Join us for the 2026 Liverpool Literary Festival

Join us for the seventh annual John McGahern Book Prize.

In October Faber and Faber publish the much-anticipated authorised biography of the Irish writer and novelist, John McGahern, written by Frank Shovlin, Professor of Irish Literature at the University’s Institute of Irish Studies.

Drawn from more than two decades of research into one of the great prose stylists of the twentieth century, John McGahern: A Writing Life will allow – for the first time – insight into the life of this very private writer.

The prize was established by the University’s Institute of Irish Studies to promote new Irish fiction and to celebrate the memory of one of Ireland’s greatest masters of prose fiction, John McGahern (1934-2006). The competition carries an award for the best debut novel or short story collection by an Irish writer or writer resident in Ireland published in 2024.

Click here to book a festival pass.

All passes will include reserved seating in the lecture theatre, plus a host of other exclusive VIP benefits. Please note, the weekend pass does not include the launch event with Roger McGough on Friday 16th October.

There are a number of FREE University of Liverpool student tickets at all festival events. Students who sign up to receive their free ticket will need to add the code STUDENT26 when ordereing and show their student ID when they arrive at the venue..

To visit the festival website and take a look at the rest of the programme please click here

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