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festivals · Thursday 15 October 2026 · Various 
Rolling Sun Book Festival 2026, Westport
At Venues across Westport · Westport, Co. Mayo
At Venues across Westport · Westport, Co. Mayo
The Rolling Sun Book Festival runs from Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 October 2026 across venues in Westport. It has been going for more than fifteen years and takes its name from the rolling sun phenomenon at the Boheh Stone outside the town, where the setting sun appears to roll down the flank of Croagh Patrick.
The festival spreads across the town rather than sitting in one building, and the line-up mixes writers, poets, playwrights, journalists, musicians and artists rather than sticking to novelists alone. Past editions have brought in Ruby Wax, Stephen Rea, Colum McCann and Paul Lynch, but the organisers are explicit that the point is not celebrity billing: the programme is built around conversation, ideas and storytelling, with the smaller venues doing as much work as the headline events. Held in mid-October, it lands at the quiet end of the Westport season, and a good part of its audience treats it as an autumn weekend away, with the readings scheduled around time for the shops, the restaurants and walks around Clew Bay. The 2026 programme had not been published at the time of writing, so check the festival site before booking travel around a specific event.
Westport is on the N5 from Castlebar and Dublin and the N59 from Leenane and Clifden. Because the festival uses venues across the town, the practical approach is to park once in a public car park off James Street or near the Fairgreen and walk between events. Westport railway station is the western terminus of the Dublin Heuston line, a 15 minute walk from the centre, which makes the train a genuinely workable option for a weekend here. Bus Eireann links Westport with Castlebar, Ballina, Galway and Achill, and Ireland West Airport Knock is roughly an hour away by road.
Heading to Venues across Westport in Westport? Mayo has plenty more to see. Read the Westport area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.