It’s a remote location that suffered from depopulation and economic hardship before being transformed after being named Scotland’s Book Town.
Today, a community in rural Ireland hopes to emulate the success of the internationally acclaimed Wigtown Book Festival, which helped regenerate the town.
Wigtown in Dumfries and Galloway was declared the National Book Town of Scotland in 1998 and now Granard in County Longford has its sights set on becoming Ireland’s premier town.
agency
Irish writer and producer John Connell said he was “blown away” by the model and how it had helped rejuvenate the town, which has a population of less than 1,000.
There are now over a dozen bookstores and book-related businesses in Wigtown, as well as a literary-themed B&B and The Open Book – an Airbnb that’s also a bookstore.
READ MORE: Festival in Scotland’s National Book Town for a taste of Antarctica
The 10-day festival, which kicks off on September 23, is also giving tourism a boost, attracting visitors, authors, celebrities, artists, scientists and contemporary thinkers from across the UK.
Granard hopes to hold its own inaugural book festival next year from April 21-23.
“It’s turned Wigtown into a center for the arts,” said Mr. Connell, who is part of the 800-person Granard community.
“We don’t have a book town in Ireland and Granard would be ideal.
“It’s a beautiful place with lots of history and character, it’s easily accessible from places like Dublin – and it would really benefit from some economic regeneration.”
Mr Connell, who runs the successful Still Voices International Short Film Festival in Ballymahon with Ronan O’Toole, said he had received advice from Wigtown Book Festival director Adrian Turpin.
agency
He said: “Wigtown became a bible for us as we found the way forward.”
Mr O’Toole said his ambition had always been to create a book festival.
He said: “The idea of another festival in the county to help rejuvenate a rural town appeals to me massively because I’ve seen the benefits of what the arts can bring – how they attract visitors and to how engaged rural communities are with the arts when they have access to them. What is great is that it brings cultural and economic benefits.
READ MORE: Books: Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison is remembered by the poet who loved him
Emma Robinson, who oversees the Wigtown Book Festival, said the team hoped to develop a strong bond with Granard.
She added: “The fact that Granard is using us as a model – as have a host of other book towns around the world – absolutely underlines how even a small rural community like ours can have an international influence. , thanks to the energy and creativity of its people.
The festival has strong support from Dumfries and Galloway Council and has received funding as part of its major events strategy – recognizing the economic value of cultural tourism and the benefits to the community in terms of culture, health and well-being. -be.
Councilor Willie Scobie, Chair of the Wigtownshire Area Committee of Dumfries and Galloway Council, said: “Wigtown is a world-class example of rural regeneration.
“Our partnership with Wigtown has been a huge success.
“To have him used as a role model for Granard is inspiring – showing that a small rural town in Galloway has an international impact.”
Booker Prize winner Richard Flanagan has agreed to become the sponsor of the Granard event.
He said: “As a child of Longford (Tasmania) where my Irish ancestors were sent as convicts during the Famine, I feel a strange affinity with Longford (Ireland).
“I know the affirmative and sometimes transformative power of small places that dream of themselves again and so I was delighted to be asked to sponsor the Granard Booktown Festival.
“One word follows another and thus sentences, novels and new worlds are created and so I hope with this festival and the city it celebrates.”
To book Wigtown Book Festival tickets, go to www.wigtownbookfestival.com.
Comments are closed.