June Fest 2026 Literary Event
Ticket details will be announced in due course on here and through our June Fest social media channels for this exciting Literary Event which will also feature a pop up book shop provided by Woodbine Books.
‘Meet The Writers’
Mary Linehan will be moderating a panel discussion among three of Kildare’s finest writers, John MacKenna, Ed O Loughlin and Martina Smith. You can expect to get insights into writing processes, pitfalls to avoid, the publishing world and what it means to call yourself a Kildare writer.
‘Short Story Competition Award Ceremony’
The winners of the National June Fest 2026 Short Story competition will be announced with an opportunity for the winning writer to read an extract from their story. John MacKenna who is this year’s adjudicator and will announce the winner and runner-up.
Mary Linehan
Mary Linehan trained in the Focus Theatre under the late Deirdre O'Connell. She has acted and directed in a number of Focus productions and Smashing Times Theatre Company (a company she co-founded), including a production of her own one woman show ' Bloomin Women'. In 1994 Mary became Arts Officer for Co. Kildare. Projects undertaken during her tenure included the founding of the Bealtaine Arts Festival in Newbridge and the establishment of the Riverbank Arts Centre. Over the last number of years she has written and directed plays for children and young people with Kildare Youth Theatre, the most recent being ‘The Waiting Game ' in the Moat Club in 2015. In 2012, Mary was the Chair of the first June Fest.
John MacKenna
John MacKenna is the author of 26 books, the most recent being the novel The Lock-keeper's Wife (The Lilliput Press). He teaches creative writing at Maynooth University and The Hedge School on the Moone. He is a native of Castledermot.
Ed O Loughlin
Ed O’Loughlin was born in Canada and grew up near Kildare Town, attending the De La Salle National School and St Joseph's Academy. Having studied English in Dublin, he became a newspaper reporter and foreign correspondent, covering Africa and the Middle East for, among others, The Irish Times, Sydney Morning Herald, Age of Melbourne, and the Independent of London. He has also reported from Ireland for the Economist and the New York Times. In 2009, after returning to Ireland, he published his first novel, Not Untrue and Not Unkind, which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Other works include Toploader (2011), Minds of Winter (2016), This Eden (2021) and The Last Good Funeral of the Year (2022), a memoir.
Martina Smith
Martina Smith is the imaginative force behind the Mrs Books series; ‘Mrs Books Saves the Library’ and ‘Mrs Books Saves Booktree’. Martina is committed to making reading joyful, accessible and central to every child’s creative journey. Her rich background as a theatre and screen actor, combined with her extensive career in education from pre-school to adult learning, gives her stories a unique blend of charm, rhythm, and heart. Martina has brought joy and inspiration to countless young readers, many of whom sparked the very ideas behind her delightful series.