Ten must-see events at the upcoming Borris House Festival of Writing & Ideas

The full day breakdown for June 8-10’s Borris House Festival of Writing & Ideas has been announced.
Taking place in County Carlow, it now ranks as one of the finest literary events of its kind anywhere in Europe.
Here are our Top 10 Must-Sees:

WRITNG BEYOND GENDER
Author of The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Wood, in conversation with Ann Enright. Expect some dystopian parallels to be drawn with the Referendum No campaign! (Friday @ 6pm)

TARTT HISTORY
Donna Tartt discusses the intricacies of her Pulitzer Prize-wining trade with Rick Stroud. Rumour has it there might be a new book on the way... (Friday @ 7pm)

GHOST SONATA
Led Zep legend John Paul Jones and Helen Cooper talk to RTÉ man Gerry Godley about their much-anticipated opera (Saturday at 12.30pm)

THE DEATH AND RE-BIRTH OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
The last word – well, possibly! – on Repeal The 8th with Una Mullally, DublinOldSchool star Emmet Kirwan and Fintan O’Toole (Saturday @ 12.30pm)

MY NAME IS ELIZABETH STROUT
Sinéad Gleeson is on interview duties as another Pulitzer Prize-winner spills the creative beans. We're re-reading My Name Is Lucy Barton at the moment and loving every sentence of it! (Saturday @ 2pm)

SOVIET SCANDAL
Collusion: Secret Meetings and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win author, Luke Harding, talks Putin, power and puppet-masters with RTÉ’s Caitríona Perry who’s got up close to The Donald herself (Saturday @ 5pm)

LIFE OF CRIME
Our favourite page-turner Liz Nugent reflects on the sweet spot where crime and literary fiction meet with Roísin Ingle (Saturday @ 6.30pm)

HELD AGAINST HIS WILL
Ivana Bacik in conversation with Irishman Ibrahim Halawa whose unlawful detention in Egypt captivated a nation - and asked some serious questions about our attitudes towards Islam and the Muslim world (Sunday @ 11am)

INCARCERATED
Sophie Gorman meets Rachel Kushner, the American writer whose new book, The Mars Room, finds beauty among the horrors of a US correctional facility (Sunday @ 12.30pm)

A FANATIC HEART
In top form recently at the Vinyl festival in Kilmainham, Bob Geldof holds forth on his hero of heroes, Yeats, with Fintan O’Toole trying to get a word in edgeways. Frankly, we don't rate his chances! (Sunday @ 4.45pm)

For ticket and campervan and camping options see festivalofwritingandideas.com.