Culture
06 Jun 24

Margaret Atwood, Laurie Anderson and Mary Robinson postpone Dublin appearance

Laurie Anderson, Margaret Atwood, Mary Robinson, Credit: Bord Gáis Energy Theatre

The trio of extraordinary women have had to postpone their upcoming event at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Borris Festival of Writing and Ideas has announced that their upcoming event, An Evening with Margaret Atwood, Mary Robinson and Laurie Anderson, has been postponed. While details on the rescheduled date have yet to be announced, all ticket-holders have been sent an automatic refund for their purchases.

The trio of remarkable women - including Canadian poet and novelist Margaret Atwood, Ireland’s first female president Mary Robinson and American avant garde artist, musician and filmmaker Laurie Anderson - were slated to appear at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin on Sunday, June 9, alongside broadcaster and event host John Kelly.

Just three days before their scheduled appearance, Atwood announced that she was unable to travel to Dublin due to positive COVID-19 test results.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (@bordgaisenergytheatre)

“I'm so sorry to have to tell you that I am no longer able to be in Ireland this weekend,” she wrote in a statement. “I was about to get my flight to Ireland when I tested positive for Covid. I am devastated to have to miss out on the warm welcome the Irish always give me, and to bring disappointment to those who were coming to hear me. I am going to reschedule. I don't know when, because I am laying low, but I will try and be there later in the year. Thank you for understanding.”

Slated to take the stage throughout the festival weekend, Atwood’s Friday and Saturday appearances have been replaced by a series of award-winning writers, including Ocean Vuong, Deborah Levy, Katherine Rundell and John Vaillant. Learn more about the updated schedule of events here.