Ballyscullion Park Book Festival 2025 Programme Revealed

Ballyscullion Park Book Festival (Saturday 10 – Sunday 11 May 2025) is a celebration of writing, music, and art in the heart of Seamus Heaney country. The festival has announced its 2025 programme. Highlights for this year include internationally renowned author Louis de Bernières, artist and 2023 Sky Portrait Artist of the Decade Gareth Reid, and award-winning novelist and journalist Martina Devlin.

Held in the picturesque surroundings of Ballyscullion Park near Bellaghy in mid-Ulster the event will bring together readers, writers, and art lovers for an unforgettable weekend of cultural delights.  Other highlights include:

Dr Sophia Hillan Author of May, Lou and Cass:  Jane Austen’s Nieces in Ireland
Dr Roy Foster Emeritus Professor of History at Oxford and cultural commentator
Carlo Gébler  author, playwright and teacher
Ramita Navai, multi award-winning journalist, documentary maker and author
Lyndsy Spence author, historian and screenwriter and founder of The Mitford Society
Owen O’Neill award-winning writer of stage and screen and stand-up     comedian.
John Goodall historian, author, and Architectural Editor of Country Life magazine
Dr Heidi Edmundson Portrush-born novelist and Emergency Medicine consultant in London;
Dr Caroline Campbell Director of the National Gallery of Ireland
There will also be panel discussions on topical issues, in association with the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, and the Irrawaddy Literary Festival.

On Sunday 11th May from 1pm, families are invited to a range of special events including storytelling and book readings, with writing workshops in association with the Seamus Heaney HomePlace.  Event is suitable for children from 5 years old plus book free tickets for under 18s.

This year, the festival is proud to announce a charity partnership with NI Hospice.  A  percentage of profits from ticket sales will be made to NI Hospice, and a representative will be on hand at the festival to talk about the care provided by the hospice.

Ballyscullion Park is part of the Loughinsholin Tourism Cluster, which aims to develop and promote a range of authentic, sustainable visitor experiences, a sense of place as well as a commitment to preserve and promote the generations of rich heritage and traditions found in the region of mid-Ulster. The cluster is supported by Invest Northern Ireland through its Collaborative Growth Programme.

Rosalind Mulholland Festival Director said:
“We are delighted to reveal the programme for this year’s festival. It is a privilege to host such a wide range of incredibly gifted writers across the festival weekend. From internationally renowned authors, playwrights and artists, it is shaping up to be an unforgettable 2 days.  We also hope the festival will attract visitors from near and far as well as showcase our beautiful region as a must visit NI destination.”

The full festival programme can be found here.