Mon 27 July 2026 I 8.30pm I £16

Multi-award-winning Armagh writer, Stuart Neville, has invited some of the most popular and critically acclaimed crime writers to join him to discuss their work for this annual festival highlight.

Stuart Neville’s debut novel, ‘The Ghosts of Belfast’ (published in the UK as ‘The Twelve’), won the Mystery/Thriller category of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was picked as one of the top crime novels of 2009 by both the New York Times and the LA Times. He has been shortlisted for various awards, including the MWA Edgar, CWA Dagger, Theakstons Old Peculier Novel of the Year, Barry, Macavity, Dilys awards, as well as the Irish Book Awards Crime Novel of the Year.

Harriet Tyce, criminal barrister and standout star of Series 4 of BBC’s The Traitors, is the million-copy, Sunday Times bestselling author of four novels. After practising as a criminal barrister in London for nearly a decade, she subsequently completed an MA in Creative Writing – Crime Fiction at the University of East Anglia. Her first novel, ‘Blood Orange’, published in 2019 to huge critical acclaim and this was followed by three bestsellers; ‘The Lies You Told’, ‘It Ends at Midnight’ and ‘A Lesson in Cruelty’. Her fifth novel, the addictive thriller, ‘Witch Trial’, was published earlier this year.

Thurs 30 July 2026 I 8.30pm I £13

Featuring Liz Weir, Vicky McFarland and Anne Harper

‘A Cloak of Wisdom’ is a cross-media storytelling performance that seeks to reframe and reclaim the narrative of the feminine voice in a way that empowers, inspires, and provokes reflection. ‘A Cloak of Wisdom’ examines the spectrum of the feminine voice – from Goddess to serving girl; fairylore to the horrors of the mother and baby homes. Through a blend of storytelling, live music and visual imagery, audiences are invited to explore and consider themes such as birth, death, revenge and our disconnect from ‘mother earth’ and the impact this is having on our landscapes.

‘The Cloak of Wisdom’ carries the power to reach into hearts. It is a splendid work that deserves to be witnessed widely.

This unique collaboration brings together three visionary artists: Liz Weir, an internationally celebrated storyteller, with over 50 years of experience, Vicky McFarland, a pioneer in immersive storytelling and Anne Harper, a musician, composer, storyteller and longstanding environmental activist.