Children’s Book Festival coming to Offaly libraries this October

Offaly Libraries will host a lively line-up of events this October as part of the Children’s Book Festival 2025 (CBF), a national initiative encouraging children to discover the joy of reading.

Supported by Creative Ireland and Foras na Gaeilge, the Offaly programme features author visits to local schools, including Alan Nolan, Sadhbh Devlin, Shane Hegarty, Laureate na nÓg Patricia Forde and Dave Rudden, along with illustrator Shannon Bergin and storytelling group Storygate.

Public events include a visit from author Erika McGann to Edenderry and Tullamore Libraries on Saturday, October 4, where she’ll share her latest book The Strange Tales of Barnabus Kwerk.

Over the midterm break, the festival links with the Hullabaloo! Children’s Arts Festival, bringing The Ultimate Hogwarts Experience, Tallest, Smallest Theatre, plus story-times and movie mornings to branches across the county.

Families can also pick up the new Children’s Books Ireland Reading Guide for free.

The full programme is available at www.offaly.ie/libraries or from local libraries. Membership is free and open to all.