10 a.m. |  Lismore Library | €5 (Carers Free) | for age 0-4 

12 p.m. | Lismore Library | €5 (Carers Free) | for age 4-7 

  • 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.

Festival Hub

FREE EVENTS

ONLINE REGISTRATION

CASTLE COURTYARD WORKSHOPS | THE GLUCKSMAN 

Castle Flags

  • Castle flags have long been used to identify the owners and its occupants as well as to send messages to approaching travellers, armies or neighbouring castles. In this fun hands on workshop we will be making flags that share messages or that represent our families. Under the guidance of the Glucksman’s talented facilitators, children will be using pencils, crayons, card and sticks to create their own magical flags.

10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. | Castle Courtyard | Free Online Registration | Age 5-7 years

The Story behind the Mask

  • Become a superhero, a celebrity pop star, a mysterious villain or a scary ghoul in this fun mask making workshop. Participants will work under the guidance of the Glucksman’s facilitators to learn simple card folding and 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 8-10 years

Festival Hub

FREE ALL DAY EVENTS

BOOK SWAP | WATERFORD CITY AND COUNTY LIBRARY SERVICES

  • 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

  • Join Lismore Castle Arts on the Gallery Lawn and enter the wonderful world of creativity. Let your imagination run wild on an arts and crafts adventure.

All Day Event | Gallery Lawn | Free

SCÉAL TRAIL
[STORY TRAIL] |
AMUIGH FAOIN SPÉIR

  • (Sadhbh Devlin agus Brian Fitzgerald)

    Tá Rua breá sásta go bhfuil an deireadh seachtaine ann agus gur féidir leis luí siar ar an tolg agus féachaint ar chartúin ar feadh an lae. Ach tá plean iomlán éagsúil ag Mamaí don lá. B’fhearr le Rua fanacht sa bhaile, áit a bhfuil sé te teolaí, tirim agus glan – ach an éireoidh leis? Scéal lán le háilleacht an nádúir agus lán croí.

    Beidh deis ag léitheoirí óga a bheith amuigh faoin spéir agus scéal Rua a leanúint ar Scéal Trail speisialta a bheas in airde le linn na féile.

    The way Rua sees things, Saturday is for lying on the sofa and watching cartoons all day. But Mum has a completely different plan of action. Amuigh Faoin Spéir is a joyful celebration of the beauty of nature and the special sofa-snuggles that follow a big adventure in the great outdoors.

    Young festival-goers will have the opportunity to follow Rua’s story and in his footsteps by embracing the great outdoors and following a very special Scéal Trail.

All Day Event | Castle Gardens | Free | All Ages

BOOK SHOP | EASON

  • Pick up a book from your favourite festival artist.

All Day Event | Stable Yard

THE DOODLE WALL | FESTIVAL ARTISTS

  • Festival artists can be found at the doodle wall drawing during the day. Make your own mark and create your own characters on our giant doodle wall.

All Day Event | Woodshed | Free

KNOCK FOR A STORY

  • 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

  • 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

51 REMOVALS |
ELISA GALLO ROSSO 

  • In association with Promenade and supported by Cork Circus Factory

    “The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there” JP Hartley Binah has moved 51 times in her life, across continents, seasons, and time differences. From Italy to Egypt, Mexico to England, her world moving with her in cardboard boxes and trolleys as she travels the world in the search of a forever home. Now in Ireland, help her adjust to her new surroundings, unpacking the memories and belongings she carries in this playful and interactive street show that asks us all to consider the meaning of home? 51 Removals is presented in association with Promenade, funded by the Arts Council and Cork City Council Arts Office and supported by Circus Factory.

1 p.m. & 3 p.m.  | Castle Courtyard & 
Gardens | Free | All Ages

SONG TALES SA SPÉIR |
CEOL CONNECTED

  • Get ready for a live music extravaganza like no other with SongTales sa Spéir. Join Ceol Connected in the treetops where a toe-tapping, tale-telling, hip-shaking hooley awaits! With mesmerising music and songs by some of Ireland’s finest musicians, you can look forward to a wonderfully interactive show that will have audiences of all ages hooked. SongTales sa Spéir is full of imagination, magic and beautiful songs that transports each and every child and young person to a brand new exciting world.

12 p.m. & 2 p.m. | Stable Yard | Free | All Ages

BOOK CLINIC | CHILDREN’S BOOKS IRELAND 

  • 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 and you can register with the Children's Books Ireland team on the day, each appointment is 15 minutes.

12 p.m. - 4 p.m. | Castle Courtyard | Free on-the-day Registration | All Ages