Cantor Fitzgerald was delighted to sponsor the Dalkey Book Festival – a 4-day celebration of literary talent, bringing together the best of Irish and international writers and thinkers from Thursday, 13 June to Sunday, 16 June 2024.

Nearly 20,000 people attended the festival over the 4 days, highlighting the invaluable platform this initiative provides the arts, specifically the Irish arts. Showcasing Ireland’s finest writers – Claire Keegan, Anne Enright, Paul Murray, Kevin Barry and Donal Ryan, Brooklyn author Colm Tóibín, Booker Prize Winner Paul Lynch, award-winning writers Elaine Feeney, John Boyne and Victoria Kennefick, as well as Colin Barrett, Nuala O’Connor, Mary Costello and Sinéad Gleeson – the Dalkey Book Festival is a chance to celebrate the best in homegrown literary talent.

While the festival began with a literary emphasis, it now celebrates the arts more broadly, including theatre, film, and comedy. It also serves as a festival of ideas, delving into topics like science, technology, current affairs, new politics, and global trends.

One of the highlights of the festival was a compelling and humorous discussion with comedian and cultural commentator, David Baddiel, who engaged audiences with reflections from his memoir “My Family: The Memoir”, offering intimate insights into his personal journey, highlighting the power of captivating storytelling.

Pictured above is comedian and cultural commentator, David Baddiel

Financial Times’ Literary Editor Frederick Studemann and political commentator Robert Shrimsley, broadcaster and author James O’Brien, and comedian and author Colm O’Regan came together for the panel discussion ‘Great Britain: Great Expectations Or Great Escape?’ which made for a lively debate. The speakers shared analysis of the current situation in the United Kingdom and their insights on what’s to come.

Pictured from l-r is Frederick Studemann, James O’Brien, Robert Shrimsley and Colm O’Regan

The grand finale saw acclaimed director, Neil Jordan and Irish actor, Stephen Rea team up to discuss Neil’s new memoir ‘Amnesiac’. It was an engaging and fun discussion that had the audience captivated as they took a trip down memory lane, sharing stories on the many times they have worked together, including on the 1992 crime thriller, ‘The Crying Game’, whose LGBTQ+ themes remain as relevant as ever.

Pictured l-r is Neil Jordan and Stephen Rea

Beyond these individual sessions, the festival served as a catalyst for wider community engagement and sparked dialogue between attendees to forge meaningful conversations and share different global perspectives. The festival also featured five AI-focused sessions, diving into the possibilities and potential challenges AI poses to the future of literature.

As the sun set over Dalkey village, we were thrilled to be part of such an inspiring initiative. We would like to thank David McWilliams, Sian Smyth and the Dalkey Book Festival team for curating an outstanding programme of events.