Memorable minds bring storied weekend to Kells

Anne Cunningham was at the Hinterland Fertival, where everything from a Type Trail to a Lit Crawl was on offer between author events

Last weekend, while the streets seemed a bit quieter in Kells than they had on previous festival weekends, the Hinterland events still drew the crowds, with many sold out well in advance and all of the late evening gigs packed to capacity. It may have been the weather – mercilessly inclement at times and colder than any June weekend should be – that prevented the throngs from engaging in leisurely strolls from street to ancient street. Whatever it was, the footpaths were less crowded, the blissful jaywalkers high on art and words and culture not so much in plain sight. That said, it’s the quality of the events and the marvellous guests that make this festival what it is, and Hinterland 2024 was as good as every other year. It was superb.

There was total of 56 events spread across the weekend, with 12 of those completely sold out in advance, but a lot of events played to full houses due to the volume of walk-ups (tickets sold at the doors), far more than in previous years. Almost half of the online tickets were purchased in Dublin, with a surprising 11 per cent sold in Cork! It appears the festival has more than paid its way, with initial figures looking like they exceed last year’s tallies.

The action kicked off on Thursday with a plethora of talks for the history fans. Antonia Daly of Antonia’s Bookstore in Trim remarked that although Thursday’s and Friday’s history talks were not booked out beforehand, there were full houses on both days, with lots of tickets purchased at the door. Many of the Saturday and Sunday events were booked out long in advance and the kids were, as always, spoilt for choice. Children’s events are something that makes Hinterland stand out; nobody gets left behind, including the ankle-biters. And indeed the dogs. One lady expressed concern as she approached the Church of Ireland venue with a very elderly little terrier in tow. “He’s 15 years old and quiet as a mouse, he won’t be any trouble. Do you think they’ll let him in?” One could only hope so. She was spotted a short while later at the venue, happily seated and enjoying herself, with Fido (whose name has been changed to protect the innocent) snoring gently at her feet.

A teenage French girl and her young French companion were attending a historical walking tour of the town. As the group of tourists left the old church grounds after seeing the facsimile of the Book of Kells, this girl asked the guide what the Book was about. The guide replied that it was the four gospels of the New Testament but that it’s not the text that makes the book special, it’s the illuminations. The girl turned to her companion, eyes out on stalks. The companion, rooted to the spot, nodded silently to indicate she understood; they’d just been dropped into a Dan Brown novel and the Illuminati had been here before them…

The Liam Cahill Memorial Lecture was an arresting one, as it was last year with Fintan O’Toole at the helm. This year, the Secretary General of the NUJ, Seamus Dooley, delivered a compelling and discomfiting talk on the state of journalism in the era of artificial intelligence and heavily sponsored media outlets. Getting to the truth and, more importantly, being able to report it unhindered, has never been more of a challenge. He left his audience with a lot to think about. In a lighter mode, Tom Dunne, he of Pet Sounds and a man who’s a firm favourite with Hinterland audiences, delivered some little-known truths about David Bowie and his fourth album, Diamond Dogs. Tom Dunne returns every year and never fails to amuse and entertain with his snippets of obscure and often hilarious pop culture history.

And there are other annual stalwarts. Retired National Archivist par excellence, Catriona Crowe, is a reliable returnee and knows how to hush a house to silence, this year in her talk about how Irish drama has been influenced and bookended by the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the Good Friday Agreement. American playwright Matthew Spangler pops over every year, as perennial as the grass, with a presentation on how to adapt a chosen novel into a play. The novel this year was Emily Houricane’s latest, 'An Invitation to the Kennedys', and Emily herself was also present. Spangler’s presentations are an eye-opener for budding writers, and a piece of solid entertainment for everyone else. Other annual cornerstones are, of course, the Type Trail, with this year’s word being Evolve. It was to be found in various guises across multiple venues, public spaces and half-hidden nooks all over town. And there was the Lit Crawl, a series of events that takes place on Sunday evening in the manner of a fringe festival, just as the main events are wrapping up.

The big names of Hinterland 2024 included Sinéad Gleeson talking about her first venture into fiction, the great novel 'Hagstone', after years of her editing, anthologising and championing other writers. One of Ireland’s foremost poets, Elaine Feeney, was also in Kells to talk about her second novel, 'How to Build a Boat', nominated for several prizes this year. And the inimitable Anne Enright, interviewed by former newscaster Eileen Dunne, was a treat. Enright was there to talk about her latest novel 'The Wren, The Wren', a story that includes a fictional rapscallion poet who deserts his family and skips off to America.

“What made you decide he was from Tullamore?” asked Eileen Dunne, to which Enright replied: “We have so many acclaimed poets hailing from all over the country, and I needed to ensure sure nobody mistook him for a real person. So I had to find a town with no association with any Irish poet. It took me ages but I finally found one, and that was Tullamore!” Ouch!

In one of the closing events of the festival, former Meath Chronicle editor and dyed-in-the-wool Navan man, Ken Davis, gave a comprehensive talk about researching his recently published and beautifully produced book, 'Of Wood and Wool'.

It traces the development of the two primary industries in Navan, carpets and furniture, for many decades before the arrival of Tara Mines. And in another closing event, former RTE producer and Ballivor native, John Quinn, paid tribute to the many Irish personalities he interviewed in his long career, reading quotes from his book 'Homage: A Salute to Fifty Memorable Minds'.

It wasn’t all about the distinguished guests, though. There was, as always, plenty to see and do around the town, with photographic and art exhibitions, antiques and pop-up shops, and there was the spirit of the townspeople themselves. From festival organisers and volunteers to the shopkeepers and staff in the cafés, pubs and hotel, the people of Kells have a knack of making everyone feel at home.

Even the Illuminati …