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Celebrating Irish Children’s Books 2020 | Online School and Family Book Festival on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of November

Speakers

Supported by the Arts Council of Ireland - Literature

Yasmeen Ismail

Yasmeen Ismail is an Irish author and illustrator, living in Bristol. She never imagined that she would be so fortunate to work in children’s publishing

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Team member

Our Festival Team!

It takes a village to run a festival! The Wonderfest team: Áine Ní Ghlinn, Laureate na nÓg 2020–2022 Patricia Forde, award-winning children’s writer and experienced

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Team member

Áine Ní Ghlinn

Áine Ní Ghlinn is a poet and children’s writer and is Laureate na nÓg 2020– 2022. Three of her YA novels have won Gradam Reics

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Team member

Muireann Ní Chíobháin

Muireann Ní Chíobháin is an author, screen writer, broadcaster andperformer. Her debut Irish language picture book Scúnc agus Smúirín waspublished by Futa Fata in 2019.

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Team member

Tara McDarby

Tara McDarby is a qualified English teacher, experienced in primary and secondary. She is currently working on her own projects in storytelling through film and

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Team member

Dawn Nolan

Dawn Nolan has held a passion for children’s books since she could readherself. She specialises in curating the best books to support kids wellbeingthrough her

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Paul O’Flynn

Paul O’Flynn is an RTÉ News and Sports presenter and journalist. A graduate of DCU, he is an associated lecturer at his alma mater. He

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Jacqui Hurley

In 2009, Jacqui became the first female anchor of Sunday Sport on RTE Radio One. She presents the daily sports bulletins on RTE’s 6.1 news

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Nicola Colton

Nicola Colton is an Irish author-illustrator living in Bristol with her husband and black and white cat, Odysseus. Her debut picture book, A Dublin Fairytale,

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Sheena Dempsey

Corkonian Sheena Dempsey has illustrated books for all ages, including The Magic Moment and Take Five by Bressie, and Mermaid School by Lucy Courtenay. She

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Oliver Jeffers

Oliver Jeffers is another national treasure. He grew up in Belfast and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. A visual artist and author

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Eoin Colfer

Eoin Colfer is one of Ireland’s best-loved writers. Famous world-wide for his Artemis Fowl books, his first book was published in 1998 and he has

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Andrew Whitson

Andrew Whitson is a multi-award-winning artist and a Belfast native who likes to be called Mr Ando! He lives in an old house which nestles

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Malachy Doyle

Malachy Doyle was born in Carrickfergus and grew up in Whitehead, County Antrim, by the sea. The seventh of eleven children, he had the freedom

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Sadhbh Devlin

Tá trí pictiúirleabhar scríofa ag Sadhbh Devlin; Bí ag Spraoi Liom! (maisithe ag Tarsila Kruse), Beag Bídeach agus, a leabhar nua, Geansaí Ottó (iad maisithe

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Máire Zepf

Máire Zepf is from County Down and has written eleven books for children, from picture books to YA verse-novels. She was the first Children’s Writing

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Lindsay J Sedgwick

Lindsay J Sedgwick is an award-winning screenwriter and creator of the ground-breaking series Punky, the first mainstream animation series worldwide in which the central character

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Marianne McShane

Marianne McShane grew up on the shores of Belfast Lough in Bangor, Co Down. As a child, she loved getting lost in the magical worlds

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Kieran Fanning

Kieran Fanning is a primary school teacher who has written six novels for children. The Black Lotus, an action/adventure about time-travelling ninjas was published in

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PJ Lynch

PJ Lynch was born in Belfast and over his career as a multi award-winning illustrator he has illustrated over twenty books, including modern editions of

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Peter Donnelly

Peter Donnelly is an award- winning picture book author and illustrator from Dublin. His much-loved ‘President’ books The President’s Glasses, The President’s Cat and The 

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John Kane

John Kane lives in Dublin and only began creating picture books a few years ago. He has a background as a creative in advertising, and

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Oisín McGann

Oisín McGann is one of Ireland’s most prolific writer-illustrators, producing books for all ages. He is the author of the hugely popular Mad Grandad books,

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Kim Sharkey

Kim Sharkey is an award-winning illustrator who received the Children’s Books Ireland Eilís Dillon Award for her first children’s book, Mór agus Muilc. A multi-media

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Bex Sheridan

Bex Sheridan is an illustrator, writer and graphic designer. She has a great love of animals and is often commissioned to illustrate them. Bex and

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Gerry Daly

Gerry Daly is an illustrator and an author. His first book, set around the Skellig islands, was Where Are You, Puffling? written by Erika McGann.

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Catherine Doyle

Catherine Doyle is from Co Galway, on the west coast of Ireland. Her multi award-winning début children’s novel, The Storm Keeper’s Island is set on

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Celine Kiernan

Celine Kiernan lives in rural Ireland surrounded by cows and cats and people she loves. She writes the kinds of books she wants to read,

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Team member

Eve McDonnell

Eve McDonnell grew up in Dublin before moving to the beautiful countryside of Wexford where she lives halfway up a hill with her husband, twins,

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Paul Howard

Paul Howard is an author, journalist and comedy writer, best known as the creator of the Ross O’Carroll-Kelly series. He has won a record four

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Gordon D’Arcy

Gordon D’Arcy is a former Leinster, Ireland and Lions rugby player.  He received his first cap in 1999 and played inside centre for most of

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Jennifer Farley

Jennifer Farley is an illustrator and designer. She draws pictures for children’s books, maps, apps, websites and even t-shirts! Jennifer is the author and illustrator

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Shane Hegarty

Shane Hegarty is the bestselling author of Boot, a story about a toy robot with only two-and-half-memories. Boot was recently Dublin UNESCO City of Literature

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Pádraig Kenny

Pádraig Kenny is an Irish writer who hails from Newbridge in County Kildare and now lives in Limerick. His debut novel Tin, published in 2018,

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Alan Nolan
Team member

Alan Nolan

Alan Nolan is an author and illustrator. His latest books, Sam Hannigan and the Last Dodo, and Animal Crackers (with Sarah Webb), are both out

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Derek Landy

Author of the Skulduggery Pleasant series and the Demon Road trilogy, Derek lives in Dublin and is awesome. Seasons of War is the 13th Skulduggery

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Margaret Anne Suggs

Margaret Anne Suggs

Margaret Anne Suggs was born and raised in the American deep South, but now lives in Dublin. When she is not drawing, painting and making

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Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin

Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin is a writer and publisher, based in An Spidéal, Conamara. His children’s publishing house, Futa Fata, has more than 100 books in

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Sallyanne Sweeney

Sallyanne Sweeney studied English at Trinity College before completing an MPhil in American Literature at Queens’ College, Cambridge. She is an agent with Mulcahy Associates

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Lorraine Levis

Lorraine Levis is a Key Account Executive for Penguin Random House Children’s Books and an The Irish Times columnist. She started her career as a

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Chris Haughton

Chris Haughton is an Irish author/illustrator based in London. He was listed in Time magazine’s DESIGN 100 for the work he has been doing for

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Chris Judge

Chris Judge is an award-winning author and illustrator from Dublin. His picture books include The Lonely Beast series, The Great Explorer and Tiny and Teeny.

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Team member

Nicola Pierce

Nicola Pierce writes historical fiction for children. Her novels include The Spirit of the Titanic, City of Fate and Behind the Walls and her latest,

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Judi Curtin

Judi Curtin was born in London, and grew up in Cork. She trained as a primary school teacher, but is now a full-time writer. She

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Paddy Donnelly

Paddy Donnelly is an Irish author and illustrator living in Belgium. He has over fifteen years’ experience as an illustrator and designer, and especially loves

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Team member

Úna Woods

Úna Woods is an illustrator and author who lives in Dublin. Her work has been published in books, magazines and websites. She loves working with

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Gráinne Clear

Gráinne Clear is a Commissioning Editor at Walker Books. Before this she was Publishing Manager and Art Director at Little Island Books, an independent Irish

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Team member

Ashwin Chacko

Ashwin Chacko is an illustrator, designer, hand-letterer and writer living and working in Dublin. He has worked for Nike, Vans and even Tayto Park! He

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Helen Carr

Helen Carr is a Senior Editor at The O’Brien Press, an independent Irish children’s publisher. She has always been interested in the book world and

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Anna Carey

Anna Carey is a Dublin journalist and author. Anna’s first book, The Real Rebecca won the Senior Children’s Book prize at the Irish Book Awards.

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patricia forde
Team member

Patricia Forde

Patricia Forde is an award-winning Galway writer who has written picture books and novels for children of all ages.  She is bi-lingual, writing in both

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mary-murphy
Team member

Mary Murphy

Mary Murphy has written and illustrated more than forty bright, strong books for children including What I Like Most and A Kiss Like This. She

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Team member

Sarah Webb

Sarah Webb is an award-winning children’s writer and creative writing teacher. She runs creative writing clubs for children and reviews children’s books for The Irish

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Alan O'Rourke
Team member

Alan O’Rourke

Alan has worked as a designer, creative director and marketer for over 15 years winning many awards including a BAFTA nomination. He is now making

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