Culture
16 Apr 25

Avi Shlaim, Luke O'Neill, Paul Muldoon among over 100 Dalkey Book Festival speakers

Professor Luke O'Neill at his lab in the Trinity College School of Biochemistry. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

Tickets for the festival go on sale April 25 at 10.00am. Pre-sale is also available from 10.00am on April 23.

This year's lineup for the Dalkey Book Festival has been revealed, with over 100 speakers across its run from June 12 to June 15.

Professor of Psychology at Harvard University Steven Pinker will return to the festival, joined by Trinity College's Professor Luke O'Neill.

Ukrainian-born historian, writer and advocate Olesya Khromeychuk will mark her first appearance at the festival, discussing the history unfolding in eastern Europe with a personal dimension.

Maynooth University's Filipe Ribeiro de Meneses and Portuguese visual artist Afonso Cruz will highlight the literary heritage and culture of Portugal and the country's evolving presence on the world stage.

Iraqi-born Israeli-British historian Avi Shlaim, considered one of the foremost authorities of Palestinian and Israeli history, will seek to answer the question "can you be an Arab Jew?"

The Dalkey Book Festival 2025 programme is live!

From writers and rebels to economists and explorers, the lineup is stacked.

Sign up on our website to get your exclusive pre-sale access code on April 23rd.
General sale begins April 25th, and trust us, these will fly. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/3plFP1AGIj

— Dalkey Book Festival (@dalkeybookfest) April 16, 2025

Other guests include best-selling author Michael Lewis, Ross O'Carroll-Kelly (Paul Howard), recent recipient of Saoi of Aosdána Paul Muldoon, renowned Dublin author and dramatist Roddy Doyle, award-winning British-Turkish author Elif Shafak and many more.

2025 marks the Dalkey Book Festival's fifteenth year and will feature events in venues across the coastal town.

"This year's festival promises a jam-packed and thought-provoking four days which I feel very confident will give everyone who attends plenty to think about," said Sian Smyth, director and founder of the festival.

"This festival is for everyone - for those who love to read, for those who love to listen, for those who love to engage with like-minded individuals," she added.

View the full list of speakers here. Ticket information can be found here.