This year’s Festival will run over ten days and two weekends rather than three as in previous years. With pretty much the same number of events the Festival will be ‘busier’ with, particularly on weekends, a choice of more events for festival goers to attend. As always music will be at the heart of the Festival with the third year of the splendid Irish Sea Sessions at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (Oct. 19th, see www.liverpoolphil.com for more details and booking) as one of the centrepieces of the festivities; there will also be music at The Capstone, Rodewald Suite, Sefton Park Palm House and Eric’s. Literature lovers are particularly well catered for this year with a whole day devoted to James Joyce – his stories, humour and songs – and a lecture marking the centenary of the death of Bram Stoker, Dublin-born author of Dracula. The first weekend will see the Festival down at Albert Dock and, for the first time, L1. Whilst the Museum of Liverpool will be hosting a Liverpool Irish Celebration Day on the first Saturday, with St Michael’s Irish Centre holding its popular Ceili that evening. The last Sunday will feature a family day at Sefton Park Palm House with a Children’s Concert and Ceili, whilst there will be a film programme of Irish Shorts and Features running throughout the Festival at FACT.

New events are being added almost daily so keep an eye on the website for further details of the programme as they come, ticketing information will also be posted as it becomes available – and don’t forget, you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.